Ford expands EV charging community, Tesla Supercharger V4 {hardware} coming

Ford will add Tesla V4 Supercharger entry for patrons because it appears to be like to faucet into extra public charging stations.

Whereas timing for including these top-tech Tesla chargers is but to be specified, the automaker did verify in a latest press launch that it might improve its Blue Oval Charging Community by 25%, to a complete of 106,000 chargers in North America. The Blue Oval Charging Community is an aggregator somewhat than a real community, offering a extra streamlined interface for Ford clients on current public charging networks.

On this case, Ford grew the variety of obtainable stations by including the Francis Vitality, Blink, and Crimson E networks alongside current compatibility with Electrify America, EVgo, Shell Recharge Options, ChargePoint, FLO, EV Join, and Electrical Circuit.

Ford permits clients to arrange a single fee account for all of those networks by its FordPass app, which the automaker claims permits clients to seek for and cost at a station on any of the affiliated networks by a automobile’s touchscreen.

In the identical launch, Ford additionally gave an replace on its adoption of the Tesla North American Charging Customary (NACS), first introduced in Could, which kicked off a wave of bulletins from different automakers confirming future use of the NACS cost port. Ford now says clients can have entry to fifteen,000 Tesla V3 Superchargers subsequent yr, when an adapter permitting present Ford EVs to cost at these stations will develop into obtainable.

Ford additionally confirmed to Inexperienced Automotive Studies, in follow-up questions in regards to the greater variety of Superchargers, that this merely displays an up to date complete of V3 Superchargers anticipated subsequent yr when Ford makes them obtainable. All V4 Superchargers might be added to the BlueOval community, too, though it didn’t present particulars on timing.

The Blue Oval Charging Community replace follows the latest addition of Apple Maps for the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E instead for routing to charging stations. The corporate has additionally taken charging reliability extra severely than some others up till now, with “cost angels” despatched to infrastructure bother spots.

Nevertheless, Ford isn’t one of many seven automakers aiming to create a brand new American fast-charging community. That unnamed coalition of BMW Group, Common Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis goals to put in no less than 30,000 high-powered cost factors at city and freeway places with each NACS and Mixed Charging Customary (CCS) connectors.