One of the biggest concerns for electric vehicle users is charging availability and time. Charge anxiety is an issue for many people looking to buy an EV. Having to constantly manage their battery percentage and time by finding the nearest source of power for an EV can feel like a chore and a problem. Fortunately, EV makers are aware of this problem, as are governments.
In 2021, the U.S. enacted legislation that will have the transportation department build out a non-proprietary charging system called the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The chargers will accept payment just like gas pumps, and with the developments in charging speeds over the last few years, most drivers should be in and out in a half hour or less. Tesla has operated on this standard since 2021 and other automakers are beginning to join in on the party.
This is a great step from the U.S. to create a comparable EV infrastructure to internal combustion, but it is far from complete. Until this network of government-built chargers has been completed, there will still be a need to use existing charging infrastructure. Ford has its Blue Oval network, which gives Ford EV owners access to various chargers all over the U.S. However, Ford clearly does not believe that this is enough. As such, it has struck a deal with Tesla to give Ford owners access to its massive, 12,000-point charging network.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Ford’s press releases, CEO/President Jim Farley’s social media pages, and some authoritative government sites.
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Ford Entered Into An Agreement With Tesla In 2023
Ford announced this deal on May 25th, 2023. They see the opportunity to give their users a comprehensive nationwide charging system as a way to distinguish themselves as a premiere EV maker in the US space. In a press release, their president and CEO Jim Farley had this to say:
“This is great news for our customers who will have unprecedented access to the largest network of fast-chargers in the U.S. and Canada with 12,000+ Tesla Superchargers plus 10,000+ fast-chargers already in the BlueOval Charge Network… Widespread access to fast-charging is absolutely vital to our growth as an EV brand, and this breakthrough agreement comes as we are ramping up production of our popular Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, and preparing to launch a series of next-generation EVs starting in 2025.”
Tesla’s Senior Director of charging infrastructure, Rebecca Tinnucci, also said this:
“We’ve spent the last 10 years building an industry-leading Charging Network that enables freedom to travel and provides charging confidence for our Tesla owners. We’re excited to deliver on our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy by welcoming Ford owners, and other electric vehicles who adopt NACS, to our thousands of Superchargers across North America.”
Clearly, this is a deal that has made both Tesla and Ford happy. No figures have been disclosed as to how much money was exchanged in this deal. Regardless of that amount, this is good news for EV drivers everywhere. Not only does it make Ford EVs that much more attractive, it sets a precedent of automakers uniting to make EV charging an easier and simpler task in a world where it can be so complicated.
Drivers Should Have Access In Spring 2024
There remains no firm date for when Ford EV owners will be able to use the Tesla sytem. The onus is on Tesla to get everything ready to make Ford customers able to use their chargers. Unfortunately, Tesla has been late on several different release dates in recent memory, including the Cybertruck, which is a bit of bad news for Ford EV owners. Spring 2024 is still the date per both Tesla and Ford, confirmed in press releases in January 2024. However, until a hard date is set, it’s difficult to estimate what Spring 2024 actually means. Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.
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Ford Will Offer A Free Adapter For Lightning, E-Transit, And Mach-E Owners
Good news for Ford EV owners: they will not have to shell out for a connection to the Tesla network. Ford confirmed in a press release that eligible owners will be getting an adapter for free. Unfortunately, Tesla is also handling the construction of these adapters, which is likely a part of why the timeline has not yet been fully confirmed. Hopefully they can complete the adapters in a timely fashion.
Ford’s CEO also confirmed in a Tweet (or erhm, an ‘X’) that his customers would be able to reserve their free adapter soon.
Software Integration Will Be Through FordPass or Ford Pro Intelligence
Ford has created a system for its cars called FordPass that allows remote start and stop, keyless entry, and other features all through an app. For their EV users they can also access charging features through the app as well. Tesla and Ford will integrate this software so that Ford EV owners will be able to pay for Tesla charging on their FordPass app.
Business owners who have Ford EVs as a part of their business (typically E-Transits) use an app called Ford Pro Intelligence to monitor charge levels, location of vehicles as well as pay for charging. They will similarly be able to use this app to pay for Tesla charging once the network sharing begins. This is great news for small (and large) business owners looking to electrify their fleets of vehicles.
By 2025 All Ford Vehicles Will Have North American Charging Standard Adapters
The adapter will only be necessary for so long. By 2025, Ford claims its next generation of EVs will have the NACS charge points, which will work at all Tesla stations. Tesla jumping ahead of the NACS revolution has put them in a great place to remain the gold standard for American EVs. When companies like Ford have to follow in your suit, you are doing something very right as an automaker. In general however, it makes sense that much like all gas pumps work on all cars, there will now be a charging point that will work on all cars.
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Combined With The Blue Oval Network This Will Create The Largest Charging Network In The World
Ford already has its own charging network, called Blue Oval. Blue Oval is not proprietary Ford chargers exclusively, it is a network of pre-existing chargers that are compatible with Ford EVs and Ford’s payment apps. The Blue Oval network includes many big names in the charging space along with Ford’s own chargers called “Ford Charge”. Ford is aggressively adding to their network with this Tesla deal to create a gigantic set of chargers, which is great news for their EV owners.
Blue Oval Gives Access to Over 10,000 Charge Points In The U.S.
Ford boasts that over 10,000 charge points are linked to the Blue Oval network and claims that this links to a staggering 106,000 individual chargers (it appears Ford is already counting Tesla chargers in this figure). FordPass has the ability to create the most energy efficient route to a Blue Oval linked charger, meaning that you should never feel like you will run out of charge as long as you have your smartphone handy. Blue Oval seeks to be a cure to that nasty range anxiety.
If you can link with essentially every public EV charger in America, then you really don’t have to worry about being stranded on the side of the road. Ford sees this as a big selling point for its EVs, especially the Lightning, which it hopes will sell as well as its ICE brother. Here is a list of chargers currently within the Blue Oval network:
- Blink
- Francis Energy
- Red E
- Shell Sky
- Electrify America
- Shell Recharge Solutions
- ChargePoint
- EVgo
- EV Connect
- FLO
- Electric Circuit
This impressive list of some of the big names in the charging space shows how serious Ford is about EV technology. The partnership with Tesla simply pushes them over the top as the most connected player in the U.S.
Ford and Tesla partnering is a huge step in the right direction for EVs as a viable commercial product. We hope that everything can stay on the rails as the nebulous “spring 2024” timeline comes to pass. While we’re sure there will be hiccups, standardizing EV charging across the nation will hopefully be a reality in a few years’ time.
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