Ford Transit to plug in with electric power from 2022

And then there were three forthcoming electric cars from Ford. On Tuesday, the Blue Oval announced plans to introduce a battery-electric version of its popular cargo van, the Transit.

The electric van will join the Mustang Mach-E and the upcoming F-150 EV as Ford grows its electric vehicle lineup. With a debut date penciled in for the 2022 model year, the automaker didn’t give away the farm when it comes to details, but we have a few tidbits to highlight.

To start, Ford plans to build the electric Transit in the US — a notable detail since production of the standard Transit will move to Mexico starting in 2021. The company previously confirmed the Transit would head to the Hermosillo plant down south after Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ production wraps up. Lincoln axed the MKZ earlier this year and declared there won’t be a replacement.

Where the Transit EV will call home in the US, we don’t yet know, but the decision is part of the automaker’s $11.5 billion investment in electrifying its lineup through 2022.

Ford made it clear it won’t drop an electric powertrain into the Transit just for the sake of it. Instead, the program will be a complete overhaul of the cargo van with plenty of technology to help make make fleet operators’ lives easier. Expect a high-speed internet connection and cloud-based services to ramp up the model’s connectivity. Ford’s collection of active safety gear will also come standard. Surely, this electric Transit will do battle with Rivian and Amazon’s purpose-built electric delivery van.

At the end of the day, cargo vans fail if they don’t deliver on space, and Ford knows that. The automaker said cargo capacity will remain “uncompromised,” a likely nod to the electric powertrain, which will eat up more space. The typical slew of chassis options will also remain with cargo vans, cutaway and chassis cabs and a selection of roof heights.

We’ll learn more about the electric van in the months to come, Ford promises, but before then, all eyes are on the Mustang Mach-E as it begins production later this year.

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