Ford CEO Calls Charging Issues A ‘Reality Check’ During F-150 Lightning Road Trip

Photo: Bill Pugliano (Getty Images)

Last week, Ford CEO Jim Farley hit the road in an F-150 Lightning pickup, driving along Route 66 and into the American West to really put the electric truck through its paces. Unfortunately, Business Insider reports that the EV road trip isn’t exactly all it’s cracked up to be for the CEO.

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Farley has reportedly faced a few headaches when it comes to charging the Lightning, and he has acknowledged that there is much more that needs to be done in order to improve customer experience.

In a video posted on X — whatever that is — Farley says that charging has been “pretty challenging.” He also called the issues he’s faced a “really good reality check” as to what customers face when they use public chargers.

No surprise charging can be a challenge, but still learning a lot seeing firsthand the issues our customers face. This is why we’re working w/ @Tesla to provide @Ford drivers access to +12,000 superchargers & our EV certified dealers are installing fast chargers at their… pic.twitter.com/fES15o9orT

— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) August 13, 2023

In the post itself, Farley said these issues are why Ford is working with Tesla so that its vehicles can access the over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers around the country. They also contributed to Ford’s decision to have its certified dealers install fast chargers.

Since Ford announced its partnership with Tesla and its Superchargers, other automakers like GM, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz and even Fisker have made similar deals with the Austin, Texas-based automaker.

Insider reports that addressing the issues with charging experience is going to be a crucial part of EV adoption over the next few years. That’s especially true since we are sort of heading for a bit of a plateau in EV segment growth since the early-adopter era is sort of over.

The outlet reports that Ford is already seemingly reacting to this slowing growth. Mustang Mach-Es started gathering dust at dealers in the past few months, so Ford decided to adjust its 2023 EV production goals, and it has abandoned plans to be 2 million EVs by the end of 2026.