Probably the biggest car I ever drove was my aunt’s, a minivan from 2001, at least until yesterday. Yes, because yesterday I had the opportunity to drive a commercial work vehicle, but not just any one, but theE-Transit Pro home Ford.
If the Transit, the renowned king of vans, made the history of commercial vehicles, its electric version is destined to change the history of the automobile.
I always had the idea that a commercial vehicle of that size must be difficult to drive. In my imagination, the so-called work vans were seen as huge and impossible to drive vehicles. Vehicles that travel fixed between first and second gear, therefore slow and cumbersome.
What can I say, I immediately changed my mind.
Getting into the new E-Transit was like being behind the wheel of any Ford car.
State-of-the-art comfort and technology, even if the instinct to look back reminded me of being in a commercial vehicle.
A large vehicle, truly the largest I have ever driven, but light and agile.
Quiet and with a smooth ride, the new electric motor makes the E-Transit a real car capable of sprinting as soon as the accelerator is pressed. In this case, my courier friends are happy, busy in city traffic pulling the first gears of their vans.
The E-Transit still remains a work vehicle and here mom Ford thinks well to set it up with the Pro Power Onboard, giving the possibility to those who will work with the vehicle to have 230V electrical sockets with absorption up to 2.3KW.
Imagine the professional who has to use a tool and has no electricity nearby, with E-Transit the problem is solved.
Nature-friendly Ford E-Transit
The E-Transit is a zero-emission, high-performance vehicle.
In fact, its engine is powered by a 68kWh lithium-ion battery, which guarantees a declared autonomy of 315 km. The battery pack is positioned under the vehicle, in the lower part, to avoid compromising the capacity of the vehicle’s load compartment.
The battery is recharged easily or with the on-board charger, which thanks to its maximum capacities of 11.2kW in alternating current can charge it from 10 to 100% in about 8 hours, or in direct current at 115kW, reducing charging times to a little more than 30 minutes.
The electric motor of the new E-Transit can unleash a power of 184HP or even 269HP, with a maximum torque of 430Nm. In addition, the independent rear suspension now guarantees a better ride, improving rear traction and load management.
The vehicle also has three driving modes, which can be selected from the special rotary switch under the 12-inch screen. In addition to normal driving, therefore, there is the Splippery mode, reserved for non-compliant road conditions and with slippery asphalt, but also the Eco mode, which helps improve the autonomy of the vehicle. With the letter “L” instead, we mean the “Low” mode, which activates the regenerative braking, which recharges the battery every time you slow down.
In addition, the new E-Transit has a warranty of eight years or 160,000 km.
The cutting-edge technology of E-Transit
As mentioned above, the technology present on board makes this commercial vehicle the same as the Ford cars.
Professionals will enjoy the new Synic 4 system, capable of updating itself like a smartphone and with a 12-inch screen that has nothing to envy to the Ford sisters. The system is also connected to the Cloud, this allows the planning of itineraries and the monitoring of the latter.
The system is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay even wirelessly, as well as having integrated voice recognition.
But it doesn’t stop there, because the technology in E-Transit really leaves you speechless.
Thanks to the Ford Telematics service, which relies on the Cloud, we can monitor and control the health of our vehicle. Through the FordPass Pro application we can therefore see if our vehicle is charged, plan a recharge, open the doors or turn on the air conditioning.
This monitoring can also be done by those who have a fleet of Ford vehicles and want to be sure that their work vehicles are always in top condition.