Ford gave the first public airing of next year’s Ford E-Transit Custom along with details of the next-generation Transit Custom range which will include PHEV and new EcoBlue diesel vans.
The Ford E-Transit Custom will have a 380km range and support 125 kW fast charging, while the new Custom PHEV uses a similar powertrain to the Kuga PHEV with a 2.5-litre petrol engine combined with a 11.8kWh battery to give 57km of electric-only range.
New Transit Custom diesel engines will range from 108hp to 167hp with a new 8-speed auto gearbox joining the range along with an all-wheel-drive option. All next-generation Transit Custom vans will get the Ford Pro range of software and connected service which include Ford Pro Telematics.
Like its larger sibling, the Ford E-Transit, the Ford E-Transit Custom will be built in Turkey.
Ford also announced plans for its new Ford Pro Upfit Integration System an interface module that establishes a direct connection to the electrical system allowing conversions to be controlled via the 13-inch SYNC 4 touchscreen rather than though bolt-on switchgear. It is hoped that this will speed up the delivery time of conversions as well as improving reliability as converters won’t have to modify the cab area or splice into factory wiring.
Speaking about the new Transit Custom PHEV, Ford Pro CEO, Ted Cannis said: “Not all of Europe was ready with the charging infrastructure or facilities to go completely electric. In Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, there are places where it's not a solution yet because it's just not available.
"If you have dense urban zones, still where you don't have the infrastructure in place, the plug in hybrid allows you to enter the city, like in London, and then you can go out and do a lot of distance. I think getting this bridge to full electrification in the near term, you have to have those decisions that's why to lead the market from end-to-end in Europe we really thought we needed the whole gamut during this period of transition.”
