Like the Mustang Mach-E free charging promotion a few years ago, Ford just announced that F-150 Lightning EV owners could get free charging through Electrify America stations, but there’s a big catch.
Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck retail customers (all models but the Pro) get 250 kWh of free charging through Electrify America. It’s a promotion being heavily pushed by Ford at the moment. However, owners only get 250 kWh of free charging, which isn’t very much.
If you do the math, 250 kWh of electricity is only slightly over two full battery charges on the extended range Lightning and roughly three full charges on the standard range. And while that’s a nice little perk, that’s all it is. A small, minuscule bonus, especially when you’re likely paying $80k for the truck. Here’s what Electrify America had to say:
“Ford F-150 Lightning owners receive 250 kilowatt-hours of complimentary charging through FordPass Rewards at Electrify America ultra-fast charging stations to kick-start their electric vehicle experience with Ford. This included charging benefit is available solely to F-150 Lightning retail customers.”
Sure, getting your first few EV charges for free is nice and can help F-150 Lightning owners familiarize themselves with the process, but it’s hardly worth writing home about. It’s similar to getting a $200 gas card free with a new vehicle.
The incentive isn’t going to help F-150 Lightning owners much, as it’ll only get them electricity a few times. However, I see how it could potentially be beneficial for someone who typically recharges at home.
If you get a new F-150 Lightning electric truck and outfit your home with a charger, you shouldn’t have to stop at charging stations at all. However, if you run low on battery on a road trip or don’t have time for a full charge but need to head to work, adding the occasional 20 kWh for free sounds nice.
Either way, the promotion isn’t as good as it sounds. For example, KIA has a similar partnership with Electrify America, but it offers all EV owners 1,000 kWh of free charging, which blows Ford’s offer out of the water. And Nissan gave several Ariya EV buyers 2-years of EVgo membership for free, plus a $500 charging credit.
Basically, when you get your fancy new F-150 Lightning, the first three charges could be free if you stop at an Electrify America charging network.
via AutoBlog
