Buying EVs a dream but selling them a nightmare? Ford dealers have to choose

Buying an electric vehicle (EV) is fast becoming an easy decisions for families in many parts of the world but is it business as usual for dealers? Not for a few. For many Ford dealers in the United States, the ‘conditions’ before becoming a Model E dealership are a bit too harsh and the balance may not exactly be fair.

Media reports have highlighted how Ford is asking its dealer network to put in place investments and to evolve, improve and innovate services before becoming a Model E dealership. Model E is one of three divisions under the Ford Motor Co. umbrella - apart from Ford Blue Oval and Ford Pro - and all fully battery-powered models fall under it.

As per an InsideEvs report, Ford dealerships wanting to transform into a Model E dealership have unit October 31 of this year to take one of three options - become a Model E Certified Elite dealership or a Model E Certified dealership or simply discontinue selling Model E vehicles from January of 2024. This third option means these dealerships won't be able to sell existing or upcoming all-electric models from the said date onwards.

If a dealership chooses the first option, however, there needs to be two fast-charging DC options at the facility and a Level 2 charging station. One fast charger has to be open for public use. The second option means there should be one DC fast charger and it should be open for public use.

In the third instance, a dealership cannot sell Ford all-electric models for three years but can apply for becoming a Model E Certified or Certified Elite dealership again in 2025.

But while all of it may seem like a complicated process - and to some extent, it is, Ford claims it is backing its dealer partners at a time when EV companies like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid are following a direct-to-home model.