How to Choose Your Ford Charging Station?

Ford has been at the forefront of transitioning from fossil fuel automotive to electric vehicles, and they are doing pretty well with serious investment and ongoing research. However, like most EVs, Ford owners often find it difficult to locate quality EV charging station manufacturers. Also, different considerations and criteria often determine the choice and selection of EV charging stations. This article aims to help Ford EV owners itemize and evaluate the critical factors required to select a suitable charging station and supplier for their Ford EV. Without further ado, let’s dive in.

II. What Ford Drivers Need to Know about EV Charging

Like every other EV in the market today, A Ford EV requires charging periodically after the battery has discharged below a certain level. However, Since Ford’s range of EVs includes both plug-in hybrid electric cars like the Ford Fusion Energi and fully Electric cars like the Ford Focus EV, it is instructive for Ford drivers to know what it is like charging a Ford EV. Standardly, Ford provides a mobile charger with its EV when you purchase it, which means you can charge your Ford EVs on the go. They also provide two connectors for level1 and level charging for both home and public charging stations.

III. Ford EV Charging & Range

The Ford Focus has been a consistent model offering of Ford EVs since 2011, and it has been decent with its 24kWh battery that has served the model till 2016. Fortunately, Ford increased this battery capacity in 2017 to 33kWh battery capacity, increasing the range from 76miles to 107 miles. Still, Ford offers both level 1 and the fast-charging level 2 for home and public charging needs.

IV. Ford Connector Types and Charging Rate

The type of connector available for Ford’s EVs is the standard industry connector that meets the requirements of different localities. For North America, the SAE J1772 connector is provided for Level 1 charging, while the CCS (Combined Charging System) is also provided for DC fast charging. These connectors plug into Ford’s charging port near the front left fender and can charge at a maximum rate of 3.3kW.

V. Ford EV Charging Times

While there are many conditions to note, including the battery size and the type of charger used, charging a Ford EV can take as little as 2 hours 30 minutes or as long as 7 hours. Charging its 7.6kWh battery takes 2.5 hours for a level 2 charger and 7 hours for a level 1 charger.

Related Article: EV Charging Time: How Long will it Take to Charge My Car?

VI. Level 3 DC Fast Charging

Ford also made provision for its EVs from 2017 to charge their batteries using a level 3 50 kWh fast charger with charging connectors and other accessories. This level 3 DC charger can significantly reduce the time spent charging Ford’s EV batteries as it can charge up to 80% in just half an hour. Yet, it might take about an hour to complete the remaining 20% as the heat generated during the rapid charging of the 80% could damage the battery if it continues to 100%.

VII. Which Type of Charging Speed is Perfect for you?

It’s not a secret that most people prefer to use fast chargers as it significantly reduces the time spent on a spot recharging an EV battery, time that could have been used doing some other productive things. However, many things are involved in selecting a charger with a suitable charging speed for your EV. 

Also, the disadvantage of constantly using a fast charger to charge your EV battery is that it starts to gradually damage the battery. The cumulative effect is a battery that has short-lived its lifespan.

Related Article: EV Charging Levels

VIII. How to Choose Your Right Ford EV Charging Station?

To select the right Ford EV charging station, you need to consider specific criteria. These criteria include

Location – If you’re located in North America, you might want to consider a Ford charging station compatible with the connector type available locally there. The type 1 connector popular in North America is the J1772 type 1 connector. Hence, getting a Ford EV charging station with a matching socket will be adequate. 

Driving pattern – If your daily drive pattern involves driving long distances, your charging frequencies will be more frequent than an individual who drives short distances daily. Hence, you will do well to consider a Ford charging station that charges faster than a level 1 charging station. It may also be a good thing if the charging station is portable. 

Price – Budget is usually a critical consideration when buying most things, including a Ford charging station. Evaluate your budget against the price of the Ford charging station that you think best suits your charging needs, making a cost-to-benefit analysis before making your choice. 

Battery capacity – The capacity of your battery is equally an essential criterion you should consider before making your choice of the Ford charging station you should purchase. A higher battery capacity will usually take more time to charge than a lower capacity EV battery. Therefore, getting a Ford level 2 charging station and above for your EV may be beneficial if it has a high battery capacity. 

Purpose – If you plan to use the charging station for business purposes, a Ford level 2 charging station will seem appropriate. However, if the purpose is for home charging, a Ford level 1 charging station will suffice. 

IX. Where to Buy Quality Ford EV Chargers for Home Use?

Getting a quality Ford EV charger for home use shouldn’t be so difficult, given the many channels and locations where you can reach out to quality suppliers. Nonetheless, some individuals still find it hard to locate these suppliers because they don’t know where to look. Here are some channels you can start looking to get quality supplies. 

Search engines– This is perhaps the first and easiest place to get a good supplier of quality EV chargers for your Ford electric vehicle. A simple google search for “Quality Ford EV Charger Supplier” should turn up millions of results. Furthermore, using search operators like AND, NOT, and OR can help you filter unwanted results and present the most relevant results making your selection.  

Online stores have various suppliers with different categories of products, including EV chargers for home use. Stores like Amazon have helped you curate the categories so that you can quickly locate a suitable supplier.  

Trade fairs and exhibitions – There are yearly exhibitions by suppliers and manufacturers in China that bring quality EV charger manufacturers to these exhibitions. You can attend these trade fairs to meet suppliers and examine the chargers before choosing one that best suits your needs.

X. EV-Top Advantages for Ford Owners

China offers some of the best manufacturers of EV chargers in the world simply because China is home to many experienced professionals and experts that know how to develop innovative EV charging solutions. EV-Top is one of these manufacturers, and they offer so many advantages over their counterparts in the EV industry. Here are some of the benefits for Ford owners. 

• Rich Experience – EV-Top has one of the most talented EV industry experts with an extensive wealth of experience, which adds more value to the EV chargers that come from EV-Top. Their innovative charging solutions give users of their EV chargers a pleasant user experience that often brings them back for more. 

• Top Quality – Their dedication to research and development affords EV-Top the ability to consistently produce top-quality EV chargers that meet the numerous needs of Ford EV owners. They are also certified internationally with ISO 9001:2015 quality management system to show their commitment to quality production. 

• Affordable Price – EV-Top is strategically located in the Silicon Valley of China, which boasts an abundance of skilled professionals and experts in the EV manufacturing industry. This abundance of skilled workers drives their production cost very low, giving them the ability to put highly competitive price tags that are very affordable on their EV chargers. 

• Qualification Certificates – They have quality and safety qualification certificates that meet the highest industry standards to secure customers’ confidence and users of their EV chargers. These certificates include CE, EN, UL, ISO, etc. 

• After-sales Guarantee – EV-Top has a customer-first policy that ensures they promptly attend to any inquiry from their customers before, during, and after they’ve placed their orders. 

Conclusion

Getting a quality charging station for your Ford EV shouldn’t be difficult, provided you look in the right places that we’ve highlighted in this article. But then selecting a suitable EV charging supplier will depend on your needs and requirements, be it home charging or public and business charging station. Fortunately, Chinese suppliers such as EV-Top have the most affordable prices and high quality based on their strategic location, among other benefits. Ultimately, meeting your itemized needs is even more important as EV-Top can attend to your inquiries at any time of the day. So, now the ball is in your court. What are you going to do about it?