Ford Announces New Car Touted As “Smartphone On Wheels”

Ford's new E-Transit Custom commercial van is being touted as a "smartphone on wheels" and has positioned Ford to become a leader in the commercial electric vehicle space.

By Crystal Murdock | Published

Transportation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases and paves the way for more consumer needs and options for electric vehicles. Hence the importance of the most recent announcement by Ford during the Hannover IAA Transportation event, where they divulged the fancy features and specifications of its all-new E-Transit Custom. Ford’s new E-Transit Custom is a delivery assistant, mobile office, and smartphone on wheels

ford e-transit custom
Ford E-Transit Custom

The details of Ford’s fully electric commercial van come from electrek.com, stating automakers are dubbing the new Ford E-Transit Custom a “no compromise” EV van with upgrades that surely will be in high demand. The E-Transit has pushed Ford to quickly become a leader in the EV market. Reports from Ford’s August sales reflect over 4,000 E-Transit were sold so far in 2022 with a whopping 90% market share.  

Ford is also making it as easy as possible for customers to switch from gas-powered to electric vehicles by offering a wide range of services and productivity enhancements that can improve the overall on-the-road work life. Ford was instructed to create a commercial van that is built for consumers working needs and the E-Transit Custom is delivering as promised. The new Ford E-Transit Custom is specifically designed to accelerate productivity for consumers’ small and large business needs. 

During the Hannover IAA Transportation event, Ted Cannis (CEO of Ford Pro) and Martin Sander (GM of Ford Europe) spoke about the many features of the Ford E-Transit Custom. Mainly with emphasis on the business features that would appeal to consumers who were looking to potentially upgrade their current mobile operations with the added perks of lower emissions. The Ford E-Transit Custom has many features that provide ease of business-related tasks such as offering a tilting steering wheel that allows for the room of a laptop to lay flat and be utilized as a desk. 

The Ford E-Transit will come with a WLTP range of 380km or about 236 miles with a maximum horsepower of 214 and an estimated 306 lb-ft of torque. The production of Ford’s “smartphone on wheels” will be in 2023 in Ford’s Otosan facility located in Turkey. The Ford E-Transit Custom will be a game changer in the commercial electronic vehicle world as Ford Pro will offer all the products, software, charging services, and financing necessary for consumers to have a one-stop-shop experience. 

Another feature the Ford E-Transit Custom brings to the table, is the Pro Power onboard that delivers 2.3 kW of power to ensure the on-the-go workstation has no need for a generator. Ford is also ensuring the consumer’s commercial business will have no connectivity issues by providing 5G. Consumers can also schedule their next charge with Ford Pro Charging from anywhere at any time. 

Customers that decide to switch to the new Ford E-Transit Custom will be able to save up to an hour per day with the all-new capabilities it is able to provide. Ford says the advancements of the commercial EV coming out in 2023 will include continual over-the-air software-pushed updates to ensure the E-Transit Custom stays advanced above its competitors in the EV sector.