Ford Tripling Electric Charging Stations for Employees By 2020
Ford Motor Company will triple electric vehicle charging stations available to its North American employees over the next three years, Automotive News reports.
Ford’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure includes 200 charging stations at facilities in North America. The expansion, which Ford says is the result of a three-year study of employee charging habits, will see that number rise to 600 charging stations.
“Work is the second most likely place people charge their electric vehicles,” said Steve Henderson, Ford sustainability and vehicle environmental matters manager, in a statement. “If we give people the ability to charge when they’re at work, we can significantly up the potential for mass market adoption of electrified vehicle technology.”
Ford is expected to launch a total of 13 new electrified vehicles by 2020, the result of its announced $4.5 billion investment in proliferating electrified vehicle technology. This would include, among other products, hybrid versions of the popular F-150 pickup and Mustang sports car as well as a 300-mile-range crossover.
Ford has also formed a team, dubbed “Team Edison,” which will study battery electric vehicle technology and help the company add a number of fully-electrified vehicles to its lineup beyond 2020. Because of this, Ford has a vested interest in growing electric charging infrastructure, and it has used its campuses and facilities as a sort of proving ground.
Ford states that its employees have driven some 2 million miles of electric-only miles. The addition of 400 new charging stations should help improve that number even more so while simultaneously tempting Ford employees who do not currently drive electrified vehicles to make the switch.
News Source: Automotive News (subscription required)
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