Only a few relatively expensive electric vans of questionable practicality due to limited range were offered on the market – and diesel engines continued to dominate. However, the situation has turned upside down: electrified commercial transport has ceased to be an advertisement for sustainability and has become a business routine, and in some cases, a necessity.
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Today, Ford, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of light commercial vehicles, already offers its most popular models with electric powertrains. And in some models – including Transit and Tourneo in both Connect and Custom versions – a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is also offered; recently, such a powertrain has also reached the Ranger pickup. What real benefits do these solutions provide to businesses?
Electrified Transit can cost less than diesel
Business changes are largely driven by the European Union’s policy, which has shifted towards sustainability. In Western countries, some companies can no longer freely use internal combustion engine vehicles – access to city centers is simply closed to them. This practice will soon become more relevant in Lithuania as well.
“There are countries where you can no longer enter certain city centers with an internal combustion engine car. If you work there and need to get to the old town, there is no other option – you have to drive an electric car. Last November, the Seimas decided that low-emission zones would also become mandatory in Lithuanian cities with more than 80,000 inhabitants,” says Evaldas Baškys, Ford Brand and Sales Manager in Lithuania.
Lithuania also encourages the transition to electrified transport with tax incentives. Legal entities purchasing a new pure electric vehicle can receive a compensation of 4,000 euros (for a used one – 2,000 euros), public legal entities purchasing a new pure electric vehicle can receive a compensation of 5,000 euros (for a used one – 2,500 euros), and VAT payers purchasing an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid model up to 50,000 euros including VAT can include VAT in the deduction. As a result, some electric commercial transport models ultimately cost less than analogous diesel ones.
For example, the cheapest basic configuration “Ford Transit Custom Kombi” with a 136 HP diesel engine and a six-speed manual gearbox costs from 39,350 euros including VAT. The “Transit Custom Kombi” of the same configuration, but with a plug-in hybrid powertrain – with a significantly more powerful 232 HP 2.5-liter gasoline engine and electric motor system and automatic transmission – costs from 46,750 euros including VAT. After recovering VAT, the price drops to approximately 38,600 euros – which is already financially more advantageous than the cheapest diesel model with a manual gearbox.
An even greater price advantage is revealed when choosing the electric version. The “Transit Custom Kombi” with a 218 HP electric motor costs from 48,210 euros including VAT. After recovering VAT and receiving state compensation, such a car costs the company only about 35,800 euros.
When choosing between “Ford Transit Courier” models more adapted for city travel, with a diesel or electric engine, the price difference at first glance is not small – about 35 percent. The diesel variant costs from 23,490 euros, the electric one – from 31,630 euros. However, the VAT relief and state compensation practically eliminate this difference. After recovering VAT and receiving state compensation, such an electric car costs the company only about 22,000 euros.
“Businesses are not only interested in electric powertrains but also use them – especially companies operating in cities where route distances are not large and are easily predictable. And proprietary electricity allows reducing operating costs,” notes E. Baškys.
Electric Ford vans meet urban business needs
Another advantage of electric powertrains is lower operating costs. Electric vehicles do not require oil changes, “AdBlue” fluid, they have significantly fewer wearing parts and no particulate filters, and the cost of energy, with proprietary charging infrastructure, is lower than the cost of fuel. By installing a solar power plant, the activity-related cost per kilometer can be reduced to a minimum.
Plug-in hybrids also have similar advantages – depending on the model, they can travel from 42 to 118 kilometers in electric mode and emit significantly less carbon dioxide.
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According to E. Baškys, electric powertrains are best utilized by businesses operating in major cities and suburbs, but modern electric vans are already reliably working in rural areas as well.
For example, the “Ford Transit Custom” with a 71 kWh battery can travel up to 370 km on a single charge according to WLTP. The large “Ford E-Transit” with an 89 kWh battery, depending on the configuration, can travel an average of up to 402 km according to WLTP. Even the “Ford Transit Courier” with a 46.8 kWh battery can travel an average of up to 325 km according to WLTP. Soon, the “Ford Pro” family will be supplemented by the new “Transit City” – a highly economical electric van designed for urban logistics: it will travel an average of up to 254 km (WLTP) and carry up to 1.3 t and up to 8m3 of useful cargo.
The Ford representative points out that the legendary “Transit” model celebrates 61 years this year. During this time, more than 13 million of these vehicles have been produced and sold worldwide, and this number is constantly growing – due to its versatility and reliability, the “Transit” remains one of the best-selling commercial vans in the world. By the way, the “Ford Transit Custom” model has been the most popular light commercial vehicle (LCV) in Europe for several years.
Ford plug-in hybrids help combine low emissions and long range
The ability to travel far and fast, but with low emissions, is ensured by plug-in hybrids. The “Ford Transit Custom” combines a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor powered by an 11.8 kWh usable capacity battery. In the city, it can travel more than 50 km on electricity alone, and outside the city – move without restrictions as long as the gasoline engine is running.
Total CO₂ emissions according to the stricter “Euro 6e-bis” requirements reach approximately 110 g/km – significantly less than diesel vans, whose CO₂ emissions typically range from 200–300 g/km.
The plug-in hybrid powertrain introduced in the “Ford Ranger” pickup also almost halved emissions compared to analogous diesel engines meeting the latest “Euro 6” standards – 143–145 g/km and 266 g/km respectively.
According to E. Baškys, compared to diesel-powered analogues, customers who choose plug-in hybrid commercial vehicles avoid many worries.
“As with electric vehicles, PHEV models do not have complex particulate filters, EGR valves, do not require ‘AdBlue’ solution, and so on. The operating costs of these models are lower, and the cars are perfectly suited for drivers who commute daily in cities, suburbs, and on intercity routes.” Even if the battery runs out, Ford PHEV models do not become useless – they simply continue to run on gasoline engine power, so the driver is not subject to any range limitations, – notes the interlocutor.
According to him, the current Ford range, encompassing different engine and drive system configurations, allows meeting all the needs of Lithuanian company fleets.
“Ford” can offer both efficient electric vehicles or hybrids, and time-tested, internal combustion engine commercial models. It is also important that almost all models feature different powertrain systems, allowing customers to choose the most suitable size vehicle for a specific purpose and adapt the desired engine – internal combustion, plug-in hybrid, or fully electric,” concludes E. Baškys.
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