Ford announces FordPass - largest EV charging network in the US (12k stations)!

AceSpades

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Well this is good news...

Ford announces launch of largest electric vehicle charging network in the US

Updated 11:33 AM ET, Thu October 17, 2019

New York (CNN Business)Ford doesn't currently offer any electric vehicles, but it announced Thursday that, once it does, it will offer the largest North American network of electric vehicle chargers of any automaker ā€” including Tesla.

Unlike Tesla, though, Ford didn't build this charging network on its own. Working with EV charging companies Greenlots and Electrify America, Ford has created what it calls the FordPass Charging Network. When needed, users will be directed to one of the network's chargers using an app or in the vehicle's central touch screen.

Next year, Ford will begin selling an electric crossover SUV with styling based on the Ford Mustang. It's the first vehicle Ford has ever offered that was designed, from the outset, as an electric vehicle. That vehicle has not been unveiled yet. An electric version of the Ford F-150 pickup is also being developed.

The FordPass network will include more than 12,000 charging stations with a total of 35,000 plugs in the United States and some parts of Canada. Tesla has 4,375 public charging stations with about 15,000 plugs in the United States, according to the Department of Energy.

While Tesla's chargers can only be used by Tesla (TSLA) cars, the chargers in the FordPass network will work with most other electric cars. Unlike Tesla's chargers, which are all run and operated by Tesla, the chargers in the FordPass network will be operated by different companies. The charging network will include fast chargers that can rapidly juice up a vehicle's battery to about 80% in about 40 minutes, in some cases. While the chargers themselves will work with many different cars, only Ford drivers will be able to use the FordPass app.

Ford (F) electric vehicle owners will be able to pay for charging through the app without having to subscribe separately to individual charging networks. Greenlots, a subsidiary of Shell, operates the software behind the app.

Electrify America is building its electric car charging network using money from a settlement that Volkswagen reached with US regulators over the automaker's diesel emissions scandal. Other charging network operators are expected to join the network, a Greenlots spokeswoman said.

Ford also announced it is working with Amazon (AMZN) Home Services to install at-home chargers for customers who buy a Ford electric vehicle. Most electric car owners charge their cars at home or at work the vast majority of the time. Public chargers, like those in the FordPass Charging Network, are mostly used when drivers are taking longer road trips.

Earlier this year, General Motors (GM) announced it was working on a plan with the construction company Bechtel to build a large network of public chargers across America.
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Res Nullius

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That's awesome news. Partnering with charging network companies and combining their already-built out network is the only way any EV maker is going to be able to immediately compete with the coverage of Tesla's charging network.
 

Golfer

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2 years free charging is definitely a nice value added. And FordPass should be usable pretty much everywhere with that many charging stations in the network.

The fast chargers sound like they're about as fast as Tesla's supercharger stations. Wonder how many fast chargers are in the 12k charging stations though...
 

MachSpeed

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2 years free charging is definitely a nice value added. And FordPass should be usable pretty much everywhere with that many charging stations in the network.

The fast chargers sound like they're about as fast as Tesla's supercharger stations. Wonder how many fast chargers are in the 12k charging stations though...
It will definitely give Ford a leg up on the competition as I said previously very forward thinking.
 


stmache

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Note, it is not free charging just free to be in the network, you still need to pay for the charge (unless the station is free as some are). Not sure why one needs to pay to join a network, the two I belong to are free to join but you still need to supply a way of paying for the charging.

As an owner of a PHEV in upstate NY, charging stations are few and far between. Many times they are not working or in use do to only having one or two plugs. That will be a challenge outside of major cities. New York state says they will be building out more EV charging stations but, so far, I have not seen it. It is paramount to have a home charger and a good EV app to plan trips with. EV Infrastructure in the US is still a big issue.
 

Midnight Blue

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Note, it is not free charging just free to be in the network, you still need to pay for the charge (unless the station is free as some are). Not sure why one needs to pay to join a network, the two I belong to are free to join but you still need to supply a way of paying for the charging.

As an owner of a PHEV in upstate NY, charging stations are few and far between. Many times they are not working or in use do to only having one or two plugs. That will be a challenge outside of major cities. New York state says they will be building out more EV charging stations but, so far, I have not seen it. It is paramount to have a home charger and a good EV app to plan trips with. EV Infrastructure in the US is still a big issue.
With a PHEV, you shouldnā€™t be strapped to a EV grid, right? You should be able to just put gas in the tank at any gas station.

And with 300 miles range, Iā€™d think the EV grid would only come into play for road trips, right?

These are sincere questions. Iā€™ve always been ICE so I could just be naive.
 

stmache

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With a PHEV, you shouldnā€™t be strapped to a EV grid, right? You should be able to just put gas in the tank at any gas station.

And with 300 miles range, Iā€™d think the EV grid would only come into play for road trips, right?

These are sincere questions. Iā€™ve always been ICE so I could just be naive.
Yes, I have a 7.5 gallon tank and two engines. But, I still try and use electric propulsion as much as possible with an eye to having a full EV in the future. Just giving my experiences with EV charging so far.

When it comes to charging at home, you will need, at least, Level 2 charging. Even with my car's small battery (17KwH), it would take over 8 hours to charge from 0 with a regular home outlet (Level 1). With a Level 2 (240V used for electric dryers or ranges), it only takes 2.5 hours to fully charge from 0.

During the reveal for the Mach E watch for battery charging estimated times for the different charging levels. It should support Level 1, 2 and 3 (ie., DC fast charging).
 

ChasingCoral

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physib

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That's rather inevitable. Now to see the industry switching to one protocol.
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