2023 Ford E-Transit Courier: firm's smallest van goes electric

Ford has confirmed that it will show a new electric van – expected to be the entry-level E-Transit Courier – on 6 April.

The E-Transit Courier is the only van from the firm’s promised line-up of nine EVs arriving in Europe by 2024 that has yet to be shown.

The full-size Transit gained an electric variant in 2021. The popular mid-size Transit Custom is soon to follow. And the Transit-adjacent Tourneo Connect MPV – sized between the Custom and the Courier – has adopted Volkswagen’s MQB combustion-engined car platform, leaving an electric variant out of the picture. 

Recently spotted testing in E-Tourneo MPV form (expected shortly after the van), the Courier is expected to remain on the B2E platform used by the Ford Fiesta and Ford Puma, albeit adapted to take both ICE and electric powertrains.

The ICE line-up is likely to comprise the Puma’s 123bhp 1.0-litre mild-hybrid turbo petrol unit as well as the entry-level 108bhp diesel from the new Transit Custom.

The electric offering is yet to be officially detailed, but this is expected to mirror that of the Puma EV arriving next year.

The rival Citroën e-Berlingo van offers a 171-mile official range and a maximum charging rate of 100kW.

The ICE variants of the Courier are likely to match or slightly improve on the current mode’s 2.3m3 load volume and 595kg maximum payload. The electric version’s maximum carrying weight is expected to shrink, owing to it carrying a heavy battery pack. For example, the full-size Transit’s 2410kg capacity falls to 1711kg in the E-Transit.

Spy images of the new Tourneo Courier also reveal an interior overhaul, bringing the dual instrument and Ford Sync4 infotainment panels from the new Transit Custom. The novel tilting steering wheel from the Custom – which folds out into a small table – could also be offered as an optional extra.