At IAA Transportation 2024, Ford Pro underlines its role as Europe’s market leader and its commitment to electrification with a fully electrified model range and the industry’s most comprehensive range of connected services. The extensive Ford Pro range of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) includes, among other things, the compact van Ford E-Transit Courier, which can be ordered now. Visitors to the Ford Pro stand in Hall 13 will also be able to see the other members of the highly productive and electrified Transit family: the Ford E-Transit, Europe’s best-selling electric van in the 2-ton payload segment, which now has an option for one increased range is available, the brand new Ford E-Transit Custom and the also completely new Ford Transit Connect PHEV. Ford Pro is also celebrating a real premiere at the IAA Transportation: the new Ford Ranger PHEV is being shown to the world public for the first time in the Lower Saxony state capital.
- Ford’s successful commercial vehicle division is showing its completely electrified vehicle fleet and the entire range of its service offerings for the first time in Hanover
- The new compact electric van Ford E-Transit Courier completes the electrified Transit family: It complements the E-Transit, E-Transit Custom and Transit Connect PHEV models on display and can be ordered now with a range of up to 300 km, a 43 .5 kWh battery and 100 kW DC charging
- At the Ford Pro IAA stand, the 16-meter-wide Powerwall impressively visualizes the great efficiency advantages that FordLiive offers as an uptime management system
- Ford Pro Software continues to expand its range of connected services with a new E-Switch Assist feature that makes the transition to electrification of fleet vehicles easier
Numerous Ford Pro customers are already benefiting from the connected, real-time services of the automaker’s commercial vehicle division. Ford Pro employees will demonstrate how great the efficiency advantages of the FORDLiive uptime management system are in a specially installed Liive Center directly at the IAA. The FORDLiive Powerwall, an oversized, 16 meter wide digital screen, impressively visualizes how the Ford Pro Team uses the vehicle data and workshop data from Ford dealers to act proactively and avoid unplanned vehicle failures. With other innovative services, such as the Mobile Service Van, which can also be seen in Hanover, Ford Pro creates a comprehensive service offering aimed at increasing the productivity of fleet customers.
“Ford Pro proves to its customers every day that the connected use of vehicle data can boost uptime and productivity,” says Hans Schep, General Manager of Ford Pro Europe. “We show them which electrification options are suitable for their individual business model and how they can easily get started with electromobility. Combined with our range of award-winning, highly sought-after commercial vehicles, Ford Pro lays the foundation for a whole new level of productivity.”
It also shows that Ford Pro offers users real added value the constantly increasing demand. Ford Pro software subscriptions increased 35 percent globally in the second quarter of 2024, revenue increased 9 percent and EBIT margin increased 15 percent. In Europe alone, Ford Pro can already boast over 95,000 paid software contracts, while new commercial vehicle sales increased by ten percent in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
Ford Pro is also still in the fast lane in Austria. So far this year, the independent corporate unit for the commercial vehicle business has recorded over 4,000 new registrations. Ford Pro ended August in Austria with a market share of 26.1 percent for light commercial vehicles, leading the segment for the second time in a row.
Wide range of highly productive electric commercial vehicles
Thanks to the comprehensive renewal of the Transit model family, Ford Pro can now offer an electrified variant in every series, i.e. with purely electric drive or with plug-in hybrid technology. At the IAA Transportation 2024, the car manufacturer is now showing the complete cross-section of this range and also some European public premieres for the first time.
- E-Transit Courier: After the presentation of the completely newly developed Transit Courier in spring 2024, the fully electric version of this compact transporter can now also be ordered. With a usable battery capacity of 43.5 kilowatt hours (kWh), it enables a range of up to 300 kilometers and combines this with a trailer load of 750 kilograms and a maximum payload of 700 kilograms – this corresponds to an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous model. At a conventional 100-kilowatt direct current charging station, the battery fills from ten to 80 percent in 23 minutes. Production of the new Ford E-Transit Courier will start next year, with first deliveries planned for spring 2025.
- E-Transit: Europe’s best-selling electric van with a two-tonne payload will appeal to even more customers with a new version with a larger 89 kWh battery and extended range. A standard heat pump, faster charging and a range of up to 402 km will better support companies with longer journeys or higher energy requirements, for example when delivering chilled food. Order books for the extended range model will open in October, with production beginning in early 2025.
- E-Transit Custom: In the past year, companies using vans in Europe and the UK around one trillion euros to the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP). contributed. Among other things, they rely on compact commercial vehicles such as the Transit Custom. Europe’s market leader in the 1.0 tonne class runs in the ultra-modern “Work of the future” from Ford Otosan in Kocaeli, Turkey. The electric version of the Transit Custom is now entering service with customers in Austria. Production of the Transit Custom with plug-in hybrid drive has also already begun.
- Transit Connect PHEV: The plug-in hybrid version of the Transit Connect is also celebrating its European debut at this year’s IAA Transportation. It impresses with a particularly competitive range of up to 118 kilometers, which it can cover purely electrically to ensure low operating costs. At a DC charging point with up to 40 kW, it charges from five to 80 percent in just over 26 minutes. Also new is a so-called FlexCab body variant: It offers particularly easy switching between passenger or freight transport. Ford Pro will deliver the first copies of the Transit Connect PHEV in autumn 2024.
Another highlight of the Ford Pro innovations at the IAA Transportation 2024 is the public world premiere of the Ranger PHEV with plug-in hybrid technology (see separate press release).
Connected technologies in action
With its wide range of electrified vans, Ford Pro makes it easier for a wide range of companies of all sizes to get started with electromobility. The innovative E-Switch-Assist check. The free online application shows interested customers in no time how ready their company fleet is to switch to electromobility. For users already connected to the Ford Pro ecosystem, E-Switch-Assist can present this analysis using real data for each individual company car, right down to daily charging needs.
With Ford Pro Charging Tailor-made charging solutions can then be implemented for the company locations, which can achieve significant cost advantages. A Ford Pro customer was able to reduce the financial outlay per 100 kilometers, which was 18 to 20 euros for his diesel vehicles, to just 3 euros by switching to an E-Transit including Ford Pro charging infrastructure.
In order to use the full functionality of the vehicles and manage the fleet efficiently, there are Ford Pro Telematics Ford Pro fleet management software. A new function of the software is the digital logbook. It simplifies the recording of working hours and accounting for business mileage. This reduces administrative burden and helps meet compliance requirements. Self-driving entrepreneurs benefit from the practical application at the latest when the distances they travel for private purposes are recorded for tax purposes. Larger companies whose employees charge the electric van from their home socket can use Ford Pro E-Telematics to easily reimburse electricity costs for work-related journeys.
Ford Pro Telematics gives commercial customers insight into real-time data from their fleet vehicles. This condition data is also shared with Ford dealers and Ford Pro. In this way, all players are networked with one another in order to jointly optimize the productivity of the fleet. FORDLiive is the uptime management system that uses real-time vehicle health data to maximize uptime for fleet customers. Ford Pro Service offers additional services to reduce downtime. With the Ford Pro Mobile Service For example, the workshop comes to the customer for stress-free and time-saving maintenance of the fleet.
According to the Feedback from a large fleet operator In Great Britain, the overall system allows workshop stays to be shortened from three days to two hours in certain cases. Just recently, an analysis by the leading automobile leasing provider ALD Automotive | Lease Plan UK showed that FORDLiive saved customers an average of more than €1,300 per lost vehicle in 2023.
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