Ford Motor Co. has reportedly issued a stop-sale on its electric vehicle home charging solution. The good news is that Mach-E buyers can use the included mobile charger to plug into any 120V outlet (or regular charging station) and still have the option to buy a third-party box that effectively does the same thing as the wall unit Ford has placed on a sales hiatus. But it’s not particularly heartening to learn that the automaker had to stop selling a $799 EV charging device that hasn’t been working properly when it only started manufacturing the Mach-E a few months ago.
Then again, traditional automakers haven’t had the best track record with EVs. The industry as a whole seems to be struggling with them and their peripheral equipment, likely due to the segment still being in its infancy. At least Ford seems to have learned how to roll with the punches.
According to Automotive News, the manufacturer is actively directing customers to third-party websites to buy wall chargers without its seal on the box. According to its report, the automaker stopped selling them on February 24th after it realized some of them weren’t functioning properly. Rather than risk a minor scandal with its own hardware, the company is now redirecting customers. Ford has likewise assured us that its team is hard at work trying to remedy the issue in a timely manner.
From AN:
“We’ve been told to go on Amazon and order chargers that way,” Evelyn Sames, COO of Sames Auto Group, said at an Automotive News Retail Forum panel this month.
Two other dealers who asked to not be identified said their zone representatives also suggested turning to Amazon, but only if a customer raises the question. One of the dealers said it had not been an issue for the few Mach-Es they’ve sold so far.
Ford sold 238 Mach-Es in January and 3,739 in February. The crossover won the North American Utility Vehicle of the Year award and has received mostly positive reviews from the media and investors.
While trying to home charge off a 120V wall socket is probably sufficient for those who don’t do much driving, most people aren’t buying the Mach-E to hide it in their garage. Purchasing the first year of a brand new model using a powertrain the manufacturer has extremely limited experience with? It’s definitely not something from the mind of a true pragmatist, however, even people that buy on emotion would like their vehicle to retain its functionality.
One isn’t going to feel comfortable commuting if they cannot reliably bring their range back up each night and a 48-amp wall charger would do a lot to make that easier. A flubbed ownership experience isn’t something Ford is going to want to risk, hence it redirecting customers elsewhere. But we’re sure it’ll be back to selling its own home charging solution eventually — it’s not going to want to leave that money on the table forever.
[Image: Ford Motor Co.]
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