Aussie tradies have finally been handed an EV alternative to their favourite petrol powerhouses, but are they enough to get the job done?
Ford’s latest EV offerings, the Ford E-Transit Custom van and the plug-in hybrid Ranger ute, wowed tradies on the showroom floor last week as they made their first debut at Melbourne’s Mobility Live event.
On stage, the E-Transit Custom was touted as the ‘baby brother’ to the Ford E-Transit van that has been available in Australia since early 2023. But it seems big things come in small packages, as this compact model comes complete with all the bells and whistles suburban tradies have been crying out for to replace their current Transit or Hiace vans.
While basically an electrified upgrade of its petrol-powered counterpart, the E-Transit does boast a decently large 11kW AC/124kW DC charging and a 64kW battery (giving workers a range of about 337 km before they need to plug in), over 1 ton worth of cargo space for the tools of the trade and an impressive 2300kg tow rating.
But the real star of the show was the Ranger PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid EV). Unlike competitors BYD and their latest Shark ute, the fan-favourite pick-up has decided to dip its toe into the EV economy by combining the petrol power of their classic design with an electric-powered battery.
Combining a 12kWh battery with a turbocharged 2.3 litre 4 cylinder petrol motor, tradies can expect to get about 45km on battery power before the petrol kicks in – basically enough to the job site and back for the day.
While this might be seen as a disappointing half-measure by EV adopters, this seems to be an intentional half-measure by the motoring master to ease tradies into the world of electric utes, as debate continues to rage on over the lack of charging stations located outside of city limits.
And apart from the battery upgrade, it’s business as usual for the Ranger. Both the towing and load capacity remain identical to its petrol predecessor – meaning tradies don’t have to sacrifice on any of the pulling power to reap the EV rewards.
Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic said it was this marriage of electrification and hard yakka utility that makes the Ranger PHEV the perfect entry EV pick-up for tradies on the job.
“We ensured our first PHEV pickup in Australia and New Zealand would be a hugely capable tool for work and off-roading, as well as a smart vehicle with the tech, connectivity and EV-only capability for family life.”
With only more EV set to hit the road in coming months, Myles Hartley, General Manager of Electric Vehicles, said it was more important than ever that fleets “wanting to decarbonise” have access to the vehicles that can still get the job done.
“Both the Ranger PHEV and E-Transit Custom have all the capability that makes their nameplates legendary around the world, with the added benefit of an electrified powertrain,” he added.
Any readers living in Sydney can see what Ford has been cooking up for themselves as both vehicles return to the stage next week at the Sydney International EV show on November 8-10.
The rest of us will have to wait until both the Transit and the Ranger PHEV hit showroom floors on a yet unspecified date in 2025.
As for what they cost – your guess is as good as mine. Based on the UK’s pricing for the E-Transit Custom, the model should land around $85k here, but Ford could be looking to milk a free more dollars out of the country’s infamously ‘cashed up’ tradies.
For the Ranger, it would be safe to assume the PHEV would fetch a few grand more than its $64k petrol cousins’ starting price. But with BYD’s fully-electric $58k Shark making waves in the EV market, the impending ute price war could see the hybrid being more affordable than you think.
