Automakers, who staked their futures on the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), have been forced to slash prices because of slow sales. Now, Ford is going step further, offering to install a home charger at no additional cost.
The automaker calls it the “Ford Power Promise, and it begins Oct. 1. Customers who purchase select new Ford EV models will be eligible to receive the equipment and free installation to charge their vehicles at home. Ford says it’s a way to relieve some of the financial burdens of EV ownership and remove some of the hesitations, such as worrying about long waits at charging stations.
“While we’ve been focused on making public charging easier – including giving Ford owners access to Tesla’s Superchargers with an adapter as part of BlueOval Charge Network – we have learned just how important home charging is to overall electric vehicle adoption in the U.S.,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley in a blog post.
“Nearly 90% of shoppers say they would be more likely to buy an electric vehicle if they knew they could charge at home. Filling up at home with electricity can be a significant cost save for many owners compared to filling up with gas. Problem is nearly half of them don’t know how home charging works. Where do you buy the charger? Who installs it? What does it cost?”
All you have to do is buy an EV
To qualify, customers must buy or lease a retail Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning or E-Transit and take a complimentary home charger home or have it delivered. When it is ready to be installed, a Ford technician will go to the home and install it. There will be no charge for a standard install.
If you are on a road trip, Farley said the BlueOval Charge Network automatically searches for chargers across various networks, including Electrify America and Tesla Superchargers and adds charging stops to your route via the Connected Navigation in the vehicle.
“This is something we think is great for our customer, but we also think the way it’s set up, it’ll provide education for shoppers and intenders as well,” Marin Gjaja, chief operating officer for Ford’s Model e EV business, told CNBC. “We’re trying to get people off the fence.”