Multiple automakers have announced plans to use Tesla’s Supercharger network and North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug in recent weeks. While Tesla owners and shareholders have shared mixed reviews, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently pointed to the charging network’s strengths, noting that the move would be positive for Ford customers.
Farley said last week that the Tesla charging partnership was “good for customers,” according to a segment with CNBC’s Jim Cramer. He also added that the company didn’t waver on the decision to use Tesla’s charging network, especially given their reliability compared to other charging networks.
“I have no problem being opportunistic when it comes to advantaging my customers,” Farley said. “Our team didn’t really hesitate because it’s good for customers.”
The deal gives Ford electric vehicle owners access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S. and Canada, expected to begin next year under the agreement. In 2025, Ford will begin adding NACS plugs to its cars, so an adapter will no longer be necessary to use them.
A Ford F-150 Lightning at a Tesla Supercharger station.
The initial announcement came during a Twitter Spaces call with Tesla CEO Elon Musk last month. Since then, other automakers like General Motors and Rivian have also signed on to similar deals, along with some charging companies.
“We don’t want Tesla Superchargers to be a walled garden,” said Musk during the call. “We want it to be something that is supportive of electrification and sustainable transport in general.”
Farley said that Musk was respectful during the early discussions of the deal, though he says it was “more because of Henry Ford than Jim Farley.” He also added that he’s not concerned about the coming Tesla Cybertruck, noting Ford’s long history as a truck manufacturer.
“The reality is, America loves an underdog — and we are the market leader for EV trucks and vans, and we know those customers better than anyone,” Farley said. “And if he wants to design a Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, fine.”
Still, it’s hard to deny Tesla’s long list of reservations for the Cybertruck, and the futuristic EV has certainly created a lot of buzz. It’s also hard to deny that Ford and every other legacy automaker has shifted to become more like Tesla since the EV manufacturer’s popularization of EVs over the past decade and a half.
Tesla recently landed the top four spots in a list of the most American-made vehicles from Cars.com, despite Farley also touting Ford being an “always been in America” company.
“We’ll see what happens, but the reality is we have always been in America at our company,” Farley said. ″We believe in American-made BlueOval city in Tennessee or Kentucky-built pickup truck, EV pickup truck; people will pay for that American technology.”
Originally published on EVANNEX. By Peter McGuthrie.
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