Ford Pro has launched Ford Pro Charging, a comprehensive solution for commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging.
While more commercial customers want to switch to EVs to reduce maintenance costs, minimize emissions and drive down total cost of ownership, the company says, the transition from all internal combustion-powered fleets can be complex. Ford Pro Charging will deliver intuitive software and commercial hardware infrastructure to support charging and energy management.
“Customers are saying, ‘We want the E-Transit and F-150 Lightning Pro, but how are we going to charge and operate them efficiently once they’re in our fleet?’ They are depending on us to provide the electric vehicles and the integrated solutions designed for EVs that they need for charging and connectivity,” says Ted Cannis, CEO of Ford Pro, a separate business within Ford focused on commercial customers. “Ford Pro Charging is an industry-first solution that is focused on helping our customers plan for, operate and deploy charging solutions so they can reduce operating costs and improve efficiency.”
Ford Pro Charging analyzes how each fleet operates and can precisely orchestrate charging management based on those behaviors. The software solves problems for customers, such as determining the optimal times to charge based on energy rates.
“Our current fleet of connected vehicles allow us to learn from existing fleet behaviors so we can build the right infrastructure and the right charge management software,” comments Muffi Ghadiali, head of Ford Pro Charging. “Let’s say the customer fleet returns around 10 p.m., planning to go back out starting at 5 a.m. You have a limited window for charging and have to make charging decisions in a highly dynamic environment. Does every vehicle need to be fully charged? Can we balance charge power against the available charging window to take advantage of low overnight energy rates? Ford Pro Charging accounts for a multitude of variables and controls each charge station precisely to optimize energy costs and ensure vehicle uptime.”
Ford Pro consults on the design and construction of optimal charging sites that can scale with fleet operations while collaborating with local utility partners on energy and infrastructure needs. Ford Pro Charging offers a solution starting with site review and design consultations to determine the number and type of chargers needed, plus service to manage installation of commercial-grade charging hardware.
Ford Pro Charging customers have access to over 70,000 public charging ports, with over 3,200 DC fast-charging stations (over 7,300 plugs) and growing on the nationwide Blue Oval Charging Network. For fleet drivers needing to charge overnight at home, Ford Pro offers a solution from home charger installation to software capabilities for tracking, reporting and simplifying driver reimbursement.
Ford Pro Charging is designed to interoperate with EVs from a multitude of OEMs and vehicle classes – from forklifts to heavy-duty trucks. The software solution enables remote monitoring and management and can relay charge rate, optimal charge times and service alerts. In conjunction with Ford Pro E-Telematics, features such as battery pre-conditioning can maximize range and battery performance.