2024 Ford E-Transit has bigger battery, faster charging, slightly higher price
Ford is updating the E-Transit with a larger 89kWh battery, increasing range by roughly 30% depending on configuration, and faster charging on both DC and AC.
The battery increases from 67 to 89kWh, a substantial increase. The update means that the low-roof version of the E-Transit will have a range of 159 miles, up from 126 miles previously, a 26% improvement.
Ford didn’t share range numbers for the medium- and high-roof versions, but did say that the high-roof version gains 32% range from the previous model. Given the previous model’s range of 108 miles, that means the new one should have a range of 143 miles or thereabouts.
The E-Transit also gets improved DC charging performance, with 176kW charging capability, up from 115kW. When connected to a suitably-quick charger, this means a 2024 E-Transit (low roof model) can get 67 miles of range in 15 minutes, an improvement of 49% over the previous model. And any new E-Transits will have access to Ford’s new NACS adapter which just came out last week, though they still have the old CCS port on the vehicle itself for now.
But it’s not just DC charging that’s improved, but AC charging as well. The new dual onboard charger improves AC charge speeds by 22%, meaning a van will be able to charge from zero to full in 6 hours and 11 minutes on an 80 amp charger (suggesting a ~14.3kW charge rate). Better AC charging is important because a lot of these vans will be charged overnight at a business’s property, or even at workers’ homes.
That said, 80-amp charging is rare to find at homes. So for home charging, Ford is announcing a new 48 amp charging unit with replaceable cables and cellular connectivity. This unit will be available for order mid-this-year.
Prices start at $51,095 before destination fees, which is $1,100 more than last year’s base price. The E-Transit qualifies for the federal EV tax credit, which helps shave $7,500 off the price, and can likely qualify for other green incentives in various regions as well.
Electrek’s Take
Last year, Ford gave us an exclusive that the E-Transit would get a 186-mile battery, to be announced last May. That date came and went with no announcement, and when we followed up later, Ford said they had no news to tell us on that front. So, it’s disappointing that that didn’t materialize.
But now that we’ve actually seen the stats on the improved E-Transit, these are nice changes. Rather than having one small and one large battery option, the whole model range got improved electric range and charging, without much additional cost. That’s a rare thing, to see such a big upgrade of what is already the best-selling commercial EV, and with little additional cost. It’s much cheaper than Mercedes’ eSprinter, for example.
It would be nice to still have smaller battery availability for those customers who don’t need the extra range, though. Some companies might have shorter routes or smaller coverage areas, and would prefer lower costs. Having an even cheaper model available could be great for those customers. But regardless, the current price and operational costs of the E-Transit are attractive either way, so if Ford wants to give customers better stuff for free, we’ll gladly take it.
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LiveWire, the electric motorcycle brand spun out of Harley-Davidson, has just announced its latest electric motorcycle model. The new LiveWire S2 Alpanista is built on the same platform as the brand’s last two models, leveraging the Arrow platform as a versatile foundation for several diverse bikes.
The Arrow platform first received its debut with the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, which was then followed by the S2 Mulholland.
LiveWire announced that a high-performance electric maxi-scooter would be produced on the Arrow platform, but not before the company rolled out the S2 Alpinista. “The Alpinista is LiveWire’s first sport standard,” explained the company, “equipped with 17” wheels and tires, blending the best of street, sport, and hyper-tourer characteristics.”
The recently unveiled S2 Alpinista is mechanically quite similar to the two previous models sharing the platform. The 10.5 kWh battery that serves as the main structure of the bike will offer a maximum range of 120 miles (193 km) per charge under city riding conditions. It can be recharged with a Level 2 charger from 20-80% in just 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The 433 lb (196 kg) bike can achieve a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of just 3.0 seconds, thanks to its powerful 63 kW (84 hp) motor. The S2 Alpinista can also reach an electronically limited top speed of 99 mph (159 km/h).
Priced at US $15,999 and already available at LiveWire dealerships in North America and Europe, the S2 Alpinista officially becomes the most affordable LiveWire electric motorcycle available to date, undercutting the $16,249 S2 Del Mar electric street tracker and the $16,499 Mulholland electric sport cruiser.
“Alpinista reimagines the S2 by combining the urban agility of a supermoto with the do-it-all nature of a touring bike, creating a practical and thrilling sport standard,” explained the brand.
The smaller 17″ wheels help reduce the seat height of the bike, and combined with the Dunlop Roadsmart IV tires, the street-optimized bike is ideal for “both daily commutes and spirited rides through winding roads.”
The S2 Alpinista comes with 6-axis IMU from Bosch providing cornering-enhanced antilock braking and cornering-enhanced traction control systems, in addition to four preset ride modes and two custom modes.
Now the third model launched on the Arrow platform, the S2 Alpanista underscores the versatility of LiveWire’s workhorse. The approach was intended to allow the e-motorcycle offshoot to quickly innovate with multiple styles of motorcycles all sharing key structural and drivetrain components. The move has largely been seen as an engineering success, with three models hitting the road in under three years. However, sales have yet to reach targets set by LiveWire as the more premium electric motorcycle industry has experienced a rocky few years.
As a LiveWire S2 Del Mar owner myself, I can attest to both the performance and enjoyable experience of bikes built on the platform, though I do find myself in a somewhat smaller community than LiveWire had likely hoped for. With the backing of its powerful older brother H-D, which retains a controlling stake in the company, LiveWire has enjoyed the relative freedom to cruise for its first few years and focus on motorcycle development and rollouts, with profitability hopefully coming over the horizon in due time.
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