Production of the 2022 Ford E-Transit – the all-electric version of the Ford Transit – was recently pushed back, but a handful of pre-production models have already rolled off the assembly line at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant and are participating in a pilot program with Penske Truck Leasing and National Grid. Those companies are using the E-Transit to accomplish a variety of tasks as each evaluates the EV for future fleet use, which apparently includes delivering gifts.
Penske’s 2022 Ford E-Transit wasn’t just used to deliver gifts to anyone, however, but The Children’s Home of Reading, a nonprofit offering specialized psychiatric residential, educational, and community-based programs to help both at-risk children and their families. Penske has been donating to this organization for a decade now, but this year’s delivery of 283 packages was completed in a zero-emissions vehicle.
The delivery was organized by the employee association Social Activities for Associates of the Reading Area (SAARA) and led by Michele Hansen, Senior Executive Assistant – PTL, at Penske’s global headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania. Penske workers were given a child’s name and wish list, after which the gifts were collected and delivered by Scott Norman, Manager of Office Services – PTL. “I feel it’s important for Penske to give back to the community by helping those less fortunate and may otherwise not enjoy the holidays,” Hansen said.
Penske is the first truck rental and leasing company to use and test the E-Transit, which is also the first all-electric cargo van from a full-line North American automaker. PTL is currently renting out the E-Transit to small- and medium-sized commercial businesses in the Reading area, though it eventually plans to expand its all-electric fleet throughout the United States.
We’ll have more on the E-Transit soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Transit news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
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