Ford Pro, the commercial division within Ford Motor Company, has revealed new charging hardware added to its suite of end-to-end solutions for commercial customers to transition their fleets to electric.
The new Series 2 AC Charging Station 80 amp and expanded DC Fast Charger options are designed for commercial vehicle use and equipped with new features. Coupled with Ford Pro’s charging management software, the company provides an integrated EV charging solution for both Ford and non-Ford electric vehicles.
“We’re committed to helping businesses make the transition to electric easy with a single-minded focus on curated commercial charging solutions,” said Ted Cannis, Ford Pro CEO. “With our tailored EV consulting and portfolio of charging hardware and software solutions, we can design, implement and operate solutions for Ford and other brands that will last for many years to come. And we are not afraid to tell customers when electrification is not yet a good fit and support them with other solutions.”
Ford Pro’s BEV Fit team offers available complimentary consulting to customers to help identify available incentives, consult on charging site design and construction and collaborate with local utilities on energy needs.
Features
Now available for pre-order, the Series 2 AC Charging Station 80 amp comes with features that help improve the charging experience at the workplace for fleet operators and their drivers including:
- Security with RFID that limits unwanted charger access. Fleet operators can issue a unique Ford Pro RFID card (sold separately) to control access to chargers enabling charging sessions to be limited to specific individuals or vehicles, by specifying day and times for access. The new RFID software also supports Ford and non-Ford vehicles unlocking the ability for fleet operators to track energy reports through Ford Pro’s charging management software.
- Detachable cable and connector minimize expense of charger repairs avoiding replacement of the entire charging station if a cable or connector is damaged.
- Wide range of connectivity options with cellular pre-configured and optional Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity for locations with restricted cellular coverage.
- The new Series 2 AC Charging Station 80 Amp will be ISO-15118 ready and equipped to enable future functionality over the air such as vehicle-to-charger communications that can identify and log when a specific vehicle connects. Ford Pro designed the new hardware to be ready for the future, so customers are prepared for new electric vehicles and capabilities.
- New LCD screen on the Series 2 charger displays step-by-step instructions to initiate charging and information including charge duration, fault alerts, energy usage and more.
- Temperature sensors to monitor and alert for overheating by derating the charger automatically.
- Extended operating temperature range of -40°C (-40°F) to 50°C (122°F) and operating altitude of up to 3,500m to serve the needs of customers.
- The new Ford Pro charging hardware comes with tech support to help customers.
- Ford Pro Telematics, chargers, software and service work to provide fleet operators and managers with a single solution to monitor their vehicle network.
Capacities and Software
Ford Pro is revealing extended DC Fast Charger options in 180kW and 240kW giving fleet operators and their drivers versatility at their workplace with more power and shortened charge times. Aluminum pedestals feature a cable retractor.
Using Ford Pro Charging solutions can also allow customers to charge more vehicles at a given time. Customers can deploy more EVs without needing to wait for an infrastructure upgrade. The software also tracks performance and provides fleet managers with insights like kWh consumption, charge speed and distance to empty.
Ford Pro Chargers work with Ford Pro’s smart charging software. The integrated software and hardware solution helps fleet managers adjust how, when and where EVs are charged along with utility reimbursement reporting, for home-based drivers.
