Ford CEO Jim Farley admitted he underwent a “reality check” when he tried to make a cross-country road trip in the Ford electric F-150.
“Charging has been pretty challenging,” Mr. Farley said in a video on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It was a really good reality check of the challenges of what our customers go through and the importance of fast charging and what we’re going to have to do to improve the charging experience.”
In California, Mr. Farley said he encountered slow charging times. When using a low-speed charger, it took about 40 minutes for it to charge the electric F-150’s battery to 40 percent.
According to Ford, the company has said it partnered with Telsa to allow Ford customers to use the more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers next year. Other electric vehicles have also announced partnerships with Tesla.
“Long hauling in an electric truck is an act of pioneerism, not because it’s hard or dangerous, but because it’s a new way to experience America,” Mr. Farley wrote in a LinkedIn post on Aug. 7. “Shifting from fueling stations to charging stations requires new behaviors and opens new possibilities.”
Another Charging Issue
It comes after a Canadian man told news outlets that he was forced to abandon his Ford electric truck after suffering charging failures during a road trip. Dalbir Bala of La Salle, Manitoba, said he left his Lightning in Minnesota last month after he couldn’t charge its battery at two different stations.
He then continued his drive in a rented gas-powered vehicle instead, he said. His wife and three children joined him for the trip to Wisconsin and Chicago, setting out with three scheduled stops to recharge on the trip.
“It was really a nightmare frustration for us,” Mr. Bala told CBC News.
His first stop was in Fargo, North Dakota, roughly 350 kilometers south of Winnipeg. He paid $56 to charge his vehicle’s battery from 10 percent to 90 percent capacity.
The problems began at his next stop in Albertville, Minnesota, when he received a “faulty connection” message in his truck after he plugged in the charger. He dialed the number on the charger for assistance but received no response.
“It was in [the] shop for 6 months. I can’t take it to my lake cabin. I cannot take it for off-grid camping. I cannot take for even a road trip,” he added. “I can only drive in city—biggest scam of modern times.”
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