Ford’s EV transition hasn’t been the easiest, but the automaker isn’t the only one in its orbit feeling the heat. The Blue Oval recently asked its suppliers to help it cut costs and announced early on that its dealers would need to make significant investments to continue selling its electric models. Now, the company is telling dealers to pause further investments while it reviews the requirements of its EV certification program.
Dealers wanting to sell Ford EVs under the Model e certification had until June 30 to install Level 2 charging stations, but the automaker’s review is expected to extend through that month. Ford had pulled back on some of the Model e requirements late last year and announced the delay of its three-row electric SUV by two years amid slowing EV demand growth.
Ford CEO Jim Farley was at every one of the 11 meetings, which more than 1,000 dealers attended. Stores were initially asked to have five Level 2 chargers to become certified, but the company’s late 2023 changes cut that number to two. The “elite” program required five Level 3 chargers at the start, but Ford cut that number to three. Employee training benchmarks were also eased as part of the shift.
Though around half of the automaker’s dealer network is enrolled in the program, Ford’s Model e business is on track to lose more than $5 billion this year. It’s now working to regain dealers’ trust, as the program was met with significant pushback, and buyers haven’t been as eager to hop on the EV train as many had hoped.
[Images: Woodsnorthphoto, AroundtheWorldPhotos, Tada Images via Shutterstock]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
