Ford had no other way but to close reservations for the F-150 Lightning at the beginning of December after receiving no fewer than 200,000 requests. It remains to be seen how many will be converted to actual orders, and in the meantime, the E-Transit is also enjoying its own success. The Blue Oval is happy to report the electric van has racked up 10,000 orders so far.
The biggest client is Walmart as the retail corporation has ordered no fewer than 1,100 E-Transit vans so far. In total, more than 300 small, medium, and large businesses are waiting to take delivery of the electric commercial vehicle, from a one-man company to Walmart. Interestingly, Ford specifies all eight different configurations of the EV have been ordered by clients: three roof heights, three lengths, chassis cab, and the cutaway model.
Of all the E-Transit flavors available, the Dearborn automaker mentions the “Jumbo” model is the most popular. Specifically, it’s the version combining the high roof with the stretched wheelbase for ample cargo capacity. A third of all orders received for the time being is for the Jumbo variant, including the 1,100 units commissioned by Walmart.
The second-most ordered Ford E-Transit is the low-roof model as it makes up 19% of the total orders. It’s particularly popular among customers working in the telecommunications industry as they tend to take the vehicles home. Thanks to the lower roof, the van fits in many conventional garages found throughout cities.
As a refresher, the zero-emissions commercial van does not have a front trunk like most EVs. The lack of an extra cargo area stems from packaging constraints, which also prompted Ford to mount the spare wheel at the front instead of at the back where you’d normally find it. The E-Transit is 600 pounds (272 kilograms) heavier than its combustion-engined counterpart, mainly because the 67-kWh battery is heavy.
Despite these drawbacks, it’s safe to say the E-Transit is a success so far. The rear-wheel-drive van has 266 horsepower (198 kilowatts) and 317 pound-feet (430 Newton-meters) of torque and a maximum payload capacity of 3,800 pounds (1,724 kilograms) depending on the configuration. Also based on the version you’re going for, the range varies from 108 to 126 miles (174 to 203 kilometers).
Source: Ford
