In recent years, Ford has entered into multiple partnerships with utility companies and other entities aimed at improving the process of charging EVs at home, a list that includes the Virtual Power Plant Partnership (VP3), Duke Energy, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Now in Europe, Ford is expanding those efforts yet again, this time by partnering with Octopus Energy in Great Britain and Tibber in Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, which will allow customers to take advantage of a new feature called Dynamic Charging.
This new feature is slated to roll out early next year, and will initially be available to Ford Mustang Mach-E and Ford Explorer EV owners. Dynamic Charging enables those Ford EVs to communicate with the energy providers’ intelligent supply networks, which takes the guesswork out of figuring out when to plug in a vehicle based on an upcoming trip.
The system is designed to take that information and automatically charge the vehicle using tariffs designed to maximize the use of renewable energy, as well as delver the most cost savings. Dynamic Charging does this by utilizing cheaper off-peak electricity at night, and lower energy prices created by peak supply of renewable energy – including solar power – during the day.
“Our new energy initiative is another milestone on our journey to offer a new generation of all-electric vehicles built for a connected world while providing truly outstanding customer experiences,” said Martin Sander, general manager, Ford Model e, Europe. “We’ve specifically chosen to work with energy providers that share our disruptor mindset and that customers can rely on to deliver leading rates for charging with renewable electricity, so that their EV will be ready to go when they are.”
We’ll have more on this new charging program soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford news coverage.
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