Ford's e-Transit sauna van takes wild swimming to the next level of health-kick EVs

Ford Pro’s Special Vehicle Team has turned the electric Ford e-Transit into a rolling infrared sauna, a bespoke project aimed at celebrating the Transit’s 60th anniversary and exploring how EV tech can support outdoorsy, health-focused lifestyles. The project was documented by Freda Lewis-Stempel on a Welsh wild-swimming tour, presenting a rare look at how vehicle customization and power management can intersect with adventure sports.

The sauna van is far from a standard showroom model. Exterior design leans into nature, with a wood-wrap finish intended to blend into landscapes while still drawing curious glances. Step inside and the transformation becomes more striking: an anti-chamber lined with Canadian pine, crafted benches, and a wall of white Ford Pro towels and robes, all set to a spa-like ambience. A rear glass panel offers a view of the surrounding scenery, making street parking feel almost like a panoramic overlook. The cabin doors reveal an infrared sauna that seats several people, with space for two to lie down and room for others to sit and soak up the warmth. The interior includes a dedicated control unit, a timber-wrapped interior, and a speaker system that fills the cabin with calming tones. The vehicle’s design emphasizes mobility and the outdoors, enabling wild swimmers to reach secluded spots with a built-in wellness retreat onboard.

The e-Transit sauna’s power source is not a standalone heater but the van’s own electrical system. Ford’s Pro Power Onboard allows the vehicle to act as a power bank, using vehicle-to-load bi-directional charging to supply external devices. In this setup the sauna is powered by a three-pin plug connected to a power socket inside the rear doors. When the green start button is pressed and the temperature and time are set on the interior control panel, the sauna warms to a comfortable heat without tethering the user to a fixed campsite. This capability—often described as “vehicle to load”—is a growing part of EV utility, enabling you to run portable kettles, chargers for outdoor gear, or even small home-like appliances during longer trips or remote excursions.

The practical questions are telling. The e-Transit is still a work vehicle with a two-tonne class footprint, and extending the range while running a sauna adds a unique stress test for the battery. Ford says the sauna itself uses only a small portion of the battery’s energy; in testing, the sauna’s use reduced the vehicle’s range by roughly four miles per hour of sauna operation. In the journalist’s experience, a 40-minute sauna session followed by a 20-minute drive consumed about five miles of range. Yet the broader driving range remained the larger constraint for long journeys. The published range for the e-Transit in this configuration is around 196 miles on a full charge, roughly the same as the standard e-Transit, but real-world tests in this setup yielded closer to 150 miles when driving at modest speeds. Towards the end of a charge, charging speeds slowed to roughly 20 kW or even 12.5 kW, underscoring the need for thoughtful trip planning when taking the sauna on the road.

The tester emphasized that the sauna experience itself adds a compelling layer of wellness to outdoor activities. Wild swimming, already experiencing a surge in popularity, is linked with cardiovascular benefits, mood enhancement, and immune-boosting effects, complemented by the therapeutic value of infrared heat. In the scenario described, the sauna session provided a brief respite after a cold swim, with the control system offering a simple, reliable way to modulate heat and duration. The combination of cold-water swims and infrared heat created a distinctive, rejuvenating routine that highlighted how EVs can support not just transportation but lifestyle choices.

Beyond the gadgetry, the project demonstrates Ford’s broader aim: to show how EVs can be versatile, mobile platforms for a range of activities. The Pro Power Onboard feature is central to this flexibility, effectively turning the van into a portable power station with the ability to power external devices or appliances. In outdoor and adventure contexts, this capability opens up new possibilities for clubs, rental operators, and individual enthusiasts who want to stage wellness experiences away from traditional power sources. The idea of a sauna-on-wheels has a certain novelty, but the underlying technology is emblematic of a shift toward practical, off-grid living enabled by electric propulsion.

From a historical perspective, the Ford Transit has long been celebrated as a versatile backbone of Britain’s work life. Since its 1965 debut, the Transit has evolved through generations to become the best-selling van in its segment, with Ford describing it as a vehicle built on continuous innovation and real-world customer needs. The 60th anniversary celebration of the Transit, underscored by the sauna project, underscores the model’s enduring influence and its capacity to adapt to new technological frontiers. Ford notes that the Transit’s enduring appeal stems from features that simplify everyday tasks and broaden what owners expect from a commercial vehicle in terms of practicality and adaptability.

The sauna van project is not a standard sales offering. There is no factory option for an e-Transit sauna, and this particular build is not something instantly available off a showroom floor. Ford has indicated that the Pro Special Vehicle team can discuss on-demand custom orders for clubs, fleets, or private adventurers seeking a similar mobile wellness setup. For those who want to pursue a more conventional approach, the Pro Power Onboard feature remains accessible across the e-Transit range, expanding possibilities for outdoor enthusiasts, event organizers, and emergency-use scenarios where portable power is beneficial.

The broader context around this technology narrative includes a rapid uptick in electric-vehicle adoption and a growing interest in outdoor wellness activities. In the United Kingdom, the share of new cars that are electric has risen from 11.6 percent in 2021 to 19.6 percent in 2024, with more than 1.6 million EVs on UK roads by the end of July 2025. Wild swimming has emerged as a popular pastime, with estimates suggesting millions participate outdoors, while organizations such as Swim England and the Outdoor Swimming Society report robust participation and rising membership. The convergence of EV technology and outdoor sport is fueling interest in how vehicles can power experiences in remote locations, not just transport people from point A to point B.

As for the future, the e-Transit sauna illustrates a broader trend: vehicles are becoming multi-use platforms that extend beyond mobility into on-site energy supply, portable wellness, and off-grid living. It highlights how vehicle-to-load and other electrification innovations are unlocking new business models and personal lifestyles—especially for clubs, adventure outfits, and wellness entrepreneurs seeking to offer unique, accessible experiences. The idea of turning a van into a mobile spa to support wild swimming communities signals a bold, if unconventional, step in the ongoing evolution of technology-enabled outdoor culture.

If you’re curious about the concept, Ford suggests that interested readers should contact the Ford Pro Special Vehicle team to discuss a tailored build. For now, the e-Transit sauna is a proof of concept that blends heritage, technology, and wellness—an inventive tribute to the Transit’s “backbone of Britain” identity and a glimpse of how EVs can power not just miles but moments of well-being on the road.