Ford targets EV ‘fence-sitters’ with offer of free home charger and installation
Ford targets EV ‘fence-sitters’ with offer of free home charger and installation
Ford is also offering 24/7 call or text support.
For customers still unsure whether they’re ready to make the switch to an all-electric vehicle, Ford is sweetening the pot.
Today, the company launched a new initiative called the “Ford Power Promise,” in which it will provide a suite of benefits to customers who buy or lease a new EV. And chief among them is a complimentary home charger for all new customers, as well as the costs of standard installation.
The charger that’s being offered is the company’s Ford Charge Station Pro, a $1,310 Level 2 charger that comes with a standard CCS1 connector. Ford declined to put a monetary value on the installation but said it would cover costs up to 60 amps of power and 80 feet of wire run. Customers who need to upgrade their home electrical panel before the installation, however, will need to cover those costs themselves.
For customers who buy or lease a new EV but already have a home charger installed, Ford will provide them with the cash equivalent of $2,000.
That’s a good incentive to try to poach a driver of another EV brand.
So since the majority of people will probably need the panel upgrade this is an empty offer for those that won't be willing to spend $2k+ for the upgrade.
The only way I was able to get a charger installed was from my utility company's rebate if I used their rate22 for the charger. So they paid to install the new meter and charger but I had to buy the charger. Since it has its own meter it doesn't affect my home's panel limit. I went with OpenEVSE for their ease of repairability and upgrades. I can swap any part out in a matter of minutes.
Further complicating matters for many Americans are HOAs, especially those with communal parking separated from the homes. Not only would I have to upgrade my panel, I'd have to pay to install a feed to my parking spaces. Thankfully for my region the law gives me the right to install this even if the HOA doesn't cooperate, but laws vary and some people will have a very uphill battle.
"up to" 60 amps per the original snippet means you could do less if a load calculation needs it. Really, damn near any panel installed in the last several decades can take an additional 240V 20A circuit, which is still a lot of juice if you math out the kind of use you can get over a year.
If I buy an EV, it won't be a smartphone on wheels. There is no way I'm giving these fuckers my driving data.
Every car is a smartphone on wheels if you bought it within the last 5-10 years.
You said "every car", so I'll assume you do mean every car, which is very much untrue. My 2016 Hyundai Tucson is a very much dumb car. It has a radio, CD player and Bluetooth. And that's what I want essentially. I don't want anything to do with those that are connected to the internet and get OTA updates. I'll never buy those for as long as I can find the other ones. Cars like mine do exit and will continue existing, as a "low trim" model, which is
whywhat I always get anyway.
Still not going to buy a massive and pointless electric truck. Give me a full EV Fusion, maybe.
Ford also makes an EV car, the MachE.
*SUV
I had to look it up; the Charge Station Pro is the one that allows bidirectional charging where the F-150 Lightning can serve as a backup to the home when plugged in, a great feature. The Mach E doesn’t have that capability, though, so it’s a wasted feature with that car.
I really liked the F-150 Lightning, but a full-size pickup with a crew cab doesn’t fit in my garage. I would have room to park outside in the driveway (and charger installation would be easier), but I don’t want to do that unless I have to.
The Mach E was nice, but I found the seats uncomfortable after about 30 minutes (the only part of the car I felt really was like a Mustang).
In any case I’m not in the market for a new car right now and don’t think I could afford a new electric vehicle with my current work situation.
GM had a similar deal when I bought my Bolt. It was pretty awesome, since my panel is on the other side of my house from the garage and it would've cost about $1500 otherwise. Lots of horror stories with the middleman they used (QMerit) and people having "non-standard" installations over silly little things though. Hopefully Ford has a little better implementation.
Can confirm with Qmerit. Needed a service upgrade (that was not possible due to unrelated factors).
Other options included disconnecting a different circuit, or installing a charger with load sensing. Both would've been about 15 minutes of work, and were an extra $600 on top of the $1000 that GM was paying.
Include an array of solar panels, then count me in.
That would be cool, but really? They could have also sold the car and nothing else. They do a promo that should make EVs a little more approachable for a lot of people, and you're demanding a (probably) 5-figure addition to that?