Since its launch, the Ford E-Transit has quickly found success in the commercial fleet space, with entities ranging from Meals on Wheels to the United States Postal Service placing large orders for the all-electric van. The automaker has since worked to ramp up production of the Ford E-Transit to meet this demand, particularly for the more popular medium- and low-roof variants. Now, The Blue Oval has yet another large order to fill, as the California Vanpool Authority (CalVans) – a public transit agency – will work with Model 1 Commercial Vehicles – the nation’s largest bus and transportation services dealer – to add 403 Ford E-Transit vans to its fleet.
CalVans currently uses its fleet of around 1,000 ICE vehicles to offer a vanpool program to residents in areas with a low population density and employment centers. However, that fleet has aged quickly and is reaching the end of its usable life, which necessitated a change – in this case, one involving the addition of a fully-electric fleet of 9- and 12-passenger Ford E-Transit models converted by Forest River Bus. Luckily, in spite of supply chain issues, Model 1 was ready to meet those needs.
“It’s encouraging to see adoption of electric vehicles happening at a significant scale,” said Tony Matijevich, President of Model 1. “We hope the move by CalVans – and their collaborative approach with Model 1 – emboldens other agencies and organizations to make the commitment to EV units.”
“The work Model 1 and Forest River Bus are doing to support California Vanpool Authority’s electrification journey – enabled by our class-leading E-Transit vans – will bring measurable cost savings in addition to reducing their carbon footprint,” said Tim Baughman, general manager of Ford Pro North America. “Ford Pro is proud to provide electric solutions to help accelerate business productivity, lower total cost of ownership, and make EVs more accessible to rural areas where clean transportation alternatives are needed.”
We’ll have more on the E-Transit soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Transit news and non-stop Ford news coverage.
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