The Ford Pro Electric SuperVan fully utilises the potential of electric performance and enhanced connectivity to achieve the highest performance of any Ford van ever and underscore the company’s huge commitment to electrification.
Four electric motors, a 50 kWh liquid-cooled battery and a bespoke control system produce approximately 2,000 PS for sub two-second 0-100 km/h acceleration. Performance from a purpose-built, track-ready chassis including components from the recently unveiled E-Transit Custom – the first fully electric version of Europe’s best-selling van – is complemented by Ford’s SYNC in-cab touchscreen technology from road-going Ford models, as well as additional functionality to control the Electric SuperVan’s unique capabilities.
The striking, all-electric demonstrator vehicle was developed in secret by Ford Performance and electrified rally and racing specialists STARD in Austria, with exterior design by the Ford Design team in Cologne, Germany.
Ford’s first SuperVan was revealed in 1971 and featured a mid-mounted engine taken from the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 to create a Transit Mk. 1 unlike any other. The formula was taken further for SuperVan 2; a glass fibre version of the Transit Mk. 2 body was draped over the monocoque and 590 PS Cosworth V8 of Ford’s C100 racing car. This vehicle was later reborn as the facelifted Transit Mk. 3 lookalike SuperVan 3, powered by a screaming 650 PS Cosworth HB engine shared with Formula 1 cars of the era.
The Ford Pro Electric SuperVan is revealed today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Championship-winning racing driver and electric motorsport specialist Romain Dumas will be in the Electric SuperVan’s cockpit to demonstrate its capability on Goodwood’s famous hillclimb.
We’re bringing SuperVan into the 21st century with 2,000 PS of all-electric power for unmatched excitement and unmistakable styling inspired by the new E-Transit Custom. But performance isn’t all about horsepower – the Electric SuperVan’s processing power means engineers can use real-time vehicle data to optimise its performance, just like on a top-level racing car.
Turning E-Transit Custom up to 11
The Ford Pro Electric SuperVan is a one-off demonstrator, leaving the Ford Design team free to create a wild-looking vehicle that grabs attention and reflects its extreme performance capability. The outlandish wheel arches, muscular style and one-off livery help to deliver the most extreme expression of Transit design, while the all-electric powertrain offered the development team lots of freedom with fewer of the packaging and cooling restrictions that come with a combustion engine.
The demonstrator vehicle’s motorsport-spec construction marries the E-Transit Custom floorpan with a steel spaceframe and lightweight composite body panels. A bespoke 50 kWh liquid-cooled battery pack is mounted for optimum weight distribution and a low centre of gravity and can be fully recharged in approximately 45 minutes using a standard electric vehicle fast-charger. The driver can access charging and battery insights via the in-cab touchscreen.
Four electric motors together deliver approximately 2,000 PS through an all-wheel drive system – enough to propel the incredible van to 100 km/h in under two seconds and making it comfortably the fastest SuperVan ever, as well as the cleanest.
Ford Performance and STARD’s motorsport input is immediately obvious; the dramatically sculpted body’s front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser would be at home on a racing car, while the radical rear design’s cutaways and dorsal fin flow into the rear wing to generate downforce and push the Electric SuperVan into the track for more grip. The racing influence continues under the skin with unequal-length double-wishbone suspension at each corner. Motorsport-grade front and rear subframes, uprights, and Alcon brakes deliver the braking and steering capability to match the enormous straight-line go.