Ford Pro, ChargePoint Expand EV Charging Infrastructure in Europe
Ford Motor Co.’s commercial fleet division is partnering with charging infrastructure provider ChargePoint to develop electrification access in Germany and the United Kingdom.
The collaboration intends to offer specialized home, depot, and workplace EV charging solutions for Ford’s commercial fleet customers to reduce the total cost of ownership for fleets of all sizes.
“ChargePoint’s customized, scalable solutions deliver fleet operators with operational visibility and improved efficiency,” said Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint, in a statement. “Electric fleets thrive when charging becomes intuitive, reliable, and seamlessly integrated into your daily operations. Together with Ford Pro, we are supporting every charging scenario to help fleet managers lower costs and streamline operations.”
Despite a downturn in EV sales over the past year, Ford announced in December it was expanding its Ford Pro commercial vehicle division using multiple energy power resources. The loss of incentives closed out by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act legislation has negatively impacted EV plans by major U.S. automakers such as Ford and GM, but both companies are still focused on developing long-term electrification and energy storage objectives.
“At Ford Pro, we’re laser-focused on boosting productivity and uptime for our commercial vehicle customers,” said Hans Schep, General Manager, Ford Pro, Europe. “This strategic evolution of our charging approach allows us to connect businesses with the most innovative and reliable charging solutions.”
ChargePoint offers automated reimbursement for fleet vehicles charged at home and intelligent power management at charging depots. ChargePoint’s fleet charging software not only streamlines operations but also provides detailed energy insights and financial analysis to simplify reporting.
Last year, ChargePoint announced a collaboration with energy management technology firm Eaton in a plan to unite both on-site power for charging infrastructure as well as intelligent, AI-ready power management.
Chargepoint has worked itself into position as an “end-to-end enabler” of the complete EV charging ecosystem. This will include direct-current (DC) charging and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities.
“We’re integrating charging in a more technologically advanced way with the grid and with vehicles, and by doing so we can unlock all kinds of value,” ChargePoint CEO Wilmer said at RE+.
By shifting the charging dynamic from AC to DC and filling it with DC-DC, the power of a charging cabinet can be expanded beyond 1 MW, he noted.
“The amount of cars you can charge, in a limited footprint, goes way, way up,” Wilmer added. “You can save 30% on capital expenditures, reduce operational expenditures 30%. . . And in 30% less physical footprint.”
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EnergyTech Staff
Rod Walton is head of content for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.
Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
He can be reached at [email protected].
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