How Does FordPass Charging Work?

While Elon Musk's company, Tesla, is known as the leader in the EV market, other companies have also rolled out new EVs for the modern consumer. Big names like Kia, Volkswagen, Hyundai, BMW, Chevrolet, and Nissan have entered the market with electric SUVs, sedans, and pickup trucks.

One popular brand, Ford, has released hybrid and all-electric EVs. Two all-electric models include the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 models. One notable feature customers receive when purchasing a Ford EV is access to the FordPass smartphone application. 

What is this app, how does it work, and how does it compare to Tesla's charging network?

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What is FordPass?

FordPass is a smartphone app that any Ford owner can use to:

• Access information about their vehicle
• Use remote features like start/stop and lock/unlock 
• Enroll in FordPass Rewards, which lets them earn points that can be used for service and maintenance costs or new vehicle purchases.

Additionally, the FordPass app caters to Ford EV owners. Connecting a Ford EV to the FordPass app allows EV owners to customize their driving experience, map routes, and find EV charging stations. According to Ford's website, the FordPass app allows drivers to access North America's largest public charging network, the BlueOval Charge Network.

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How The FordPass Charging Network Works

When using the FordPass Plug and Charge technology, drivers automatically pay for charging when they use a public station, thus eliminating the need to pay with a credit card or smartphone. Additionally, they receive two years of complimentary access to the BlueOval network and pay-as-you-go charging. 

The FordPass Charging Network, also called the BlueOval Charge Network, has over 19,500 stations and almost 63,000 plugs for EV drivers, with more to come. 

The network also includes 150 kW DC fast-charging stations for anyone looking for a quick charge. FordPass users can access charging stations through these providers without signing up for multiple charging networks:

• Greenlots
• Electrify America
• Flo
• Chargepoint
• EVConnect
• EVGO
• SemaCharge

The Mustang Mach-E model is a fully electric high-tech model that became so popular that the Ford website no longer accepts Mach-E retail orders for the rest of 2022. 

Mustang Mach-E owners easily access the charging credit because it automatically links to their FordPass Rewards account after purchasing the vehicle. Owners download the FordPass app and find an Electrify America charging station to use the credit.

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                                                                   Photo credit: Ken Fields

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Benefits of FordPass and Quick Charging Facts

One benefit of using the FordPass app is that Ford EV owners don’t need to sign up or pay for multiple charging networks. Drivers can locate stations along their route or near a specific destination within the FordPass Charging Network using an interactive map online or on their smartphone. 

Another benefit of the FordPass app is that it shows drivers the cost to charge at any BlueOval charging stations within the network. Here are some other quick EV charging facts for Ford EV owners:

• Many Level 2 charging stations, which charge an EV ten times faster than Level 1 charging, offer complimentary charging for drivers. However, some Level 2 stations charge drivers a small fee for a charging session.
• Level 3 EV charging consists of DC Fast Chargers and Tesla’s Superchargers. A DC Fast Charger can recharge a Ford EV between 3-20 miles of range per minute, which is much faster than Level 1 or Level 2 charging speeds. 
• Charging an EV with a DC Fast Charger is more expensive, sometimes costing twice more than charging at home or at a Level 1 or 2 charging station.
• The FordPass app will alert drivers when the charge is complete or if there’s enough range to complete a trip that a driver sets up in a Ford EV’s navigation system.
• The FordPass Power My Trip feature helps drivers monitor the vehicle's charge state, maps out potential charging points, and suggests how long a driver should charge their EV at each stop point.

Level 2 EV chargers are considered the standard type of EV charger. They don’t take as long to charge as a Level 1 charger, but it’s more affordable than a Level 3 charging station (DC Fast Charger/Tesla Supercharger). One drawback of charging with a Level 1 is that it significantly increases energy consumption since it takes much longer to charge the EV battery. 

It’s important for EV owners to monitor their range while driving because a drained battery could take hours, or even days, to reach a full charge. For example, a 2022 Tesla Model 3 could take up to four days to charge from empty to full. 

Suppose someone plans on taking long road trips in their EV. In that case, planning and locating charging points along the way is critical to avoid spending too much time searching for a station nearby. 

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Comparing Ford and Tesla EV Charging Stations

Tesla has an advantage over Ford because it owns and operates its Supercharger Charging Network. According to Tesla's website, the network has more than 30,000 global Superchargers, making charging a Tesla easy and convenient. It generally takes around 15 minutes to recharge a Tesla battery up to 200 miles at a Supercharger station. 

In 2021, Tesla started a pilot program to allow non-Tesla EV drivers to access its Supercharger network. The only countries where this program lives are the Netherlands, Norway, and France. 

Tesla states that it's starting the program at a few sites to monitor congestion and garner feedback about Tesla owners' experiences. 

You can plan to charge your EV at home using Optiwatt. The app will sync your electricity rates and charge your car at the lowest rate, saving energy and money.

As for Ford's EV charging capabilities, the company relies on third-party charging networks, such as the ones mentioned above (Electrify America, the BlueOval network), which make up the FordPass Charging Network. However, it was reported in 2021 that Ford installed new Level 2 charging stations at some of its dealerships. 

The charger looks eerily similar to the traditional Tesla charger, with the hollowed-out design, which has made some people angry. 

For example, Tesla Product Design Director Javier Verdura calls Ford's design 

"disingenuous, unnecessarily large and a poorly executed knock-off of our [charger] design."

One disadvantage for Tesla owners is that the company will no longer provide a charging cable with a Tesla purchase. Anyone who wants a mobile charging cable will have to purchase it separately. Musk says that the company no longer offers the portable cable because it's rarely used.

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The Future of EV Charging in the Automotive Industry

Most EV owners will install a charging station within their garage or on an exterior wall of their home for easy charging access. Though for traveling, it seems Tesla's charging network still reigns supreme.

However, it's widely known that more charging stations are needed to accommodate the growing number of people purchasing EVs. The Biden Administration rolled out a plan to spend $5 billion to states in the US to fund EV chargers. It's only a matter of time until EVs become the staple of transportation in the US and worldwide.