- Ford is throwing in a free charger and installation with every purchase or lease of an EV for the rest of 2024
- The new plan also includes 24/7 support and roadside assistance if a charge runs out
- But right now, it’s U.S.-only, although Ford of Canada is “reviewing the plan”
Automakers are building electric vehicles (EVs), and governments are setting targets for their sale, but that doesn’t always translate into consumers scrambling to buy them. To that end, Ford has unveiled a new initiative, the Ford Power Promise, which offers EV purchasers a free home charger with installation included, along with EV support 24/7 from a live representative, and complimentary roadside assistance for those who run out of charge.
Note that the Power Promise is only available to U.S. customers right now. Ford Canada said it is “reviewing the plan, including early findings from the U.S., to determine what’s best for the Canadian market.”
The program applies to people who buy or lease a Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, or E-Transit — and those, at the moment, represent every all-electric vehicle the automaker builds. It was retooling to make all-new EVs in its plant in Oakville, Ontario, including a three-row SUV; but in July it announced that was no longer in the cards, and the factory will instead build the Super Duty heavy-duty pickup truck, since it seems Ford’s plants in Kentucky and Ohio can’t keep up with the demand.
According to Ford CEO Jim Farley, almost 90% of shoppers say they would be “more likely” to buy an EV if they knew they could charge it at home. “Problem is,” he added, “nearly half of them don’t know how home charging works. Where do you buy the charger? Who installs it? What does it cost?”
Once someone has bought or leased a vehicle, providing it’s between now and January 2, 2025, they can take the charger with them or have it delivered, and then, “when you’re ready, an expert comes out to install it at no charge for a standard install,” Farley said. “This takes the guesswork out of installation, including costs, to help you save time and money by filling up at home.” The charger normally costs US$800 from Ford, while installing it could run around US$1,000 or so.
If the buyer can’t install a charger – for example, if they’re an apartment-dweller – they’ll get a US$2,000 credit instead. Ford Pro fleet customers will also get commercial charging cash incentives.
The new 24/7 electric vehicle support lets vehicle owners text to a live person if they have problems or questions. This one’s intended for consumers, and so it doesn’t cover the E-Transit, which is almost exclusively used by fleets. That’s also the case with the Proactive Roadside Assistance, which will take customers to the closest charging station or dealership “in case of adverse vehicle events, now including running out of charge, no matter where they are.”
As before, Ford’s EVs also include access to its BlueOval Charge Network, which lets drivers find and pay for charging with an app. Ford calls it the “largest public charging network in North America,” and it includes 15,000 Tesla Superchargers. Ford was the first automaker to work with Tesla to use its so-called North American Charging Standard (NACS), first with an adapter and then with a plan to integrate the appropriate port into the vehicle.
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