To boost sales, starting Tuesday through the top of the 12 months, Ford Motor Co. will cover the price of a house charging station and its installation for purchasers who buy or lease a brand new electric vehicle.
Electric vehicle sales are usually not growing as quickly because the industry expected. Affordability, availability of charging infrastructure, battery health and convenience remain barriers to EV adoption. Covering the price of buying a Level 2 charger for Mustang Mach-E SUV or F-150 Lightning truck customers to refuel at home helps overcome a few of these obstacles, said Martin Delonis, senior manager of Strategy for Model e, Ford's EV division.
“An electric vehicle will refuel if you’re not careful – passive refueling overnight, like charging a smartphone,” he said during a virtual briefing of this system. “It's hard for anyone to understand an amenity that didn't exist before. Only half of the people we spoke to realized it was easier to fuel up at home and wake up ready to go every day. There is an efficiency there that is not recognized and it takes time to understand it.”
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Ford didn’t provide a precise figure for the whole value of the Ford Power Promise promotion within the fourth quarter. This is the included charger Ford charging station Prowhich retails for $1,310. Installation can cost several hundred dollars more.
Customers who have already got a charger or cannot install a charger because they live in an apartment, for instance, can receive a reduction of as much as $2,000 on a brand new electric vehicle as a part of the promotion. Ford Pro Fleet customers who purchase the E-Transit all-electric van or one other electric vehicle will receive a money incentive for business charging, Ford CEO Jim Farley wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“For many owners, refueling at home with electricity can represent a significant cost saving compared to refueling with gas. The problem is that almost half of them don’t know how home charging works,” he wrote. “Our industry seems to want to answer these questions the tried and tested way – cash. Cheap leasing offers for electric vehicles are popping up everywhere. Ford believes it will need more than just huge discounts to really make a breakthrough with the estimated 19 million people in the U.S. interested in electric vehicles. This requires – you guessed it – comfort, security and competent service. A modern version of the friendly gas station is needed, only this time you “fill up” at home.”
Ford is working with its charging installation partner Qmerit. The program covers standard installation, supporting a circuit of as much as 60 amps and a cable length of 80 feet. The charger doesn’t use a NEMA 14-50 outlet. If a customer's home requires a panel upgrade, the shopper might be liable for covering the difference.
According to Ford's website, the Ford Charge Station Pro can increase the range of the F-150 Lightning prolonged range truck by as much as 30 miles per hour. Customers can schedule a top-up within the FordPass app. The charger also offers bi-directional charging, allowing the EV battery to supply stored energy to supply power if a customer's home power goes out.
U.S. electric automotive sales from Ford, which sells the second-most electric models within the country behind Tesla Inc., rose 58% 12 months over 12 months through August. Ford will report third-quarter sales on Wednesday.
Chevrolet has offered home charging station installation promotions when purchasing or leasing a brand new 2022 or 2023 Bolt EV or Bolt EUV.
The Ford Power Promise also goals to teach customers about other advantages of buying a Ford electric vehicle, said Becca Anderson, senior director of customer success for Ford Model e. The Blue Oval Charging Network has greater than 75,000 electric vehicle chargers; The automaker ships adapters that allow customers to charge through Tesla's Supercharger network, and Ford offers an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on its electric vehicles' batteries. There can also be a 24/7 EV support hotline available via text or phone.
“Buyers are concerned about range, charge and battery health,” Delonis said. “These are concerns of the owners. This shows us that there is a huge perception gap that needs to be closed and buyers need help bridging that gap to make an electric vehicle a real option for fences. We need to close the gap between perception and reality.”
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