After working to expand its own Blue Oval Charging Network, Ford became the first automaker to sign a deal with Tesla granting its owners access to that company’s Supercharger network just a couple of months ago. Since then, FoMoCo has been joined by a host of other automakers and third-party companies including Volvo, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, Stellantis, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Nissan, Electrify America, FreeWire, and EVgo, while SAE International recently announced that it will standardize the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector used by the Tesla Supercharger network, too. However, a group of seven Ford rivals are now teaming up to create their own EV charging network as well.
Those automakers – BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis – plan to establish this as-yet-unnamed EV charging network as a joint venture that aims to roughly double the number of DC fast chargers present in the U.S., currently, by adding 30,000 charge points across the country.
These chargers will be located at multiple charging stations, with 10-20 units each, which will be capable of delivering 350 kilowatts of power using both the CCS (Combined Charging System) and NACS charging standards. The new joint venture aims to use public and private funds to build out this new EV charging network, which is expected to meet or exceed the requirements of the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
The new EV charging network joint venture is pending regulatory approval, but the group expects it to obtain that this year, with the very first stations expected to open in the U.S. in 2024, followed by Canada at an undetermined future date. Aside from being located near various amenities like restaurants and restrooms, the charging stations will also be equipped with canopies that power those chargers using renewable energy, to boot.
We’ll have more on this new charging network soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
I think that’s a good thing for all EV owners. It should also be good for us that are thinking about buying a EV.
Uh…. Okay – but the solar Canopy Thing is just for show.. Window Dressing as they say… 10-20 350 kw chargers per complex, with 4-8 kw of solar panels on top? Enough for the parking lot lighting maybe. I suspect VERY EARLY ON they tire of Utility Company DEMAND charges (which residential customers almost never pay), and to lower the Monthly Demand Peak – the facility operators will ‘SHARE’ the facilities between 4-8 ports.
That is what Tesla is doing with the Version 3 Superchargers….. Every 4 cars gets 340-360 kw. The first car plugged into each group of four can take up to 240 kw…. But the 340 kw is shared when the second, (or third, or fourth) car shows up. Here – Tesla wisely built the sharing in FROM THE START. Their Chargers (1/4 th the number of actual ports) can be much smaller, as well as the expensive electrical service…
But do the math to see the charging rate on a busy day when everyone wants to charge at once…
Hint: Gasoline stations (dispenseries) also do this kind of thing, but the effect is so minimal it rarely holds up ‘production’ – that is – the sale of gasoline during crowded times.
They might have 2 – 87 octane submersible pumps and 1 – 93 octane pump. Normally, only one pump runs (assume 16 dispensers total at a large gasoline station). When MidGrade or Premium is desired, the 93 octane pump automatically starts… When more than 8 dispensers are in use, the SECOND regular grade pump starts to keep the flow rate to the cars up. This also keeps the station open during pump failure. If one of the 2 regular grade pumps fails, all dispersers work normally, if a bit slow. If the sole PREMIUM pump fails, the station just says ‘regular grade available only’….
But reliability is high since most of the wear is on the 87 octane pumps and therefore the implied ‘ emergency backup ‘ is most needed here.