Ford has revealed a new addition to its Transit line-up in the shape of the Ford Transit City, an all-electric, Chinese-built van that’s designed to fill a specific niche for an urban delivery vehicle with a no-nonsense spec and enough range to take on a day’s work around town.
Built in conjunction with Ford’s Chinese partner Jianling, the Transit City is based on a unique platform that isn’t shared with any other model in Ford’s European line-up, although a Jianling variant is already available in China. The Transit City features a 56kWh battery, and while that sounds small, Ford’s range target of around 160 miles should be enough for the kind of users that the company is targeting with its newcomer. According to Ford’s own data, the average daily distance covered by existing electric van users is less than 70 miles, so the Transit City should be more than capable of delivering in that regard.
Power comes from a 148bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels, while the overall look is clean, with a smooth front end and aerodynamic wheel trims. There will be three bodystyles on offer: an L1H1 panel van, a larger L2H2 variant plus a chassis cab, which is a first for a medium-sized Ford van. The latter will be targeted at municipal authorities and those needing a more flexible arrangement, and there will be tipper and Luton-style conversions available from existing suppliers.
For the L1H1 van, there’s a payload of 1,085kg and floor space for three Euro pallets, while the L2H2 version can carry up to 1,275kg and has a cargo volume of 8.5 cubic metres with three metres of load length on offer. At the moment there are no plans to expand the line-up beyond the launch versions, so don’t expect a passenger or taxi variant any time soon.
