Ford Pro, a division of Ford that caters to commercial fleet customers, has launched a comprehensive solution for commercial EV charging. The new Ford Pro Charging program is designed to help ease the complex transition from ICE to EV fleets by delivering 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?’” said Ted Cannis, CEO of Ford Pro. “They are depending on us to provide the electric vehicles and the integrated solutions that they need for charging and connectivity. Ford Pro Charging 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 offers a turnkey solution that starts 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 is leveraging data streams from today’s connected Ford commercial vehicles to predict and manage the operational needs of electrified fleets. The software analyzes how each fleet operates, and orchestrates charging management based on those behaviors—for example, 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,” says Muffi Ghadiali, head of Ford Pro Charging. “Let’s say the customer fleet returns around 10 pm, planning to go back out starting at 5 am. 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.”

While some fleets need the control and certainty of depot chargers on company property, others may not desire to make an investment in depot charging infrastructure. Ford Pro Charging offers access to over 70,000 public charging ports, including over 3,200 DC fast charging stations, on the nationwide Blue Oval Charging Network. For fleet drivers needing to charge overnight at home, Ford Pro offers a solution that includes home charger installation and software for tracking and reporting driver reimbursement. 

Ford Pro Charging takes an open-standards approach, and is designed to interoperate with EVs from many OEMs and vehicle classes—from forklifts to heavy-duty trucks. In conjunction with Ford Pro E-Telematics, features such as battery pre-conditioning can maximize range and battery performance. Customers can manage their vehicles and fleet operations with a single account that gives them access to the full suite of Ford Pro Charging management and E-Telematics solutions.

Source: Ford