Ford is putting pre-production versions of its all-electric Transit vans in the hands of Penske Truck Leasing and National Grid.
The program is clearly a chance for the automaker to show off some of its electric vehicles, which are apparently helping boost the price of the company’s shares to levels not seen in years as well as becoming an increasingly larger share of its sales.
Penske is using the vans for delivery services, especially final-mile and regional delivery services. National Grid is a multinational company, which owns several electricity and national gas distribution networks in the northeastern U.S.
The pre-production tests are being managed by Ford Pro, the new commercial vehicle subsidiary the automaker has established to emphasize its commercial business.
A competitive field
The test comes as Ford and General Motors through its new BrightDrop unit, which CEO Mary Barra told analysts recently holds great promise, are at the beginning of a fierce competition. BrightDrop officials claim it already has major contracts to supply its electric vans to major carriers such as Federal Express as soon as next year.
They’re not alone in the segment either as Rivian, which launched its IPO today, is in the final stages of testing its battery-electric delivery van it developed in partnership with Amazon, one of its largest investors. The internet retail giant already ordered 100,000 of the vans. Ford is also an investor in Rivian.
Meanwhile, Ford plans to leverage its access to a broad portfolio of small, medium and large businesses to sell the services and subscriptions offered by Ford Pro, which is now the engine of the company’s efforts to boost the revenue from commercial business, which already one of the most successful enterprises in the auto industry.
Ford Pro pushes ahead with plans
Ford Pro will use data from the pre-production E-Transit vans used in the program from Penske Truck Leasing and National Grid to help with the deployment into their operations when the vehicles arrive at dealerships around the country early next year.
“E-Transit commercial vans and the supporting Ford Pro ecosystem, especially end-to-end charging, play a critical role in helping achieve those goals and transforming their business operations without disruption,” said Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis.
Cannis previously said the support system, including the analysis of the data, is part of the expanded menu of services Ford Pro expects to offer its clients in the future not only with the electric Transit Van but across the entire portfolio of vehicles the company offers customers.
For example, Ford Pro Intelligence delivers technology solutions that connect to the vehicle, such as Ford Pro E-Telematics software tools. The technology connects wirelessly — helping businesses manage fleets with real-time vehicle insights such as charge event monitoring, vehicle tracking, state of charge, range, charge history and logs, charging/battery settings and alerts.
Ford Pro Charging intends to offer end-to-end tools to enable home, public and depot charging tailored to fleet operational needs. Employee home charging will include available hardware and software solutions to manage overnight charging along with access to energy reports to make driver reimbursement simple.
When public charging is needed, customers can access the BlueOval Charge Network — America’s largest public charging network that currently offers more than 19,500 charge stations and 63,000 charging plugs nationwide.
Penske tests rolling now
Penske plans to evaluate and validate E-Transit van capabilities, driving experience and charging strategy for specific applications, including rentals to small- and medium-sized commercial businesses.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Ford Pro on the introduction and real-world testing of these new electric vehicles as the first truck rental and leasing company to do so,” said Art Vallely, president, Penske Truck Leasing. “We expect to see strong utilization and interest from customers making final-mile deliveries, regional deliveries, and eventually consumer use for smaller household moves.”
As part of the pilot program, Penske has deployed an E-Transit van in the Reading, Pennsylvania area. Penske’s long-term electric vehicle plans include adding electric vans throughout its wider network, including Southern California.
Better late (by 5 years) than never.