Following Ford’s National Dealer Meeting in September, every dealership (almost 3,000 total) had the option to enroll in the company’s new Model e business. The program allows Ford dealers to invest in the future and become part of the automaker’s “revolutionary” electric vehicle transformation.
Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, announced Monday during an Automotive News World Congress interview how many dealers have enrolled in the initial Model e Program for the 2024-2026 period.
Throughout its nearly 120-year history, Ford has watched the auto industry progress through several major transformations to keep up with the demands of modern society.
Ford has remained one of the top automakers throughout its time by listening to its customers and strategically adjusting. After announcing the Ford + plan to drive growth and accelerate the EV rollout, Farley proclaimed it was Ford’s:
Biggest opportunity for growth and value creation since Henry Ford started to scale the Model T, and we’re grabbing it with both hands.
In March, the company expanded its growth strategy, creating three distinct business units: Model e, Ford Blue, and Ford Pro.
- Model e: to accelerate innovation and breakthrough of electric vehicles at scale.
- Ford Blue: will build out the company’s ICE vehicles portfolio, using the cash flow to expand its EV unit.
- Ford Pro: the company’s business and software solutions.
Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford explained in March, “This isn’t the first time Ford has reimagined the future and taken our own path,” as the company embarks on its electrifying journey.
However, to compete with current leader Tesla, Ford has recognized it needs to streamline the customer experience. Although Tesla sells directly to the consumer, cutting out the middleman costs, Ford says, “We’re betting on the dealers. We’re not going direct. But we need to specialize.”
Ford’s Model e dealer electric vehicle program
Farley said the company needed to lower costs, increase profitability and deliver a superior customer experience in order to compete.
Ford asked its dealership network to “join us on an epic journey of sustainable expansion and customer excellence,” giving them the option to opt-in to its new Model e business.
Under the program, Ford dealers can choose from one of two tiers to become “EV certified.” The lower tier requires a 500K initial investment and includes:
- Repair and maintenance
- One public DC fast charger
- No EVs to show (BTO only)
- No presence on Ford.com.
The “certified elite” includes two public DC fast chargers, demo units, rapid replenishment, and a presence on Ford.com but will cost around $1 million to $1.2 million.
Monday, Farley announced 1,920 Ford dealers enrolled in the initial voluntary Model e program for 2024 to 2026. Of those:
- 1,659 chose the Certified Elite tier.
- 261 selected the Certified tier.
Ford says dealers that chose not to participate will have another opportunity to participate in the electric vehicle program in 2025.
Electrek’s Take
With 96% of automotive customers living within 20 miles of a Ford dealership, the program is smart on the automaker’s part to streamline its EV rollout.
Ford is currently the number two EV maker in the US behind Tesla, but to surpass the EV pioneer, it will take getting everyone on board, starting with the dealerships. Perhaps, more importantly, with 1,659 dealerships receiving two DC fast chargers available on the Blue Oval Charge Network (BOCN) and another 261 receiving one, Ford will have one of the largest EV charging networks in the US.
Ford’s BOCN currently has over 4,000 DC fast charging locations, and as dealers roll out their new chargers, it will continue adding to the count.
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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