Making the change from traditional gas-powered vehicles to electric ones can be a complicated process even for a single person. When a commercial entity is considering making the switch for an entire fleet, the process gets even more daunting. In order to address this issue that presents a hurdle to so many potential EV fleets, Ford Pro has announced the launch of Ford Pro Charging. This comprehensive solution for commercial EV charging is intended to ease the transition to electric with intuitive software and commercial hardware infrastructure.
“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?’” said Ted Cannis, CEO of Ford Pro. “They are depending on us to provide the electric vehicles and the integrated solutions designed for EVs that they need for charging and connectivity. 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.”
Commercial vehicle usage differs from personal vehicle usage a great deal in that they often spend longer amounts of time in use and do more rigorous things like hauling heavy loads. Because of this, an electric commercial vehicle's energy needs to be managed carefully. Ford Pro Charging is designed to make this management possible with an understanding of both fleet operations and electric vehicles. The software analyzes the operations of each fleet and dictates charging management based on the data, solving problems such as finding 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,” says 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.”
The electrification of a fleet is a process, and one that Ford Pro Charging intends to participate in each step of from day one, with Ford Pro weighing in on the design and construction of optimal charging sites that are able to keep up with a fleet, and collaborating with local utility partners about energy and infrastructure needs. From site review and design consultations to services for managing the installation of commercial-grade charging hardware, Ford Pro and Ford Pro Charging make the switch easier and provide tools that will allow customers the ability to seamlessly manage their fleet.
