Ford's CEO had a charging 'reality check' on his electric F-150 Lightning road trip
Ford CEO Jim Farley said he set out on an electric-truck
road trip to learn what he couldn’t from a presentation.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Ford CEO Jim Farley hit the road in an electric F-150 Lightning last week.
Charging the massive pickup truck was a challenge at times, he said.
Access to the Supercharger network in 2024 could ease EV challenges.
Ford CEO Jim Farley experienced the headache of electric-vehicle charging firsthand and acknowledged there was much to do to improve the experience for his customers.
Farley hit the road in an F-150 Lightning last week, traversing Route 66 and the American West to put the electric truck through its paces. He documented his trip on LinkedIn and X, the social-media website formerly known as Twitter.
At the end of the trip on Sunday, Farley shared his experience with charging the massive electric pickup truck.
“Charging has been pretty challenging,” Farley said in a video posted on X. “It was a really good reality check of the challenges our customers go through and the importance of fast charging.”
Farley said he visited a popular charging depot on Interstate 5 in Coalinga, California, where there were plenty of Tesla Superchargers. The Ford CEO, however, had to use a low-speed charger that he said delivered him a 40% charge in about 40 minutes.
The Supercharger network can change the experience
Farley’s experience is representative of one of the biggest remaining barriers to EV adoption, especially for non-Tesla owners.
Right now, Ford EVs can’t charge at Supercharger stations, which likely would have delivered Farley and his truck more charge in a shorter period of time. But the Dearborn, Michigan, car company is partnering with Tesla to make the Supercharger network available to Ford drivers starting in spring.
After Ford announced its Supercharger partnership, other companies, including GM and Rivian, followed suit.
Ford faces the EV plateau
Addressing problems like charging experience is going to be crucial to EV adoption in the next few years as the industry heads for a plateau in EV segment growth.
Ford already appears to be reacting to this slow in the growth curve. After electric Mustang Mach-Es started piling up at dealerships this summer, Ford adjusted its ambitious EV production goals for the year and appeared to abandon plans to build 2 million EVs by the end of 2026.
