BlueOval Charge Network expands Plug & Charge to IONNA and Ford Charge

[Ford Motor Company]

Some news coming out of our charging team - they're excited to announce that the BlueOval Charge Network is expanding Plug & Charge access to IONNA and Ford Charge, with more networks to come next year.

As many of you know, Plug & Charge is the easiest way to pay for charging – simply plug in and with your BlueOval Charge Network account, your payment will be handled automatically.

This expands the list of networks that support Plug & Charge technology, which already includes Electrify America, EVolve NY, and Tesla Superchargers.

IONNA​

Since joining the BlueOval Charge Network earlier this year, IONNA has continued adding more 400 kW chargers at a growing list of Rechargeries across the US. With more than 1,100 fast chargers open or under construction and plans to grow to over 30,000 by 2030, as IONNA grows, so does your ability to get charged up with the simplicity of Plug & Charge. Starting today, all IONNA chargers support Plug & Charge for Ford vehicles through the BlueOval Charge Network.

Ford Charge​

With over 1,200 chargers at more than 330 Ford dealerships across the US and Canada, Plug & Charge will make getting charged up with Ford Charge even easier. Plug & Charge is available at select Ford Charge dealers today, and will be expanding to all Ford Charge dealers by early 2026. Until then, check the Ford app to verify if the location is Plug & Charge enabled, and pay with the Ford app at locations that haven’t received Plug & Charge yet.

Looking Ahead​

Plug & Charge will further expand to additional BlueOval Charge Network partners - including Shell Recharge. Keep checking the Ford app to see which BlueOval Charge Network stations are Plug & Charge capable.

Additionally, there is some extra Plug & Charge news for Canadian customers – starting now, Canadian customers who cross the border have access to Electrify America chargers within the BlueOval Charge Network for the first time, including with Plug & Charge!

With this exciting announcement, the list of BlueOval Charge Network partners now includes 21 networks which can be activated with the Ford app – of which 6 also support the simplicity of Plug & Charge:

• BC Hydro
• Blink
• bp pulse
• ChargePoint
• ChargeSmart EV
• Circuit Électrique
• Electrify America (supports Plug & Charge)
• EV Connect
• EVgo
• EVolve NY (supports Plug & Charge)
• FLO
• Ford Charge (supports Plug & Charge)
• FPL EVolution
• Francis Energy
• InCharge
• IONNA (supports Plug & Charge)
• Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging
• Pilot Flying J
• Red E
• Shell Recharge (Plug & Charge coming soon to select locations)
• Tesla Superchargers (supports Plug & Charge)

As a reminder, when you’re at a charger, you can use your BlueOval Charge Network account to start charging in two ways:

• Plug & Charge (at supported network partners)
• Ford mobile app activation (at all network partners)

If you’re not enrolled in BlueOval Charge Network, you can quickly enroll from the Ford app at no cost – just tap Connected Services.

Happy charging!

- Brian (not AI) from Ford, and (more importantly) the king of charging himself, @Charge_Rob

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[AZBill]

EVGO and PFJ are also Plug and Charge (Autocharge+ actually), but via EVGO account, not Ford.

Several Ford dealers in AZ have installed Red E chargers, are those actually part of the Ford Charge that support P&C?

 

[RickMachE]

I believe that the dealerships that have installed non-Ford chargers (i.e. ChargePoint, Red E) are NOT part of the Ford Charge Network.

EVgo offers Autocharge+
Electrify America offers Plug&Charge
Ford offers Plug & Charge

While similar, they are not the same.

 

[dan_meh]

Handy! Thanks.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I believe that the dealerships that have installed non-Ford chargers (i.e. ChargePoint, Red E) are NOT part of the Ford Charge Network.

EVgo offers Autocharge+
Electrify America offers Plug&Charge
Ford offers Plug & Charge

While similar, they are not the same.

Correct!

 

[AZBill]

I believe that the dealerships that have installed non-Ford chargers (i.e. ChargePoint, Red E) are NOT part of the Ford Charge Network.

EVgo offers Autocharge+
Electrify America offers Plug&Charge
Ford offers Plug & Charge

While similar, they are not the same.

Actually the EVGO setup is better, since my GM discount works with Autocharge+ with all my EVs. Never have to use an app to get my discount.

 

[matwlev]

It’s awesome to see Ionna getting some love from Ford. I’m excited to see that network expand. It’s nice to have plug-and-charge with Ford Charge (seems like it always should have been that way), but the pricing is so inconsistent that I usually avoid it unless I’ve verified before hand that it’s a good price. The dealer near me has been $0.34 for a while. I recently used the built-in nav to plan a route. It included a Ford Charge stop that was $0.80! It’s like they’re actively discouraging people from stopping even though it has 6 bays.

 

[hack-e]

The part that bugs me is that you cannot enjoy Plug & Charge with membership discounts. Only Tesla vehicles seem to be able to do offer this. Ford has tried but failed to bring that premiere experience (some forum members mentioned they were beta testing it years back with Electrify America). They even acknowledge it's a desired experience in the FAQ with this announcement (see below). But the answers do not actually answer the question of "why" they are not offering this experience and cost savings.

Is it simply a technical challenge for Ford to have a way to link memberships of these networks to the BlueOval Charge Network? That seems unlikely since they appeared to have it working behind the scenes with Electrify America in the past.

Or is it because only a few (Electrify America, EVgo, Tesla Superchargers, etc) offer membership savings and the other members of the BlueOval Charge Network do not want them to have an advantage?

Why don’t you have memberships connected to Plug & Charge so customers can pay a discounted rate through their memberships?

When paying for public charging, BlueOval Charge Network customers get the same pricing as if they were paying directly with the charging provider. While some charging networks offer paid subscriptions to receive discounted charging, most public charging networks do not. Customers can always choose to pay directly when charging on networks with which they have a paid subscription and use their BlueOval Charge Network account, including Plug & Charge, when charging at other networks.


Why should I use Blue Oval Charge Network if it costs more? Customers save more through specific memberships.

With the BlueOval Charge Network, Ford customers have access to 21 different networks from one app, with the ability to view, compare charging prices between all in-network charging providers and pay. Paid subscriptions offered by individual charging providers may work well for customers that charge frequently with those individual networks, but for many customers the flexibility to choose between any charging provider and use one familiar app to pay can be equally valuable. Ford allows customers to choose the payment method that works best for them even if a customer chooses to pay directly with the network(s) they have a paid subscription with, they can use their BlueOval Charge Network account, including Plug & Charge, when charging at other networks.

 

[Fremont Kid]

Probably just me but I could care less about being a 'member' in any company. I like plug and charge, but would prefer to simply swipe a credit card and charge. Memberships equate to more companies knowing more about me which can lead to more direct advertising. Follow the KISS principle.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

The part that bugs me is that you cannot enjoy Plug & Charge with membership discounts. Only Tesla vehicles seem to be able to do offer this. Ford has tried but failed to bring that premiere experience (some forum members mentioned they were beta testing it years back with Electrify America). They even acknowledge it's a desired experience in the FAQ with this announcement (see below). But the answers do not actually answer the question of "why" they are not offering this experience and cost savings.

Is it simply a technical challenge for Ford to have a way to link memberships of these networks to the BlueOval Charge Network? That seems unlikely since they appeared to have it working behind the scenes with Electrify America in the past.

Or is it because only a few (Electrify America, EVgo, Tesla Superchargers, etc) offer membership savings and the other members of the BlueOval Charge Network do not want them to have an advantage?

100% fair feedback and something the team is very aware of. I do the same thing myself (when it makes sense). We're not ignoring that frustration, we just don't have anything to announce on that today.

 

[Guss-E 2021]

Great. New Ionna cabinets have been installed at the Whole Foods near my office. Should I need them plug n charge will be appreciated.

 

[Charge_Rob]

Can confirm, Plug & Charge works great with IONNA - plus the racing stripes on the IONNA chargers go with the stripes on the Rally

 

[music_cities]

Has anyone ever asked why Electrify Canada can't be in the club?

 

[Colorado MME GT]

Probably just me but I could care less about being a 'member' in any company. I like plug and charge, but would prefer to simply swipe a credit card and charge. Memberships equate to more companies knowing more about me which can lead to more direct advertising. Follow the KISS principle.

If membership results in a discounted rate, like Tesla and EA, then it's worth it to me for long road trips. I haven't noticed any marketing emails as a result of my memberships.

 

[RickMachE]

Probably just me but I could care less about being a 'member' in any company. I like plug and charge, but would prefer to simply swipe a credit card and charge. Memberships equate to more companies knowing more about me which can lead to more direct advertising. Follow the KISS principle.

You don't like saving 25%? I do.

Never got any advertising from Tesla or EA.

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