Ford Readies Hybrid Versions of European Transit Van

Ford Motor Co. will unveil a mild-hybrid version of its Transit commercial van and a plug-in hybrid variant of the smaller Transit Custom model later this month at the IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hannover, Germany.

The segment-first mild-hybrid system will be teamed with a 2.0-liter diesel engine on Transit models with a manual transmission. The hybrid system captures energy during deceleration and stores it in a 48-volt lithium-ion battery, which can be used to help drive the engine and electrical ancillaries.

Ford says the new Transit will be more fuel efficient and have a greater payload than the current van. The new model also gets a fresh front-end design and an all-new interior with 4G connectivity.

The previously announced plug-in Transit Custom will use a 1.0-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine as a range extender. Ford says the vehicle will have an all-electric range of 50 km (31 miles) and can travel 500 km (310) when the piston engine is used to recharge the liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery.

The smaller van also sports an all-new interior, including dedicated information displays for the plug-in hybrid variant. The new Transit and Transit Custom will be launched in mid-2019.