Ford eTransit - The Worst Review Of An Important EV!

[@1grizzlyrizzo]

I'm an ex Amazon delivery driver that covered the central belt of Scotland and this would have been brilliant, or even better as an H1L2 offering more range due to less drag. The majority of my runs were 100-110 miles, it does make me think that companies with drop boxes like Amazon will get into the EV charging game sooner or later as they could serve places in the sticks whilst supporting their own business interests.

[@bellshooter]

Amazon and DPD are already shifting to EVans. For the whole life costs.

[@1grizzlyrizzo]

@@bellshooter Unfortunately most Amazon deliveries are carried out by agency workers in the smaller vans which are rental none EVs, these are you main issue with Amazon as it's a hand to mouth job that unless a van rental place has those EVs will keep churning out the old smoke makers.

[@colin7898]

1:04 - I have had my e-expert van since January 2022. It has currently done 34,500 miles in about 11 months and I love it. Regularly do 200 - 300 miles per day. Never been so relaxed as I am with this van. Not going back to an ICE vehicle.

[@lookoutleo]

Funnily that's the same way I am with my Nissan leaf. driving style very relaxed and layedback, hope electricity doesn't become so expensive that we all end up back in diesel

[@chasleask8533]

@@lookoutleo Or replacement batteries more expensive than a used diesel .

[@lookoutleo]

@@chasleask8533 luckily batteries will only need upgraded when vehicle reaches 200k and probably rest vehicle will be worn out same as and diesel vehicle

[@chasleask8533]

@@lookoutleo Very possibly another false claim made by EV manufacturers . Like the fanciful estimates of the range of these vehicles . The estimate for battery life is not in miles but in years . Three to five years is the estimate . No one is mentioning second hand values , I wonder why ?

[@lookoutleo]

@@chasleask8533 well my leaf 30 is 6 years old , has 116000 miles on it and has 74% battery life. It's about 80 miles in summer 60 in winter . For most journeys it's fine but leaf is realy a runabout . But so far Mots have been fairly painless and apart from the 12v battery no problems touch wood :)

[@markreed9853]

Back in the 90's I drove a transit as a delivery van and most of the time I would never do more than 100 miles in a day. I also drove one as a milkman using a long wheelbase transit conversion and never did more than 20 miles in a day. No, it's not going to work for every use case but I bet a lot of them.😁

[@davekirk100]

I'm a former delivery driver, covering the more rural parts of the West Mids/Staffordshire/North Warks. Our shifts covered about 100 miles, but there were three during the day (different drivers), so would need to rapid charge during the 1 hour break between shifts. Four vans at our depot, so quite major infrastructure needed for 4 high power outlets We used Sprinters, the automatic ones were actually quite good, but obviously noisy

[@salibaba]

Ticks every box I can think of. Just like cars though, it will hit different levels of usability groups at different times as the battery size options increase. "We need 150 Miles", "We need minimum 200 Miles" Decent value compared to other smaller options. Most couriers will want the increased volume this offers than payload weight. Good job Ford. Now just get the stuff out the door. Businesses will save a fortune on fuel alone from the drivers not being able to sit idling an engine whilst the van mate nips into the shops, or while on lunch. Just like the F150 sold the folks in the US with the "backup" facility, this is gonna go like hotcakes with the Pro-Power feature to power at job sites. Probably never get used, but buyers / small business owners will still jump for it.

[@alanscott8063]

May be tricky as a camper van. If trying to charge overnight on a camp site on EHU, if you are lucky you can draw 1500 - 2000 watts so an eternity to charge. I guess all these camp sites will need some major investment in infrastructure to cope with EV's. And say goodbye to wild camping unless at maximum of 70 miles from a charger

[@jasonhoyes9046]

I have a ldv maxus electric van I use for my bouncy castle hire business it does about 110-120 miles on a charge .just been made redundant from main job and in the process of starting a deliveroo style service for tradespeople. Hopefully maximise the van even more.

[@RenegadeMaster137]

Good luck with your business, sounds like a good idea 👌🏼👌🏼

[@jasonhoyes9046]

@@RenegadeMaster137 thanks

[@williamfence566]

Can see it suiting the courier market but specialist trades that require distance work will still need diesel . That cup holder looks like it won't last long. Great content as always gents

[@BobHannent]

The idea of a camper conversion is amazing, especially with that 2.2kW V2L capability!

[@prism6]

From what I've read, the V2L can only be used when the ignition is off. Worth noting if you have always on devices like fridge etc

[@BobHannent]

@@prism6 to be fair, in a campervan you'd probably use a DC fridge anyway. Bigger question about how much the DC-DC converters can supply.

[@prism6]

Fair point. The pro power unit seems to have a 12v outlet too... but no idea if it's always on, or requires engine on/off etc

[@richardcorns8553]

Drive a peugeot e-expert for the last 14 months. Building trade and the van works hard. 22k miles and love it.

[@fatfreddyscoat7564]

Entry level van is £42.6k PLUS VAT and that’s for the absolute basic model. Don’t forget the vat.

[@xxwookey]

The 7K govt grant essentially covers the VAT.

[@kkellogg99]

I saw one of these charging at my local grocery stood a couple days ago - I was so excited that I had to take a picture. I'm hoping to retire in about 5 years and find something like this on the used market to outfit for a camper.

[@alexbull378]

As an Asda home shopping driver we are getting the e transit next year, we do average 60miles each shift so as long as other drivers plugg them in after shitf will be plenty .

[@fanfeck2844]

Are they not a lot smaller than what you use? And what will it use for refrigeration?

[@alexbull378]

@@fanfeck2844 they get the same box on the back our vans have now

[@fanfeck2844]

@@alexbull378 I see, it’s just the chassis you’re using

[@alexbull378]

@@fanfeck2844 we roughly do 30 to 50 miles in a 7 hr shift 2 shifts each van a day , they have been testing them in the watford store not herd any feed back on how they are , we are surposed to be getting them around may/june 23

[@fanfeck2844]

@@alexbull378 perfect for these distances

[@EgoShredder]

"it's got a turn of speed" and "it's the quietest van I have been in". Errrm............the feckin' van is EMPTY in the back! For more realism it needs a ton of badly organised shit, rolling and smashing around the back! 🤣😂

[@johnbb99]

I love how much fun you had doing this review. And none the worse for it. 👍

[@jeffcartwright7270]

I was chatting to one of the independent part time Amazon delivery drivers the other day. We have a Amazon delivery hub about 10 miles from our house. She said they have 40+ BEV Merc's ( prime van's ) doing the local stuff and a load to other ICE vans & cars doing the rest. She said they are close to using 400 now !!!.

[@herman.8533]

As a lifelong van driver, Mk2 transit being my first, my next one will be electric I suspect as generally I run locally but the capital expenditure is proving difficult to justify , certainly in one hit. I have solar now but no access to cheap off peak power there being no phone signal . Therefore I need battery storage but that tech is not there yet at an affordable and durable spec. Hopefully my old crafter will last until the money / payback is justifiable . Brilliant review chuckled all through but heated seats, screen and a colour other than white !!! no real van driver would be seen dead in the thing.

[@computerbob06]

Plenty of people in the US etc use Gel type batteries as solar storage batteries, they don't have to be Lithium Ion! Also, all Nissan Leaf's were made (by Japanese law) to be 2 way connectable to the house - to provide power to the house etc in the event of an earthquake. You just need the correct connection tech and you've got an upto 24kwh battery for €/£6k.

[@fanfeck2844]

This is what we needed! Two ultra manly men in a van. Don’t do your hi viz up Harry, you look like a visitor

[@Lutonman2010]

This might be ok for big boxshifters like Amazon and DPD but it’s a mile off being any use for a tradesman. A 130 mile range won’t cut it for most guys I work with, by the time it’s loaded with tools, three blokes, winter use draining the battery and a couple of years old, that’s not doing a 100 miles on a charge. The cost is mental as well. Can you imagine how much everyone’s daily rate would need to go up to pay for a 45k van during a tax cycle. Somehow I don’t think Mrs Miggins is gonna pay£400 a day for her new bathroom because the guy has a nice van. Plus who in their right mind would take a £45k van onto a building site? Have you actually seen the state our vans get into? Also the resale value of this would be terrible. How many miles of range will this have lost in five years? No tradesman in his right mind is gonna pay £25-30k for a five year old van that will only do 80 miles. It will take years before normal tradesman like me would ever consider one. These reviews are never done by people who actually have years using vans. They say things like “You can fully charge it in twelve hours”. Well guess what In winter I might get home at 8pm and be leaving for the merchants at 7am. I could go days on end starting each day without ever having a full charge. But it looks like you had a jolly old time pretending to be tradesmen and pushing the EV van dream. Come back to me when one of these is £25k new and does 300/400 miles.

[@RenegadeMaster137]

Alright mate calm down 😂😂😂😂

[@sahhull]

Well said. I hired one for a month for my business... Gave it back after 2 weeks. It was an experiment... They are too expensive, take to long to recharge, public charging around here is almost non existant and expensive, not even close to enough range. Not good enough to replace a proper van. I truely fear for the future as we are pressganged into EV's.

[@keithwilliamsWilf]

Spot on! well explained by someone who lives in the real world. I have nothing more I can add to that comment

[@Hermantrueman]

Bought a mg zs ev brand new sold at 2000 miles for the reasons you explained

[@EgoShredder]

Car and van reviewers over the years bang on about bottle and cup storage, but I am yet to see anything where a typical four pint of milk can be stood upright safely. We all have nipped to the shop for one, and there is never anywhere to put it where it will not fall over and spill. A mate of mine once had a bottle of milk spill in his old Cortina, and he sold the car a couple of weeks later lol. He could not get rid of the smell.

[@johndoyle4723]

No point having eco mode it will never be used, and I suspect the range will be quite low as these vans are driven foot to the floor all the time. Too expensive for the average tradesman,plumber, sparky etc, but some of the larger operators will want to advertise their green credentials. Again Campervan conversions, the range is too low,and you will not be too welcome at some rapid charge points, but the campsites usually have commando style hook ups which could help with charging. V2L, very useful, saves carting around mobile generator. Ideal for home delivery in towns and cities with multiple drop offs, especially if you recharge back at the depot, suspect this will be their major market.

[@peteygti1]

you wont need to drive foot to floor - only reason most do is a lot of vans are underpowered for acceleration - these arent.

[@jur4x]

Knowing some operators, eco-mode will be permanently turned on in software and air-con disabled.

[@TheFilwud]

So it has less than half of the range of the long wheelbase hi-top transits we use. We have regular journeys of 250 miles, towing a trailer, on steep roads, with a considerable amount of single trackery. I think it will be some time before e-vans would work for us, even if there was a charging infrastructure.

[@akceller8]

I had considered one of these as my next campervan, the range between fast charging is fine for my slow bimbling about and the "Pro power" would make it so simple to do the interior electrics. But for the cold weather camping I do I would have to fit a diesel heater 🙃, I also love the irony and can imagine the looks I'd get pulling up to a pump in an E-Transit, lol. However the price of a bare e-transit is more than a fully professionally converted transit campervan, and there wouldn't be the "fuel" saving with constant fast charging as constant touring.

[@mikadavies660]

Just today visited Ford... Regarding exactly this.... The large E-Transit... On Monday, they are giving me on for 4 days!! I can't wait!! The most exciting EV of 2022..... 👍👍👍

[@jakeroberts6274]

share what you think...

[@mikadavies660]

@@jakeroberts6274 In short. .... Shockingly poor range.

[@mikadavies660]

Everything a Transit should be. Comfortable, usable, great software interface. But battery way way too small. Driven very gently.... 150 miles empty. God knows what fully loaded & 80mph would be????

[@MikeInTheWoods]

Seeing this video has moved the Ford E-Transit high up on my list for an EV camper van conversion. I was originally looking at the Canoo MPDV2, but zero clue when those will ship to Canada, if at all... But this is just the right size for an EV camper van! And fits the niche of my channel perfectly.

[@EgoShredder]

The DPD tracking page for an item I had delivered the other day, was boasting about using electric vans.

[@PassportToPimlico]

I drive a 3 1/2 tonne refrigerated van for work (diesel Mercedes). It's actually fairly quiet and refined already. Having driven in in the current icy weather, I think that they are missing a stroke not going dual motor and four wheel drive. Big vans don't have a huge amount of grip.

[@stinker1000000]

For me (diesel vw t4 campervan driver) the range is good for everyday use. As a campervan tourer, it would mean a midday charge when travelling. I converted my own van. A conversion usually involves putting fixings into the floor. Dependant upon the size/location of the battery pack, this may present problems. Worst case would be removal of the battery to apply the fixings. On a side note (being picky now) the dash could be better. It looks a little dull. Great video though. Thanks👍

[@xxwookey]

Yeah batts will mean some interesting changes in how conversions are done (no sink drain or erbesbacher vent straight through the floor). On the other hand a modern platform with everything fly-by-wire (not this van I suspect) mean you could really move stuff (like steering wheel/controls) around much more radically.

[@commuterbranchline8132]

If you can readjust your mindset to ‘slow travel’ the 150 mile range of this vehicle is more than adequate.

[@xxwookey]

This would be a good camper conversion (and has loads of payload to make that easy), but the range is a problem for a lot of campering. It does depend how you use it. My current Expert diesel van does 650 miles easily, but it's also 25 years old and badly needs replacing. I reckon I can cope with a 200 mile van, but much less than that is going to be a big pain. Nearly all of our trips are 200+ miles one-way, and there is no charging at the destination. I decided the 160 miles of the Stellantis vans wasn't really quite enough. The 230 of the buzz is enough (but now they've said they'll make a long wheelbase one with a bigger batt in 2 years time, which sounds a lot more desirable to me, so now I'm holding off for that, beccause I don't want to do the conversion twice - it's a big pile of work). And none of those bloody vans has a heat-pump in for heating - also important in a camper. Fast charging will matter. We reckon almost half our annual charging will be away from home, and at least half of that will be fast-charging en-route. How much in practice depends how much destination charging there is in villages/supermarkets/campsites, and the cost differential. So yes I've been bursting to do an e-camper conversion since about 2016 but if I'm going to spend 50 grand or more I'd like it to be good, and last for 15 years, and the only thing really good enough so far has been the Buzz (>200 mile rnage, 160kW charging, bit small but it'll do). I think there will be more van announcements in the next 2 years, including an upgraded Buzz so I'm not jumping just yet. the problem is that the vast majority of other van users are indeed satisfied by 150 miles so there isn't much incentive for manufacturers to satisfy the much smaller long-range van market. What we _really_ want is a version of the Stella Vita. i.e one that is an efficient shape. That would really change the game.

[@mra813]

As an electrician I would like to know what real world range is? A lot trades of will carry 700kg to 800kg every day plus driver and passengers. So on a cold winter morning what range will we get with a full load. Charging will most likley be single phase AC, 230V, 7kW. Will you get a full change overnight?

[@adrianpollard2763]

I doubt you would get anywhere near the stated mileage. In the winter the battery performance will drop drastically. Even Tesla have admitted that after 100,000 miles the battery performance will be reduced by 30%. What an expensive gimmick.

[@davidsworld5837]

from what there was which are more under 100 miles, you have to say it has to be a step up but you could really do with a real world range when full. If converted would you fir solar on the roof to recharge the camper van, as what effect would your use have on the range and use time.

[@hamptonchivasa]

Ive used this van for 4 months now. Been a delivery driver for over 5 years. The payload for the entry level one is about 700kg. works fine for most multi drop jobs. Range is about 120 in summer maybe more if in eco mode. I charge it overnight on a Zappi and wake up to a full battery every morning and preheated cabin and seat. the range it estimates is never correct. Reverses at 5mph. and you do feel it .

[@mrlintonious]

I take it that as you were using the two side mirrors, it does not come as standard with a Rear View Camera, that will display in the Centre Console screen? Do they at least offer it as an option? For a Van like that, and at that price, it should have been fitted as Standard.

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

I did have a camera. Just prefer mirrors.

[@bernardcharlesworth9860]

Electric van owner for two years and won't be going back to fossil ever

[@ianh9696]

I used to drive a Fiat Fiorino as a Same Day Courier and the company I worked for covered the whole of mainland Britain. I would be in a different city, or even country, every day. When the range of electric vans gets over 250 real world miles then things should start changing. A lot of what I delivered was semi urgent medical deliveries like drugs or blood. A range of 150 miles then charging wouldn't be a good idea to me. The time lost on the way to deliver would be too great. However, if you could make the delivery then charge on the way back when the time lost wasn't so important then that would be better. In my opinion a range of at least 250 miles is the minimum for country wide deliveries. The more the better.

[@keithwilliamsWilf]

Being a 2019 Renault Trafic owner on the Isle of Man, a place where you would think lends itself ideally to EV vans, I do not do the mileage that warrants the extra 20K I would need to spend changing to electric. My annual mileage is around 7K but if I go off Island, which I do 4-5 times a year, I am doing trips of 300 miles or so, and there is usually time constraints due to ferry schedules which does not lend itself to having an EV vehicle. We also use the van to go away as there is plenty of room for the Mrs's luggage, the dog and all the paraphernalia that goes with it, this year we intend to drive to Switzerland, again, not a great trip for an EV. Bottom line is I will probably be buying another quite efficient but cheaper diesel van when the time is right, which the way the market is at the moment, is not in the immediate future

[@TheMrReee]

For most small businesses, the cost of new vans is still a big issue, and lease costs on electric LWB vans is prohibitive. It's also responsible for the over pricing of used van's. If the EV is to become mainstream for all, it'll either have to be subsidised or the price reduced to more affordable levels. Until then, it's smokey old diesels.

[@stuartgrady2567]

I would love this as a campervan conversion, but I would have the camper part as a removable module, so that when not needed the van can be as efficient as possible for day to day use.

[@animationcreations42]

My local Hermes (sorry, EVRI) driver has an electric Renault Kangoo, and I've seen a few DPD electric vans as well. The depots are about 15 miles away from our town. I think I've seen one Amazon driver with an electric van, and we're about 30 miles away from the delivery depot, but they're very common up closer to the depot.

[@R08Tam]

I think they changed the name because it sounded like herpes

[@stepheng8779]

Bit risky putting the charging point on the front knowing how the average driver of this type of vehicle likes to tailgate 🤔

[@marks-0-0]

There is an all new e Transit Custom out this year. Some of the features they've incorporated for the small business market are very impressive. There are some Ford launch videos online now.

[@mowtownni4587]

It's not all about range, towing capacity is a major factor for many van drivers, 2 ton rating is fantastic for an EV but plenty of users are towing 3 to 3.5 tons daily.

[@sahhull]

A builder towing a trailer with a mini digger would kill that 2 ton limit.

[@ellis2792]

@@sahhullyou’d run out of battery before you got to work 😂 more weight you have in the back of these vans the less range you get. All big con

[@robinbennett5994]

For comparison, how much is the equivalent diesel van?

[@sahhull]

A quick look at the Ford webpage. Ford Transit £37,935 exc. VAT Ford e-transit £48,045 exc. VAT Prices vary greatly depending on spec ... The one on test £56,235 exc VAT

[@countertony]

Delivery drivers and tradies aside, I bloody want this as a rental van next time I move house.

[@sahhull]

Last time I moved house I moved 300 miles away and it took 3x 7 ton truck loads... I can drive a 7 ton on my old drivers license. Good luck with an EV van.

[@countertony]

@@sahhull True, it depends how much stuff you've accumulated, how efficient you are at decluttering/packing, and where you choose to move to. Regular hire van sufficed for a 20-mile move between a 2-bed and a 3-bed house.

[@arenjay3278]

In winter in Canada it wouldn't be enough. Range in my Bolt in Winter today -35C is down from a Rated 416km to 205km. Now it might not be as efficient as my Bolt. So range reduction wouldn't be as much so it might work but i would need 160 km of range in winter. It might work but then the Brightdrop zevo Van might work better with a a half van length sleeper and half cargo setup. 400 or 600. Your E Transit is good but you need the two seater with the access door and the larger front space cage depth.

[@jimmyc38]

A real test would be to get a tradesperson ie builder, plumber etc etc to test it for a week, and also in extremely cold weather too. Driving an empty van and chatting not really a “proper” test.

[@sahhull]

I hired a Nissan EV van for a month. I gave the thing back after 2 weeks because I was having to cancel appointments and loosing money. I cannot charge at home so even if I bought one. I'd be reliant on public charging (Its expensive, more expensive than my diesel van that burns 25p worth of diesel per mile). The EV van allegedly had a 200 mile range. On a typical day. I drive 150miles per day. Except. Once I'd loaded the van for work inc the water tank. I was getting 50 miles from a charge. I had to charge the thing 3 times per day! Thats around 4 hours wasted per day!. My average day with the EV: Take missus to work. She comes home on the bus. Charge the van... Yawn. Do 1st job... Drive to the charge point, wait in a 3 or 4 deep queue and eventually charge the van. Cancel 2nd job because of the charging issue. Charge the van so its ready for taking the missus to work. If we did any socialising, shopping etc... I'd need to visit the charger again before turning in for the night or we wouldnt have enough juice to take the missus to work in the morning. Charging the van isnt just the time charging the thing. Theres the time to drive to the charge point (not many around here). Waiting for a charger to be available if someone is already there. I have been 5 deep in a queue. I really despair for the future. EV's are not good enough. The range is too short and the charge time too long. public charging facilities are sketchy at best. I live in a city of 320,000 people. My nearest public charge point is 8 miles away, there is just 2 points. The next charge points are a further 15 miles away across the city.

[@keithwilliamsWilf]

Another real world reply, well said, I don't think for many the Electric van is anywhere near developed yet.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Wow, I'm jealous. My Nissan is only an NV-200 and it's got 24 kWh battery. I can only do 120 km, but I don't travel much. I talked to many workers that wanted a Nissan but they wanted at least an NV-300 or 400. But mine is 8 years old and there is no battery degradation. So I'm happy. The only problem with a van is that they are not aerodynamique. To compensate I drive behind trucks on the autoroute and can sometimes get almost 130 km on the autoroute. I'm sure diesel transit drivers will start drafting when the price of fuel goes WAY up soon.

[@TheLDunn1]

“Back to RWD”…..the Diesel Transits have been available in FWD or RWD for years. One of the advantages of the FWD is that the cargo bay floor is ~100mm lower than the RWD versions, giving more headroom in the back.

[@video99couk]

But will it rust out in a few years like all the other Transit vans? Probably.

[@davestraight8219]

i use a diesel version of that transit everyday - they fit in a maccys and ive not used the cupholder under the gear lever ever haha - wonder if work might consider leasing one when this lease is up :D

[@peteygti1]

the high roof one here would not fit in a maccies, the standard custom only just does at 2m

[@beefsuprem0241]

The Company I work for has decided it will die on the EV hill...we aren't a delivery company btw. We're a national Engineering firm. So as leases expire on diesel vans they will be replaced by EV vauxhall vivarro EV vans. , But they can't make us have a charger on our properties if it's even possible, and the average range on the van is only 110 miles in the summer. So this winter our guys spend half their day public charging🤦 It's a brave new world It's not even about being a miserable old skool at the moment. The current vehicles just aren't fit for purpose.

[@stevencowles8419]

They will be great for some uses and rubbish for others (exactly like every other vehicle). The range would be an issue for deliveries where I live as the distsnce to the local ‘hub’ by the motorway and back again would use pretty much thw whole rsnge but I accept that is not the case in most places. I think the larger companies will need to consider new hubs in some areas to go fully electric but there is an argument that this is a better thing for local jobs

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

Down under the EV Automotives EC11 electric van (very similar to Transit) is making a nice Camper for those long Aussie trips 👍

[@tigerv88]

I think this is a step in the right direction, but it won’t appeal to all of the customer segments of diesel transits. As mentioned those going up and down country for deliveries will struggle as they operate on just in time models and so charging is time they don’t have. For the urban drivers this will really appeal and for those last mile journeys. The only blocker for the smaller independent tradespeople is the cost v buying a diesel version used, as lots of transits and vans on the market. Any gov help to support that would be a step in right direction. The screen elevates the usually functional interior but do wonder how long they will last with the everyday rigours😂

[@deanmachino2222]

I’m a van driver, my job does up to 500 miles a day , odd occasion more than that I need an l4 h3 jumbo) size, we are years, maybe even decades away from that van with that spec to do that mileage in a day

[@davethefab6339]

Does that price include VAT?

[@symeonthorpe3965]

We make sure we do a daily trip which is covered on average by our ev tariff charging windows. So 60-80 miles a day

[@andyalbi]

As a courier .. it’s useless … I go up and down the country .. I can do 800 miles in a day … I would take another 10 hours charging , so totally unusable.. I would need at least 600 miles range before I could even think about it , because thet would realistically be 3-400 miles max with a full load in cold weather

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

800 miles in a day? I’m sorry but that cannot be true. That’s pretty much lands end to John o’groats! London to Edinburgh, twice! 18 hours driving in 24 period? Total codswallop.

[@andyalbi]

@@ElectricVehicleMan it’s true … my longest trip driving trip had been 1200 miles , Manchester to wick .. top of Scotland and then south of Gatwick. Today alone has been 700 miles

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

@@andyalbi Given prof driving regulations, that ain’t done in a shift.

[@andyalbi]

@@ElectricVehicleMan under 3.5 tonnes .. no tacho, sometimes with tight deadlines .. rules have to be stretched if safe to do so , I add n in Penzance now

[@shanty4590]

I’m a self employed delivery driver & would love 1 but cant afford these ridiculous price. Ive been use to paying up to £25000 for a van over the years, cant do that anymore, just priced out of the game now a days

[@hamshackleton]

This wouldn't suit where I used to work. I'd get the van off the night bulk delivery man(or woman), load my stuff in, and be off again in about an hour, for a day's multi-dropping and collecting. Back at base I'd unload it, and hand over to the night man again. So it might be stationary at base twice a day for maybe two hours each time, whilst unloading and reloading. Until 'they' put tachographs into transits, there is no 45 minutes to 1 hour lunchbreaks, you eat and drink on the go, and don't let the cops catch you doing it - two hands on the wheel! As a mobile toolshed while you work away from base, they'd be ideal.

[@sunthroughtheblinds]

What miles do you do though? You could fully recharge it in an hour with the right charger.

[@moog247]

Great review, looks good for delivery, but the rapid charge infrastructure on major motorways will just die when you add these in. If you ever driven from the midlands to London early on a Monday morning, the M1 is full of trades going into the capital on construction and fit out work, so Toddington Services is your last stop before the M25. There are 3 devices and 5 connectors available. That’s your lot. 😮

[@xxwookey]

It is amazing how many tradespeople drive 150 miles early in the morning to a job. It seems shockingly inefficient. So either we stop doing that or they put in a pile more chargers.

[@moog247]

@@xxwookey aside from the chargers, the queue for Greggs is massive too!

[@skidy2]

Van driver here 30 +years . Just keep a generator in the back for when the battery runs flat. Ford PRO E Transit Range Calculater look it up. You do the sums in the winter yourself. Maybe alright around town i would not want one given to me for my type of work 40K just don't under stand why the DVLA did not increase the weight for EV VANS up 500 kg so a GMVW of 4000 kg to save the environment because of increased battery weight needed for range as these vehicles have regenerative braking to help slow vehicle down. This should have been done 5 years ago to give van manufactures time to build them test them in our cold conditions etc. Secretary of State for Transport needs to fix this soon. Goods will not get delivered in or around london on time by EV as to busy trying to fast charge it for maybe an hour if you can find a charger close by At peak times. It would be better on power grid to charge overnight. Transit vans need 400 miles range for 40K needed now. Am i right ?

[@xxwookey]

They did make an exception to allow driving an extra 1000Kg GVW though, which has a similar effect.

[@iantaylor1172]

I'm sick of the sight of the e transit. I work at a ford PDI centre and we check these before going out. Done many 100,s for DPD and DHL. It's not a bad van to be fair, got a few electrical issues but nothing major so far.

[@stevecraft00]

Ford stopped making uncomfortable vans about ten years ago. I drive a diesel version of this exact shape van. And it's comfy and very nice to drive. It's actually nicer to drive than my diesel ds4! 😂 Only thing is it's not the best spec. My employer asks for air con and dab and that's it! Oh and a tracker. 🙄😂

[@Destide]

How many Greggs fit down the front?

[@sooty8992]

And in cold weather the range drops dramatically and with a full load it drops even more. We have seen as low as 75 miles on a full charge.

[@xxwookey]

We've got loads of electric delivery/other vans round here. DPD, post office, university, Voi, milk I've seen in the last month. You implied that this transit had a bigger battery and more range than the PSA vans (peugeot/citroen/vauxhall/toyota/fiat), but it doesn't those are (a bit) better. This one is 64kWh ~150 miles. The PSA vans are 75kWh nominal 205 miles (but more like 160 on a cold motorway).

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

They are 50 or 75kWh. Two sizes.

[@gordon1376]

Love the video I,. When did you do the test drive as it looks like summer.

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

End sept.

[@gonzo_the_great1675]

Chatting with the tech who called to sort my smart meter. He said that their whole fleet are EV's. Though the area they are given on their day's schedual is not possible on one charge. So they get marked down for not meeting targets, because they are sitting at the depot for a few hours lunch break, whilst on charge.

[@Telcontarnz]

Which van are they using that takes 2 hours to charge. I’ll help you…there isn’t one.

[@stephanweinberger]

@@Telcontarnz depends on the carger, doesn't it? If the depot only has 3-phase and they are charging at 11kW, two hours (i.e. 22kWh) wouldn't be all that surprising.

[@Telcontarnz]

@@stephanweinberger I was thinking DC on the road. Sort of depends what full day mileage I’d and how many times they need to be back at the depot in a day.

[@stephanweinberger]

@@Telcontarnz well, at 115kW and a ~68kWh battery we're still talking up to 1 hour charging time realistically (if they have to get the battery somewhat full)

[@Telcontarnz]

@@stephanweinberger sort off depends doesn’t it on mileage in a day and visits required back to the depot. If you start at 100% and need to get to 100% again then maybe it’s the wrong van right now etc..

[@georgedaville4662]

As long as high mileage, diesel, ex-fleet vans are available, they will continue to dominate the SH van market. This is a superbly engineered vehicle, just a pity Ford pulled out of Southampton, and we now import them to Southampton from Turkey😡 An expensive vehicle to buy, but the longevity of the vehicle will justify it in the whole life costing.

[@MrSeamusMurray]

OMG why did they not put 100 kWh battery into this transit van? Please ask Ford. Don't let them fob you off with the weight of the vehicle. 140 mile range is ridiculous in this day and age. It should have at least 350 mile range. There's enough room underneath to put in any size battery. I'll bet you the E transit in the USA has a much longer range. Anyway good job on the review.

[@xxwookey]

The US e-transit has the same range.

[@davidy7004]

I've seen a few times an electric van parked up which is branded for one of the delivery firms - think it may be DPD? The van's not a Ford though; I think it may be a Mercedes - but a similar size to the one in this video.

[@ilovecds9606]

Look up the 2023 Ford Transit Trail which will be a Camper ready van but not sure in UK.

[@adrianpollard2763]

You can put all the bells & whistles you like in it, but if it has a low maximum range it's totally impractical. I agree it would make a good campervan, providing you don't want to travel very far. The pitiful infrastructure combined with the high purchase cost, low mileage range and the unknown second hand value (not to mention installation cost of a home charging system) will all prove to be the death knell for electric work vehicles. These have already been tried by courier companies and councils and have proven to be a complete waste of money. This is just technology gone mad masquerading as a 'Save the Planet' answer to a problem that doesn't exist. My question would be Why has the biggest car manufacturer in the world condemned TV's as a non viable alternative and ceased their production?

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Perhaps because their business is based around petrol. And they do sell an EV still. driving.ca/auto-news/industry/toyota-ranked-third-worst-company-for-lobbying-against-climate-policies-report/wcm/484076a0-1117-4039-8867-aa3e6b52ce82/amp/

[@lookoutleo]

How much can it carry? It's gross 3500kg is the van 3 tons?

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Specs are all mentioned in the vid.

[@lookoutleo]

@@ElectricVehicleMan loved my env200 but would love a bigger electric van. Maybe one day when they become more affordable . Here in the Highlands theirs loads of hybrids taking up all the charge points. Most charge points are now 30p kWh , so that's freeing up some of the points

[@TheMartyMarf]

My local spark has visited me twice recently, in a diesel, berating my EV on the drive and says he could never do EV Van because he does 1k miles a week. The type of guy that says how much environmental damage is caused in building the car in the 1st place ya ya ya. Here in London, nearly all vans, busses, taxis are EV

[@sahhull]

Lucky that the south has the charging infrastructure in place... Here in the frozen north. EV charging is sketchy at best. If you cannot charge at home (many of us cannot) an EV is pretty unworkable.

[@keithwilliamsWilf]

I think he was being honest about his situation and you probably didn't like the answer, the truth is a new Electric van is almost twice the price and even us tradesmen have budgets ( we are not all minted contrary to popular belief) We need reliability and adaptability (Time is Money) which is not what you get in an EV in some situations.

[@RaithUK]

As a spark I can say after testing fully loaded the range whent down to 50 ish miles and sent me into range anxiety madness it lasted 7 months then when winter hit I got rid

[@kevinpickett7249]

What model ?

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

The tipping point will be when non of the EV's on the market have silly blue stripes etc. to shout " I'm an EV"

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Like red stripes on GTIs etc?

[@lutomson3496]

In cold weather the range decreases terribly the Ford lightning owners are complaining and getting rid of them as a result

[@nigeldlm]

You need to fill it to create a worst case scenario so stick 1.7 tonns in it and drive your 150 miles and find a charger in public areas ! If it takes an hour it's it's £60/100 pounds of your time !

[@pembscdiff7218]

I’ve ordered mine for September 2023 delivery , replacing my shockingly bad VW Transporter ABTE

[@trevorsbarkingmadchannel4501]

I do Amazon flex which is a smaller version of Amazon deliveries and do it in my leaf which does it very well.

[@barrydonaldson]

As a camper the V2L capability should be able to replace leisure batteries and a load of the associated infra... Cool!

[@xxwookey]

Except you can't fill it up from solar on the roof. You could use a mains inverter, but then the power is being inverter twice just to get from panels to batt. For efficient campers we badly need PV MPPT charger that will charge a 400V (or 800V at some point) battery (and a place to connect it that isn't the external socket). No-one has done this yet.

[@SabotsLibres]

"As soon as vans turn electric..." we'll really be in the shit. There are enough problems already with supplying electricity - not just for transport but for everything else - so when vans go wholescale electric, deliveries will become even more hit and miss and power cuts an absolute reality

[@HangingShoes]

Most charge at night when demand is low, electricity companies want us to use power overnight (after 12 before 4) and not during the day. So no power cuts due to that sort of use.

[@SabotsLibres]

@@HangingShoes maybe not for vans that are used during the daytime for short journeys, but all the cars that will go onto charge “at the office”, all the cars that are doing longer distance journeys (reps, as they used to be known)…

[@HangingShoes]

@Timothy BOLTON-MILHAS That's not how it works, 90% of journeys are less than 30 miles so most cars will charge once a week. If those people choose to charge every night they will be charging for maybe a couple hours. My car has a very low range I don't charge every night even though I can. All new chargers must have Internet connectivity so the grid can communicate with the car and delay charging in necessary. The owner can override if they absolutely must charge. So the grid is fine. Going forward with more renewable energy coming online and limited storage for low usage times of day electic cars being allowed to charge and then release some of that back to grid for high demand times will solve that grid problem. My small car is capable of that now.

[@temporarynoble]

Not quite the same but have you seen what eDubs are doing, based in Boroughbridge? Classic VW camper on Airbnb…

[@fredflintstone1428]

If you converted it to a campervan, the 160 mile range might be an issue, if the recharge cost when out and about was the same as fossil fuels. What then would be the advantage? If all you did was potter about in your locale, then charging it from a home solar panel system might be worth it. Either way, electric vehicle users will see the ending of cheap rate electricity by 2027 IMHO. The cancellation of this rate will be directly proportional to the adoption rate.

[@xxwookey]

The advantage would be not filling the place with diesel fumes and greenhouse gases. And a dramatically quieter drive.

[@dogpaw775]

it's not a car it's a VAN, put any appreciable load in it, not styro foam packed boxes, and the mileage tails right off. EV's are currently a novelty but Gen' X can't grasp this as they've been brought up on tappity gizmo's and novelties.

[@xxwookey]

Not sure about that. ICE vehicles will be banned in 7 years. They are definitely going away. People will get used to it. More efficient, longer range vans will appear. The manufacturers are in no rush as they can't keep up with demand for the current relatively short-range ones which suit that vast majority of the delivery people.

[@80y3r9]

140mile max range + then use it for your cooking 😬 not there yet for campers i don't think

[@Brian-om2hh]

Don't forget we used horses once over. It's all about expectations and perceptions..... There are already 30'000+ electric vans registered as being on Britain's roads....... There are plenty of trades people for whom a 150 mile range will be more than enough. Painters, plasterers, joiners etc rarely travel more than 50 to 60 miles away from where they are based, and parcel delivery firms who concentrate the majority of their deliveries in towns and cities will be fine with it. In my local town, DPD have been using fully electric vans for around a year or so now, and have organised a tie-up with a local supermarket chain for charging, should it be required.

[@CampGareth]

You can charge it back up. 140 miles from final charger to campsite sounds like plenty.

[@robinbennett5994]

Driving for a couple of hours followed by a half-hour break sounds like a nice relaxed way to explore a new area, but it's not going to suit the people who drive across Europe and park by the beach for a week.

[@Joe-ud2hb]

If Ford can bring out a decent electric van like this you'd wonder why they haven't got any electric Focus on the market - they're missing out

[@robinbennett5994]

@@Joe-ud2hb Batteries are in short supply (and thus expensive) so we can't have mass-market EVs year. It's only worth making EVs in market sectors where people will pay the extra. That's why there are so many luxury EVs. A delivery van like this could do 30,000 miles a year and thus save £6,000 every year, which means a courier company would be willing to pay 10k more than they would for a diesel van. The average Focus driver won't pay that much extra because they don't do enough miles to make it worthwhile.

[@madintheheid]

Please note that the payload figure includes the people innit and their tools, so it leaves less than 1,000kg of carrying capacity after the fat blokes and the apprentice are in and vaping.

[@anyone4acupoftea]

You missed the McDonalds wrappers in the windscreen 😅

[@richardfoster2021]

Yes iam a VAN driver & 150 / 120 miles is more than enough for my day runs.. Looking to me that FORD may have set the new top mark !! for EV vans.. Now waiting to see the next EV van from FORD !! The Transit connect ??

[@michaelcox4081]

I have the PHEV transit, the van is awesome but Ford UK are useless, also the van won’t remote start, heat or cool, so don’t believe that part of the review (unless they tested it), I find the range to be very accurate, but do not believe any of the technology, hype that it is meant to be able to do through FordPass, I wouldn’t even trust the advertised results charging speeds. My best advice is, If you’re serious about buying one, take it home for a day, give it a good testing including all the technology that is stated to do before putting the money down.

[@BishBashBosh29...]

Thanks for that review you made it very enjoyable Electric Van Men.

[@chrislecouteur2360]

The bit no one tells you .... if you break down you can not be towed you have to be flat bed away

[@nealeTH]

V2L is a game changer for off grid camping. This looks like the perfect vehicle to convert.

[@someoneelse7629]

I hate to break it to you, but most campers has inverters in them, so it's nothing new.

[@nealeTH]

@@someoneelse7629 I know inverters are not new. But they are a pain. Takes up space. Very inefficient and limited. Often requires supplementary backup batteries unless you invest heavily in a large bank of lithium batteries. Which then presents the problem of charging. V2L keeps all in one system with a battery from the powertrain that can run constantly for days. Even a week or more. Quickly hook up at a public charger to recharge. Game changer for off grid.

[@someoneelse7629]

@@nealeTH Well, if you need to hook up to a charger every day, you are not off grid. Using the car battery for the camper use will eat your range down and you will end up camping at chargepoints all the time.

[@nealeTH]

@@someoneelse7629 clearly you have no idea of energy usage and the capacity of batteries and the fact there are plenty of people already doing this.

[@stevesteve7919]

First to admit I’m not well up on evs , but it seems odd you’d fit a 98kw battery in a mustang but a 68 in a transit

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Cost.

[@jur4x]

@@ElectricVehicleMan weight

[@jur4x]

Mach-E with the big battery has payload capacity of 500kg and it is still only 2600kg. 4 people and their bags might bring it on the brink of exceeding that, but unless they packed bricks or cement, it is not that easy. In a transit however, you have massive space that can easily be filled with heavy stuff which would easily bring it over the limit for standard drivers license.

[@oldgitflying]

Looks great, from Feb 23 TFL will pay £7,500 to scrap an old van and replace with fully electric. Makes it cheaper.

[@keithwilliamsWilf]

7.5K off a 45K van still makes it an expensive purchase, 10-15K more than a good reliable, modern diesel. We don;t all live in London and the situation is much more difficult for many in the real world.

[@oldgitflying]

@@keithwilliamsWilf You are without a doubt correct and until recently I always bought good value second hand vehicles, but what EVM failed to do was to compare the price with that of the identical diesel model and then perhaps typical monthly costs of the two variants. The reviewed model is not a cheap van even in diesel form. But I thought it was a good review.

[@keithwilliamsWilf]

@@oldgitflying Well the good news for you is, if what you read is correct, used van prices are crashing so you may be in a better position than what you were a year ago. New van prices may take a little while to come down, if they ain't selling the prices will have to drop eventually.

[@tonybarton3746]

Wish people would use these more , fed up seeing delivery drivers sat in there van’s stopped, still running there engines for 20 mins or more ,, Why ? Lovely bit of pollution 😡😡😡😡.

[@keithwilliamsWilf]

Do you have a nice warm place to eat your lunch? well aren't van drivers allowed that then?

[@tonybarton3746]

@@keithwilliamsWilf I know they eat all day 😂😂, but seriously as someone with medical breathing difficulties aren’t we allowed fresh air to breathe? Sometimes I can’t leave the house because of the pollution, that isn’t right 😡

[@Daniel-jm5hd]

Disagree with this being the worst review, definitely the funniest. Thanks guys, keep it up.

[@QALibrary]

I think this is your most pro review ever - maybe you should have done the banana box test