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Auto sellers have lengthy been thought-about a bottleneck for EV gross sales, and automakers which are critical about promoting EVs are working carefully with their sellers to make the required adjustments (and to weed out those that actually don’t need to go electrical).
Ford has now unveiled an electrification technique to its 3,000-strong seller community. Sellers have till October 31 to resolve whether or not they’ll spend money on one among two licensed EV tiers to partake in Ford’s Mannequin e EV enterprise. Solely these sellers who purchase in will likely be licensed to promote EVs from the start of 2024.
In March, Ford break up its car enterprise into three separate entities: Ford Blue for legacy ICE autos and PHEVs; Mannequin e for battery-electric autos; and Ford Professional for industrial and fleet autos.
As reported by Electrek, which lately sat in on Ford’s annual assembly with its dealership community, the automaker is giving its sellers a alternative: make the required investments to develop into a Mannequin e seller, or keep on with legacy autos solely. (Sellers who don’t select to go electrical in the intervening time can have one other likelihood to use for Mannequin e certification in 2027.)
“We’re betting on the sellers, we’re not going to go direct,” mentioned CEO Jim Farley on the sellers’ occasion. “However we have to specialize. We try this with distinctive requirements.”
He went on to stipulate the brand new requirements (which sound roughly comparable to people who GM lately established for its sellers).
Ford Mannequin e dealerships will likely be required to coach specialised EV groups which are educated sufficient to elucidate electrical driving to clients. Ford may also set up a brand new EV College to coach sellers. Mannequin e dealerships may also want to put in back-of-house charging infrastructure to help gross sales and upkeep, plus a number of DC quick chargers (of not less than 120 kW) obtainable to the general public on the Blue Oval Community.
Ford additionally desires its sellers to supply clear, non-negotiable pricing. Dealerships will nonetheless set their very own costs, as required by legislation (automakers solely “counsel” a retail value). Nevertheless, Ford says it’s going to monitor sellers to verify pricing is constant and truthful. (Ford and different automakers have taken a dim view of the hefty markups that some dealerships have chosen to slap onto new EVs which are in brief provide.)
Ford estimates that the price of turning into a Mannequin Licensed seller will likely be round $500,000—or $900,000 to earn the extra coveted title of Mannequin e Licensed Elite—and most of it will cowl the price of putting in DC quick chargers.
Supply: Electrek
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