Despite setbacks on the federal policy front, numerous EV charging initiatives are forging ahead.
So accessible: Ford confirmed that it’s now shipped all of the complimentary North American Charging Standard adapters to about 140,000 customers in the US who reserved one following the automaker’s decision to join the Tesla Supercharger network. Ford also unveiled a new NACS fast-charging adapter that it’s selling for $200.
Ford was the first automaker to announce its move to NACS, the charging standard Tesla uses; many other automakers later followed suit. Ford EV drivers have been able to use Tesla’s network, using an adapter, since last year.
Ford EV drivers in North America now have more than 180,000 public chargers available to them at more than 50,000 sites, according to the company.
“With the addition of the Ford NACS Fast Charging Adapter, when traveling on most highways in the US, Ford customers are within 18 miles of a DC fast charger through Ford,” the company’s Ken Williams, director of charging and energy services, wrote in a blog post.
Williams said that Ford EV drivers “now have access to more than 20,000 Tesla Superchargers, up from the initial 15,300 available Superchargers at launch in 2024.” And Tesla chargers now make up “nearly 20% of all charging visits away from home for Ford” EV drivers.
The automaker also announced this month that owners of its electric Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning who use Apple Maps’ EV routing feature in CarPlay will be automatically routed to a fast-charging station with NACS chargers.
The company explained that drivers previously had to “manually open another app, then enter a NACS fast charger as a destination to have it added to their route.” This will remove that extra step. No software update is needed; the feature is available with CarPlay on iPhones with iOS 17 or later.
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“When Ford electric vehicle customers are on-the-go, our goal is to make their charging experience simple, from when they enter their destination to plan their route, to when they complete their charge session,” Robert Hayes, who manages the public charging customer experience for Ford, said in a blog post.
In other news: Public fast charging provider EVgo and Toyota this month announced the opening of co-branded DC fast charging stations in Baldwin Park and Sacramento, California.
EVgo owns and operates the stations, which feature 350 kilowatt-hour fast chargers and can charge up to eight vehicles at the same time, per a news release.
“Availability of charging is essential as consumers consider buying or leasing an EV,” Scott Levitan, EVP of growth at EVgo, said in a statement. “Collaboration with automakers has been core to our expansion over the last several years, and EVgo is grateful for the continued support from Toyota.”
The project was supported by Toyota’s “Empact” vision, which, according to the release, “aims to aid the transition of underserved communities to a future of electrified vehicle transport” by opening up access to charging, reducing emissions, and offering “affordable mobility solutions.”
Raising awareness: Meanwhile, public charging network Electrify America said that “despite uncertainty in the EV industry,” it was “moving forward.” It announced a $7.4 million investment “into programs that focus on increasing awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of EVs.” The funding will support programs at 11 different organizations.
Last year, Electrify America reported delivering more than 16 million charging sessions, representing 50% growth. This year, the network is slated to expand 30% to “help meet the current demand while building toward the future demand,” per a news release.