Enlarge / A trio of E-Transits in high and low roof configurations. (credit: Ford)
SONOMA, Calif.—The US commercial pickup market is often dominated by the many variations of Ford's F-series. But since 2014, Ford has had an alternative for commercial drivers who prefer something more van-like. That's when the company started building Transit vans in Kansas City, Missouri. Since then, Ford has built a million of them.
Now, Ford has created an electric version of the Transit—or rather I should say versions, since the E-Transit comes in eight different body styles, just like its dinosaur-powered predecessor. In fact, the ladder chassis is identical, which means that the E-Transit is entirely compatible with the vast ecosystem of upfitters out there. Ford says to think beyond last-mile delivery vans, which only account for 10 percent of the commercial van market—a not-so subtle dig at startup rivals, perhaps.
And Ford's not just here to sell your business an electric van, either. The company has come up with a whole plug-and-play telematics solution which will manage not just E-Transits but any other vehicles, electric or internal combustion, Ford or otherwise.
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source https://arstechnica.com/?p=1830463