The Ford dealer EV certification program known as Model e Certified was designed to help the automaker better compete with its EV-only rivals, many of which sell those types of vehicles online and with fixed pricing. However, the program was met by significant backlash from the start – largely because of the big financial investments required of Ford dealers that wished to participate – prompting the automaker to ultimately scrap it this past June. However, some components of that program are moving forward, including the installation of EV chargers at Blue Oval dealers.
In this recent video from the YouTube channel Mach-E VLOG, we get all of the pertinent details pertaining to these Ford dealer DC fast chargers, which are produced by a company called Power Electronics. Dealers can elect to install these chargers as a service for their EV customers, but the units will also be deployed in various other places in the coming months as well. Deliveries are beginning now and will continue to roll out through the first half of 2025, with either cooled or non-cooled cables available to choose from.
These particular Power Electronics EV chargers are an all-in-one 400 kW units, though the power modules come in 40 kW increments – they’re scalable down to 240 kW, and can support the North American Charging Standard (NACS) or Combined Charging Standard (CCS). Ford dealers and other customers can start out with lesser power modules and upgrade as they see fit, and can choose between a standard cable management system or an optional swing arm. As for software, it can be custom tailored to each customer’s desire, too.
One big focus for Power Electronics was to make EV chargers that are more reliable and easy to service, given the prevalence of issues with certain existing units. In addition to working to make the chargers more reliable, the company has its own internal service team, and they even developed their own training program for customers as well, so that process can be completed in-house – something that we imagine more than one Ford dealer may come to appreciate.
Comment
Why can’t PHEV like the Escape and Corsair use NAC adapters to charge their CCS plug vehicles at these and other charging stations such as Tesla’s stations?