Ford announces electric Puma Gen-E
The carmaker does not provide any information on its new EV other than its name and that it “will be revealed later this year.” However, as the Puma is based on the same platform as the E-Transit Courier and E-Tourneo Courier panel vans, which are also built in Craiova, a look at the technical data of the light commercial vehicles could give an impression of the Puma Gen-E’s drive system. The drive in these models has an output of 100 kW, and the battery should be around 55 kWh based on the specifications. The DC charging power is up to 100 kW, and the standard charging process from ten to 80 per cent will then take “less than 35 minutes.” In terms of AC, the vehicles can be charged with up to 11 kW, and charging from ten to 100 per cent takes 5.7 hours.
Ford also gives some details about the ICE version of the compact crossover. The Puma will feature a “sports car-style cockpit” and the so-called MegaBox, an 80-litre storage compartment under the boot. Thetotla loadspace is 456 litres. Driver assist systems include a 360-degree surround-view camera system, reverse brake assist, and red cross traffic braking.
The announcement comes just days after Ford presented its financial results for Q4/2023 and the year 2023 as a whole. It showed that the carmaker’s Model e division is deep in the red, losing more than 47,000 dollars per electric vehicle sold in Q4/2023. For the year as a whole, revenue in the EV division totalled 5.9 billion dollars (+12 per cent), while the losses of Ford’s EV business totalled 4.7 billion dollars.
Ford also announced working on a low-cost electric car platform for the past two years, and could launch smaller EVs in the future. In 2022, Ford announced it would bring seven new electric models to Europe by 2024, including three new electric passenger cars and four new electric commercial vehicles.
According to the announcement, a second model would then roll off the production line in Cologne, Germany. Whether or not the carmaker will stick to its schedule amid its financial struggles remains to be seen. Already in 2023, Ford put many EV-related projects on ice. For instance, it will realise its LFP battery cell factory in the US on a much smaller scale than initially planned. Ford also cancelled plans for a battery plant for EV commercial vehicles planned with LG Energy Solution and Koç in Turkey.
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