Ford sets 5 new requirements for EV dealers, including remote delivery, fast chargers & non-negotiable pricing

[MetrowestZ]

I’ve travelled to many places that currently have no DCFC. Most all of them have a Ford dealer. This could be a big plus in a lot of places.

I’m looking at you Ford Dealers around RT 202 in NH

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[Blue highway]

Ah found this tidbit - dealers have to decide in October if they want to be in this first round, which starts January 2024:

wow - the future is now.

 

[x19]

I hope there is a requirement that EV Certified, and especially EV Elite, dealers have more than one certified EV technician..

Adding DCFC to Ford dealers is great, and adds some value to the Blue Oval charge network.

 

[DYohn]

A positive step in the right direction, if you ask me.

 

[Logal727]

I hear you, but if I have a dealership in Harrison Arkansas, I'm going to sideeye corporate if they force me to invest 500k in a certification that won't yield results for a couple of years.

I said this in a previous thread but GM has been buying out dealers who don't wanna get on the EV wagon, and Ford could do the same thing.

 

[RickMachE]

"Ford told us it saw online orders jump from 6% to 50% in one year"

Ford saw online ORDERING increase. Not completion of order, nor submission of order into the Ford system because the dealership has to do that. Not even close to the same as an order at an internet company.

My dealer is onboard with putting in fast chargers, i.e. not 50kW.

 

[HuntingPudel]

DCFC will be impossible at the dealer I just visited to order parts (stupid frunk cover clips). They moved to an already over-crowded auto mall. They had one parking space open that I took. Inventory for their dealership and other makes was all over the lot. No room. The auto mall will need to purchase a bunch more land just to support ICE customer parking.

 

[IMDIDOC]

I said this in a previous thread but GM has been buying out dealers who don't wanna get on the EV wagon, and Ford could do the same thing.

New York does not allow manufacturers to own dealerships.

 

[Logal727]

New York does not allow manufacturers to own dealerships.

Right, in this case buyout means the dealership gets to F off and gets the money for their license back and they can sell other cars or just close up shop.

 

[Billyk24]

just wow, have you ever been outside of California with your EV?

?

On the contrary, I wish the rest of the country had the density of DCFC that Cali has. A good bit of the midwest is about where Cali was in 2012 in terms of charging. 220v is it. Plan a trip in ABRP to south eastern Oregon, or the UP of Michigan using DCFC... it's eye opening.

UP of Michigan is a problem with just three dcfc chargers. One has been broken for almost a year and puts out 30kW. One 120kW charger does not have power from midnight to 7am. A third is fairly new and located near the Soo Locks which isnt helpful to cross the UP east to west. 147 mile distance one way to a single dcfc charger.

 

[DYohn]

DCFC will be impossible at the dealer I just visited to order parts (stupid frunk cover clips). They moved to an already over-crowded auto mall. They had one parking space open that I took. Inventory for their dealership and other makes was all over the lot. No room. The auto mall will need to purchase a bunch more land just to support ICE customer parking.

Sounds like that dealership should not become part of the Ford Blue team.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Sounds like that dealership should not become part of the Ford Blue team.

Yeah, but they had two Lightnings and a GT-PE out front, so they currently have EV certification.

 

[silverelan]

There's a Ford dealer in La Grande Oregon near a Walmart with EA and next to a Starbucks slated to get 125kW Volvo fast chargers. That could potentially be three DCFC stations on a quarter mile stretch of road.

 

[MachE Mach]

According to the article below, the DC fast chargers installed at the dealers must be at least 120 kw. And opting in to (continue to) sell EVs includes ongoing EV training.

https://insideevs.com/news/610114/ford-modele-dealership-rules/

I think it’s a good move on Ford’s part to allow dealers to opt out for now, but have a chance to opt in again in a few years. This lets the smaller dealers continue to sell their bread and butter ICE vehicles until demand catches up in their areas. Doesn’t completely alienate those dealers like GM is doing.

 

[daemonic3]

Interesting! My first thought on the DCFC was how awesome that would be, especially if it is exclusive to Blue Oval (i.e. only Fords) because it could lure customers to dealerships and owners know there is likely less competition for a stall. THEN I started thinking it would be great since they are new installs and they want to promote the Lightning >150kW capability, that all or many stalls would be >150kW. THEN I thought even further and if dealerships near freeways could install pull-thru chargers it would help break one of the biggest Lightning adoption barriers - inability to charge while towing where range is <150 miles.

THEN I realized that this pull-thru idea is highly unlikely. Ford, more than any other dealer, seems to have one-off random urban locations that are landlocked in and have no space as is, let alone space for a rig to make turns. So forget that, but the DCFC at locations where it is possible would be a huge boon for further adoption.

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