Ford now mandates that all of its dealers who sell EVs have at least one DC fast charger open to the public.
This means that Ford will operate more than 3,500 individual chargers in the country.
Due to their locations, some Ford dealers could provide the only DC charger in their area.
Ford could soon control one of the largest networks of DC fast chargers in the United States due to its Model e dealer program.
Earlier this year, the automaker announced that its dealerships across the US would have to comply with a number of rules in order to sell its EVs, notably regarding the installation of DC fast chargers.
In order to be allocated new electric Fords, its dealers have to make one fast charging station available to the public and in order to be certified “Elite”, which comes removes the restrictions on the number of EVs they can sell, they have to install two charging points.
Dealers can also choose not to agree to these terms, but then they are banned from selling Ford electric vehicles until at least 2027 when they will get their second opportunity to join the program.
According to Ford, about two-thirds of its American dealerships have pledged to become certified and most of them aim for an “Elite” status.
This means that 1,659 dealerships across the country will add at least two chargers to the public network and a further 261 dealers will contribute one charger each, for a total of 1,920 DC charging stations.
This means that Ford could soon be at the helm of the largest public DC fast charging network in the entire United States, in front of Tesla and its around 1,500 supercharging stations.
In terms of individual chargers, Ford might not be at the top since other companies sometimes deploy 10 or 15 chargers in a single station. Nevertheless, a total of over 3,500 chargers would place it favourably on the list.
Since these charging stations will be found on the premises of Ford dealerships, their location might not always be ideal, such as in the cities where dealerships are concentrated in their own area, away from other businesses or attractions.
On the other hand, this program will contribute to adding DC fast chargers in areas where there are currently none, such as some places in the southern states of the US.
Source: Electrek
