Ford E-Transit 15-seat electric minibus

Ford’s first electric minibus offers a blend of efficiency, comfort, and safety. This 15 seat (14 passengers and driver) is Ford’s first electric commercial vehicle.

The E-Transit van itself has already won the What Car 2023 awards for Overall Commercial Van, Best Electric Van, and Best Large Van. Although these awards are not for the minibus specifically, the Ford eTransit Minibus is a variation of the commercial van, converted to a minibus to offer superior efficiency, comfort, and safety.

Based on the design of the best-selling Transit van, the eTransit’s electric motor is in the rear of the van, which means the rear suspension has been completely revised. New crash structures have been developed to protect both the vehicle’s occupants and the battery pack.

With ample space and comfort for 14 passengers, the Ford E-Transit is an obvious contender for those looking for an electric minibus. We, at Rivervale Minibus, consider it to be of better quality than the Renault Master E-Tech, and it offers a much better driving range than the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. Its closest contender is the Maxus eDeliver 9 15-seat, which we also have available to lease.

Driving range is always the biggest concern with electric vehicles. The range is dependent on several things including the payload, the speed you drive, the type of roads you’re driving on (urban vs countryside v motorways) and the use of electrically powered features in the minibus, such as heating or air conditioning

Taking all this into account the Ford E-Transit boasts and impress mileage of up to 196 miles WLTP overall range and 166 miles for WLTP Extra High range motorway driving.

Ford has also done a lot of its own testing to establish a ‘dependable’ real-world range of at least 100 miles. Dependable Ford means this range is achievable in any weather, with any payload using a battery that’s five years old.  If you have concerns about the mileage range then Ford has a handy E-Transit range calculator where you can enter your driving environment (motorway, urban, suburban, rural or mixed), the temperature outside, your payload, and your tires.

The time your vehicle takes to charge depends on the size of the battery in your vehicle and the speed of the charging unit. A 150kW charger will deliver electricity twice as fast as a 75kW charger because it is twice as powerful.

An easy rule to remember is to divide the capacity of your battery by the kW of the charger. The Ford E-Transit with a 68kW battery would take a little over half an hour to charge to 80% from a 115kW charge point or nine hours on a 7.4kw charger (68kW divided by 7.4kW = 9 hours).

You can charge your vehicle at your workplace, home or out on the road at a selection of charging points. We recommend you take advantage of the Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) and have a smart charger installed. It is the most cost-effective way of running your electric vehicle.

Read more about charging your electric vehicle

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