Ford Pro is simplifying electrification for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe with a new all-in-one home charging solution for its growing line-up of electric vans (EVs).
The offering is the latest service to join the company’s digital and physical platform of vehicles, charging, software, servicing and finance designed to help businesses reduce their cost of ownership, work more effectively, and simplify the transition to electric vehicles.
Drivers can recharge their EVs at home between shifts using a connected Ford Pro Home Charger, which the company will also install, maintain and guarantee with a five-year warranty.
To help reduce energy costs, the charging software enables users to schedule charging to maximise the use of off-peak energy tariffs.
The home charging solution also integrates with Ford Pro Telematics to simplify driver reimbursement and compliance for office-based staff.
This means large fleets with drivers who park at home overnight can also integrate the new home charging service into their operations.
“We’re introducing a connected home charging solution designed using our decades of experience of working with small businesses,” states Hans Schep, general manager at Ford Pro.
“With its seamless integration to the unique Ford Pro ecosystem, simple reimbursement solutions with single-screen view, and full aftersales support including a market-leading five-year hardware warranty, the Ford Pro Home Charging package delivers unmatched uptime and productivity for our customers,” he adds.
Ford Pro is launching home charging in the United Kingdom during summer 2024 in line with availability of its E‑Transit Custom electric van, and will then extend the service to major European markets.
Simplifying electrification for small businesses
To support business customers who charge overnight at home, Ford Pro’s home charging solution includes expert consultation and training, installation and maintenance of a Ford Pro Home Charger, as well as software to make planning and paying for charging easy.
E-Transit Custom’s 11 kilowatt AC three-phase onboard charger is capable of fully recharging the battery in six or seven hours, so customers will comfortably be able to recharge overnight.
Businesses with multiple drivers charging at home can use Ford Pro Telematics software to easily track energy use across their fleets, and can view reimbursement due for each driver using a set rate per kWh.
The system also provides central control of Remote Pre‑Conditioning to warm or cool the battery and cab while on charge to optimise driving range, and displays alerts if a vehicle is not charging when it should be.
Staff can also check vehicle health data and state of charge via Ford Pro Telematics Drive – the companion app to Ford Pro Telematics – or FordPass, if they operate a single vehicle.
Ford Pro offers comprehensive public charging support for longer trips.
E‑Transit Custom supports DC fast charging up to 125 kilowatts for a 10-80 per cent recharge in about 39 minutes.
A new charge profile front-loads energy to enable quick, useful top-ups; in lab testing, the system delivered 82 km of range in just ten minutes.
Every E‑Transit Custom is sold with a 12-month complimentary subscription to access over 650,000 public charging points across Europe 5 via the BlueOval Charge Network.
Whether a van is recharged overnight at a driver’s home, in a depot with a bespoke Ford Pro depot charging solution, or on longer trips using the BlueOval Charging Network, Ford Pro reduces paperwork with centralised payments and reimbursement.
Beyond charging, it also offers a range of services to help increase SMEs’ productivity and simplify vehicle management.
Ford Pro Telematics is designed to support SMEs with a small fleet and a single administrator who needs oversight of the whole business.
The system displays data from multiple vehicles on intuitive dashboards to help operators keep on top of their vehicles’ charging, health, security and running performance and manage these costs.
Operators can also prevent unauthorised van use after hours with Fleet Start Inhibit. Away from the office, drivers can replace paper-based daily checklists and notes with the Ford Pro Telematics Drive companion app, which can share live updates and images to the desktop telematics system.
The FordPass phone app is designed to suit owner-drivers who use a single vehicle and enables them to check their charge level, find and pay for nearby BlueOval Charge Network chargers, and remotely lock and unlock the van.
Customers can improve vehicle uptime via Ford Pro Service’s FORDLiive connected uptime system.
With the 5G modem enabled, E-Transit Custom constantly monitors its health and can share over 3,200 vehicle health notifications, as well as information on action required, which customers receive through FordPass or Ford Pro Telematics.
Customers can then schedule a dealership or Mobile Service visit at their convenience to resolve the issue before it potentially causes a more disruptive problem that would take the vehicle out of service.
Last year, FORDLiive prevented 700,000 days of downtime worth around 320 million euros to customers.
