At home in the U.S., Ford knows very well that one of Mustang Mach-E’s toughest competitors – the Tesla Model Y – has the massive advantage of an entire network of Superchargers to back up its claims of “range anxiety” being a myth of the past. Of course, we all know there are limits, but Tesla has done a great job of alleviating most general concerns.
The Blue Oval company is now trying to emulate Europe’s strategy, putting an accent on delivering a “comprehensive charging infrastructure and stress-free solutions” to go along with the Mustang Mach-E.
For example, the automaker has revealed it has dealt with six partners regarding its optional Ford Connected Wallbox home-charging solution.
More precisely, the wall boxes will be installed by specialized companies in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy (Alpiq); UK and Ireland (Centrica); Norway and Sweden (DEFA); Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg (Eneco); Spain and Portugal (ETRA), and – finally – Zeborne in France.
The charger delivers up to 7.4 kW and 11 kW for a 10 to 80% state of charge in as little as six hours. This is good news – and an extra piece of mind that owners don’t need to reach out to a third-party for a home charger’s convenience.
Also, Ford has even more on offer for the EV crossover set to arrive at dealerships early next year with a WLTP-targeted range of 610 km (379 miles).
As in free access to its FordPass Charging Network (developed alongside NewMotion) for the next five years, they order the Mustang Mach-E this year or 2021. That’s mostly important because there are no less than 155,000 charging stations scattered around the continent as part of the deal, so one should be within reach for most trips.
The company is a little less philanthropic when it comes to fast charging, though – the free access policy also applies to the high-speed Ionity network, but only for one year. Still, drivers will be getting a Supercharger-inspired perk, with the consortium that includes Ford among its founding members counting on 270 high-power charging stations on the Old Continent (400 are promised to be in working order by the end of the year).
