Ford E-Transit extended-range model can go almost 50% further

Ford Pro, the commercial vehicle business unit of Ford Motor Co., plans to boost the range of the E-Transit electric van by 48 percent with a model that can travel up to 186 miles on a charge, the automaker confirmed Wednesday.

The longer-range option, which would include faster charging capabilities, will be an improvement over the 126-mile range on the E-Transit today. Ford Pro will continue to offer the 126-mile van as a base option, according to the website Electrek, which first reported the plans based on an interview with Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis.

A Ford spokesperson declined to comment on how much the 186-mile van would cost or when it would go on sale. Cannis told Electrek that a formal announcement would happen May 11, the day of Ford's annual shareholders meeting.

Ford executives said they settled on the van's 126-mile range after internal research indicated fleet customers drive 74 miles a day and typically don't want to spend more on capabilities they don't need.

Ford started shipping the electric van to customers in February 2022.

U.S. E-Transit sales are up 9.6 percent this year to 1,726 through April.