In a recent blog post, Ford CEO Jim Farley expressed how he felt that the next generation of EV owners are ultimately looking for three things: convenience, peace of mind, and expert service.
While highlighting Ford’s work to ensure these qualities across the customer experience of its EVs (most recently through the integration of these EVs into Tesla’s Supercharger network through its own BlueOval Charge Network), he also highlighted the need to alleviate barriers around EV adoption, particularly those relating to the EV charging experience. To remove these barriers, and help reluctant consumers become EV customers, Farley announced the Ford Power Promise – a series of promotions and programs designed to incentivize and enhance the overall EV ownership experience.
The Ford Power Promise revolves around four main pillars, the most notable of which is called ‘Home is Where the Charge is’. Through it, Ford will provide new customers buying or leasing a retail Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, or E-Transit van with a complimentary Charge Station Pro home charging system. While it can either be collected at the dealership, or delivered to their address, in both cases Ford will send an expert to the customer’s home to install the system at no additional cost. The Charge Station Pro itself typically costs $1310 (£999 / €1,186) and offers bi-directional charging capabilities, allowing the EV’s battery to power external appliances, or even a home in the event of a power outage. For new buyers or leasers living in an apartment, or at a home where the solution can not be installed, the Power Promise will provide a complimentary $2000 (£1,526 / €1,180) credit.
In his blog post, Farley highlighted that this element of the Power Promise aims to remove the ‘guesswork’ from installation, including any confusion around home charging costs, to help customers save time and money. ‘Home is Where the Charge is’ will also extend to Ford Pro’s fleet customers who, when buying one of the eligible vehicles for their fleet, will receive a commercial charging cash incentive.
‘On-the-Road Charging’, the Power Promise’s second pillar, highlights the capabilities of Ford’s public charging network, the BlueOval Charge Network. Leveraging the OEM’s Connected Navigation system, it searches for chargers spanning several third-party networks and adds charging stops along the user’s selected route. This charger location functionality can be carried out through Apple EV Routing via CarPlay and the FordPass App, which itself can be used to pay for charging, and will reach Google Maps EV Routing via Android Auto at a later date.
When arriving at the charging station, the BlueOval Charge Network’s integration of Plug and Charge – enabled by the IEC’s ISO 15118 standard – facilitates automatic payments using details stored in the customer’s FordPass account, streamlining the overall charging experience. In a similar fashion, the ‘Battery Confidence’ pillar points towards Ford’s eight-year, or 100,000-mile, high-voltage battery warranty. The warranty itself is not limited to any particular EV but offered with every model across Ford’s full EV line-up.
The final pillar, ‘Ongoing Support and Guidance’ groups new and existing initiatives that, together, aim to provide Ford customers with holistic support across the full EV ownership experience. At its core is a new 24/7 Electric Vehicle Support scheme for F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E owners. After opting into the service, customers will be able to access a live support hotline with proactive charging assistance, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Across these operating hours, customers can also text a dedicated Ford advisor for EV support. Within this pillar, Ford also introduced Proactive Roadside Assistance, another new initiative designed to support F-150 Lightning and Mach-E owners facing adverse vehicle events. In such an event, if the customer’s EV runs out of charge for example, Ford will pick them up and transport them to either the nearest charging station or the closest dealership.
Next Steps
Ford’s Power Promise ultimately offers a strong incentive for North American automotive consumers considering the switch to an EV from a gas vehicle. In a factsheet for the Power Promise, Ford likewise detailed the range of support options provided at its dealerships – including complimentary Mobile Service and Pickup & Delivery at certain locations – reaffirming its commitment to provide its EV customers with a more convenient customer experience, and a more seamless ownership experience.
Much like Ford, EVs represent a core pillar of our own offering – through the research reports we publish throughout the year, and the consultancy services we provide to players across the EV ecosystem and beyond. Most recently, our EV experts explored the latest, most exciting, updates and innovations from this ecosystem in the newest version of our bi-annual EV Guide, while taking a deep dive into recent legal activity surrounding global electrification efforts in our quarterly EV Legislation & Incentives Guide.
Individually, these reports offer up-to-date insights into some of the most important developments concerning EVs around the world. Together with our full range of EV reports covering topics like barriers to adoption, charging infrastructure, and more, they offer a deeply comprehensive, analytical, view of the entire EV landscape.