Unless you’re Amazon, your choices for an electric van in the United States today are a Chevy Bolt with a rear-seat delete—which only kind fits the bill—or nothing. But that may change as soon as late 2021 when both General Motors and Ford could launch electric vans; GM’s based on its new Ultium EV architecture, and Ford’s, an electric version of the Transit. And we won’t have to wait long to see what the latter of these looks like, as Ford confirmed Thursday it’ll reveal the 2022 E-Transit on Nov. 12.
Launching as soon as late 2021, the Ford E-Transit will be sold in the Transit’s full range of body styles, from cargo van to chassis cab, with three options for roof heights and body lengths (and hopefully the off road-ready Adventure Prep Package). Managing commercial fleets of E-Transits will be simplified both by onboard connected vehicle services and the van’s compatibility with Electrify America, the United States’ largest independent charging network.
Lightening the brightest frame from a teaser .gif released by Ford shows body lines reminiscent of the 2020 Transit cargo van. While this does not itself imply the E-Transit will share the recently updated Transit’s architecture, Ford admitted the possibility by confirming the E-Transit will be built stateside. This, however, does not preclude the possibility of it using its partner Rivian’s platform for the Amazon van, or chassis available to it through its alliance with Volkswagen. MQB-based vehicles are already produced in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where VW is expected to launch production of MEB-based EVs in 2022.
First dibs on the 2022 Ford E-Transit go to the United States and Canada, which could receive the groundbreaking vehicles within a year. Provided, that is, Ford’s plans for the near future aren’t again derailed by COVID-19 containment measures.
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