Productivity Accelerated: Ford Pro Announces New Partners, Services; Demand Strong With Orders for 10,000 E-Transits
January 26, 2022 - As Ford Pro grows its business, it is introducing Ford Pro Intelligence, a cloud-based platform that powers a suite of digital services that supports a commercial customer’s total fleet operation.
“The biggest pain point we hear from commercial customers when it comes to managing their fleets is not having a single place to access all of their information across vehicles and services,” says Ted Cannis, Ford Pro CEO. “We’ve created a platform that centralizes and powers our entire digital ecosystem, working across gas and electric powertrains, Ford and non-Ford vehicles.”
Ford Pro Intelligence will integrate Salesforce which will transform the way commercial customers work, with always on access to the Ford Pro services they need to increase productivity and focus on their customers. All part of Ford Pro’s always-on commitment.
Battery-Powered Pickup Demand is Electric
January 27, 2022 - The market segment for electric pickups is heating up in the new model year. GMC began shipping its first all-electric pickup, the Hummer EV, to consumers late last year. Ford is hot on this market as well, with about 200,000 orders in hand for its new F-150 Lightning.
Chevrolet is adding a battery-powered version of its Silverado pickup is expected to reach showrooms in 2023 aa 2024 model. Reports suggest that Stellantis will offer a battery-electric Ram 1500 in 2024.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Toyota Tundra i-Force Max is beginning to reach showrooms, the company’s first full-size hybrid-electric pickup, joining the Ram 1500, Ford F-150 and Maverick pickups in the hybrid pickup space. And that’s just the start; there are any number of startup EV manufacturers with eyes on the same market, particularly Rivian.
Ford Puts Commercial Business at Forefront of EV Strategy
January 29, 2022 - Gasoline-powered vehicles are banned inside Inglenook Winery’s vast Infinity Caves, which can be good for the quality of its most popular varietals but problematic for workers trying to move heavy equipment, like the massive stainless-steel fermenting tanks.
Associate winemaker Chris Phelps says the zero-emission Ford F-150 Lightning Pro and E-Transit van, with on-board generators, can solve both of those issues and relieve other pressures of managing the 1,700-acre property with about 100 workers.
Ford Motor Co. expects vintners such as Phelps — along with florists, plumbers and other business owners — to be in the vanguard of its pivot to the electric age. The automaker already owns a leading share of the high-margin, high-volume commercial vehicle market and is betting that fleet managers will recognize the benefits of going electric far quicker than the average retail buyer. The automaker expects Ford Pro will generate $45 billion in revenue by 2025.
A Recent Op-Ed Suggests EVs are Ill Equipped to Handle a Winter Stranding. We Check the Facts
January 29, 2022 - An opinion piece suggests you’ll freeze if stuck in an electric car in a blizzard for hours, while gasoline drivers won’t. Like a lot of anti-EV tropes, this one’s not backed up by facts.
"I'm grateful that I was driving my EV when I got stuck on I-95," wrote Model 3 driver Dan Kanninen. He spent 14 hours in his base Model 3, the shortest-range version of that car. He stayed warm (with no engine running, obviously) and was able to stream videos on the car's 15-inch display. He had 50 miles of range left after 14 hours. EV drivers often charge at home, he wrote, so "we are less likely to have just a partial charge, unlike drivers who rarely drive on a full tank."
En route to a Supercharger station, he saw long lines of cars waiting to fuel up.
Ford Revamps its Used-Vehicle Program
January 28, 2022 - Ford is stepping up its game in the used-car business, announcing its new Ford Blue Advantage program, which helps drivers track down certified preowned vehicles, ones that also happen to be backed by generous warranties.
Two tiers of vehicle are offered in this program. Gold-level cars must be newer than six years old and have fewer than 80,000 miles on the clock. Cars and trucks certified at the less stringent Blue level can be up to 10 years old and have rolled as many as 120,000 miles.
Either way, these vehicles come with 24/7 roadside assistance and a free Carfax history report. They're also eligible for FordPass Rewards points and feature a 14-day, 1,000-mile money-back guarantee, the best offered by any full-line automaker, according to Ford.
