2023 Ford E-Transit Courier: firm's smallest van goes electric
The E-Transit Courier follows mid-sized E-Transit Custom and full-sized E-Transit
Ford's crucial new commercial EV previewed ahead of 6 April reveal; will spawn passenger car
Ford has confirmed that it will show a new electric van – expected to be the entry-level E-Transit Courier – on 6 April.
The E-Transit Courier is the only van from the firm’s promised line-up of nine electric vehicles arriving in Europe by 2024 that is yet to be shown, seemingly confirming it is the model being shown later this week.
The full-size Transit gained an electric variant in 2021, and the popular mid-size Transit Custom is soon to follow. The Transit-adjacent Tourneo Connect MPV – sized between the Custom and the Courier – has adopted Volkswagen’s MQB combustion car platform, leaving an electric variant out of the picture.
Recently spotted testing in E-Tourneo MPV form (expected shortly after the van), the Courier is expected to remain on the B2E platform used by the Ford Fiesta and Ford Puma, albeit adapted to take both ICE and electric powertrains.
The combustion engine line-up is likely to comprise the Puma’s 1.0-litre 123bhp mild-hybrid petrol unit as well as the entry-level 108bhp diesel from the new Transit Custom.
The electric offering is yet to be officially detailed, but this is expected to mirror that of the Puma EV arriving next year. The rival Citroën e-Berlingo van offers a 171-mile official range and a maximum charging rate of 100kW.
The combustion variants of the Courier are likely to match or slightly improve on the current mode’s 2.3m3 load volume and 595kg maximum payload. The electric version’s maximum carrying weight is expected to shrink, owing to it carrying a heavy battery pack. For example, the full-size Transit’s 2410kg capacity falls to 1711kg in the E-Transit.
Spy images of the new Tourneo Courier also reveal an interior overhaul, bringing the dual instrument and Sync 4 infotainment panels from the new Transit Custom. The novel tilting steering wheel from the Custom – which folds out into a small table – could also be offered as an optional extra.
The new electric van is one of seven new EVs Ford will launch in Europe by the end of 2024. The others will be the E-Tourneo Courier, E-Transit Custom (and Tourneo variant), the Puma EV, the recently-revealed Explorer and an as-yet unnamed ‘sport crossover’, dubbed the Capri.