After 10 Years, Ford’s Transit Van Is Declared a US Success

• Less glamorous than the Ford Mustang or Bronco, one of Dearborn's bread-and-butter models is its commercially operated Transit Van.

• Originally launched in Europe back in 1965, North America only received the Ford Transit in 2014, and has been taken by storm since then.

• Marking its 10th anniversary, Ford is revamping the E-Transit with more range and faster charging, but the same amount of power.

It's not quite accurate to say the Ford Transit has only been around for 10 years. If we're being sticklers, a commercially aimed, universally accepted Ford van has been around since, well, 1965. But, even with Michigan's own Ford badge on the hood, US customers weren't graced with its presence until 2014.

The story of why the Ford Transit Van didn't make it to America until the early 21st century is interesting in and of itself, partially related to our own reliance on full-size freight vehicles. But we're not here to hash out the intricacies of our potentially troubled supply chains here in the US.

Instead, Ford is celebrating the North American 10-year anniversary of the Transit Van with some key changes to its E-Transit. Crowned as the torch-carrying model for Ford's commercial division, the E-Transit has been leading the brand's commercial endeavors with much success.

Ford claims the E-Transit is the best-selling electric van in the US, up against models like General Motors' BrightDrop van and the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. By the numbers, Ford's claim rings true, claiming 7672 units sold in 2023. That's an 18% rise year-over-year and beats out its competitors (one of which is not yet for sale) by a strong margin, too.

To that end, Ford is aiming to make the E-Transit even more appealing this year, with an increase in range, charging speed, and charger availability. We've covered Ford's incoming integration into the Tesla-style NACS charging plug, but Ford is also quoting an increase in the estimated range, totaling out to 159 miles.

That's 33 additional miles of range compared to the 2023 model, though such a range bump is only allotted to low-roof cargo van models. Given the aerodynamic challenges associated with high-roof models, Ford says these models will get slightly less range, but that isn't likely to affect operators too much.

To optimize its future electric, commercial offerings, Ford used 30 million miles of telematics data to analyze the typical use cases for its E-Transit models. Generally, E-Transit operators only went an average of 74 miles a day, indicating that 159 miles of range is more than enough for day-to-day operations.

Ford also cited the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, which said the deployment of E-Transits globally is equivalent to planting 413,377 tree seedlings and letting them grow for 10 years. That's a braggadocious claim and one that hinges on a generous faith in Ford's claim of three million gallons of gas being saved by E-Transit use.

Ford recognizes that faster charging is perhaps more important than additional range, at least for commercial operators. With an increased peak charging speed of 176 kW, Ford says 15 minutes on a 180-kW charger can yield as much as 67 miles of range. That's a 49% increase over the prior battery charging capacity, according to Ford.

Overall, the North American entrance of the Ford Transit has been a success, with more than 1.2 million Transit vans built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, since 2014. Plus, Ford says 99% of Transits sold since 2014 are still on the road today, a statistic that is at least anecdotally believable by looking outside.

Employed by over 280,000 companies, the Ford Transit is most popular in the beverage and food distribution industry, making up a respective 54% and 47% market share. Government fleet vehicle and emergency service market share is also dominated by the Transit, grabbing 54% and 44% of the respective industry market shares.

Similarly, the E-Transit continues to be a popular choice among commercial suitors, with 222 local and state governments plus 600 service companies and 460 construction companies going electric. While these numbers aren't as large as the entire Transit share, Ford is clear in saying its commercial future is electric through and through.

Do any of your local jurisdictions use Ford E-Transit vans? Please share your thoughts below.