For customers who aren't yet sure if they're ready to make the switch to an all-electric vehicle, Ford is sweetening the situation.
Today, the company launched a new initiative called “Ford Power Promise,” which will provide a set of benefits to customers who buy or lease a new electric vehicle. And chief among them is a free home charger for all new customers, as well as standard installation costs.
The charger offered is the company's. Ford Pro Charging Stationa $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 of up to 60 amps of power and 80 feet of wiring. However, customers who need to upgrade their home's electrical panel prior to installation will need to cover those costs themselves.
Ford's free charger and installation offer starts October 1 and runs through the end of the year. It will only be available to customers who purchase or lease a new electric vehicle during that period. For customers who purchase or lease a new electric vehicle but already have a home charger installed, Ford will provide the cash equivalent of $2,000.
“We're the only ones doing this,” said Becca Anderson, senior director of customer experience at Ford's Model e division. “This means less stress and more convenience for our customers, making it easier to set up charging at home.”
“We are the only ones who do this”
Like most automakers, Ford is struggling to get more customers to consider switching to electric vehicles. Although the company is the second largest seller of electric vehicles in the US, behind Tesla, and its electric vehicle sales continue to grow, the company still faces many obstacles in the form of myths and misconceptions about electric vehicle ownership.
“We have a lot of customers open to electric,” said Martin Delonis, Ford Model e senior strategy manager, “but they're sitting on the fence.”
According to market research by Ford and Boston Consulting Group, so-called “undecideds” say they are concerned about things like electric vehicle range, battery health and the overall cost of ownership. But they are also motivated by “quality and convenience,” which aligns more closely with buyers of hybrid and gasoline vehicles than with early adopters.
“We've done the research and found that we're not dealing with range anxiety,” Delonis added. “It's anxiety about change.”
Most customers overestimate the range they will need in a vehicle, just as they often don't see the benefits of charging a vehicle at home. They assume they will need to use public chargers more frequently than before. And they mistakenly believe that the battery will wear out before the end of its useful life.
To help ease your worries, Ford is upping the ante with new benefits, like a free home charger and some old ones that customers may not know about. Ford said it will now offer 24/7 call and text support for all EV owners who may have questions or concerns about their new purchase. The company also highlights a pre-existing eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the vehicle's battery.
And to address concerns around charging, Ford is emphasizing its Blue Oval charging network, which includes several third-party charging providers as well as the Tesla Supercharger network. Ford has been racing to bring Tesla adapters to its electric vehicle customers so they can access superchargers across the country. Ford is “ramping up production” of the adapters after some initial delays over the summer, Delonis said.
While Ford has seen its electric vehicle sales grow quarter over quarter, the company is still struggling to control costs. The company reported a loss of $1.3 billion for its Model e EV division in the first quarter of 2024 and a loss of $1.1 billion in the second quarter. It also canceled a planned three-row electric SUV and delayed a new electric truck until 2027.
