E Van

A Ford Transit van will soon carry a new electric powertrain that could cut its energy use by up to a fifth compared to today’s best electric vans. This matters because electric vans and trucks currently waste significant energy through inefficient motors, single-speed transmissions, and power-hungry auxiliary systems such as pumps and fans. The project tackles all three at once: a next-generation permanent magnet motor paired with a multi-speed smart transmission, a central vehicle controller that coordinates everything, and redesigned high-voltage auxiliary components that slash their power draw from 4 kilowatts to just 1.2 kilowatts. Together, these subsystems are predicted to deliver a 15–20 percent improvement in overall vehicle energy efficiency on the standard NEDCL test cycle. If the consortium succeeds, the same architecture could scale to cars and heavy trucks, quietly improving the energy grid by reducing the electricity demand per mile for commercial fleets. For a delivery company running hundreds of vans, that translates into lower charging costs and longer range without bigger batteries. The project is applied engineering, not fundamental science—it aims to put a working, more efficient electric van on the road within the grant period.