Ford offers EV buyers free home charger and 10,000 free miles

Ford is aiming to take the strain out of switching to an EV by offering buyers of all new cars a free home charger, plus home charging credit that could provide up to 10,000 miles of home charging. 

Anyone who buys one of Ford’s electric SUVs, which include the Ford Capri, Explorer, Mustang Mach-E and Puma Gen-E, can get an Ohme ePod home EV charger and installation worth up to £899, or a £500 cash alternative as part of the Power Promise initiative. 

Once the home EV charger is fitted, customers can sign up for the Intelligent Octopus Go home electricity tariff to receive a £217 energy credit with Octopus. Using the cheap night time rate of 7p/kWh (available from 11:30pm and 5:30am) this will provide up to 10,000 miles of EV charging, and means fully charging a Puma Gen-E can could as little as £3.23. 

The scheme aims to quell anxiety among car buyers about going electric. Recent What Car? research revealed that charging concerns have overtaken range anxiety as the number one factor putting people off buying an EV. 

Ford’s research highlights similar concerns among buyers. Its survey of 5000 drivers across Europe found that 25% of car buyers feel more uncertainty and complexity when buying an electric car, one out of every eight people find it too difficult to arrange charging at home, and a third of respondents believe electric vehicles take too long to charge. 

Catherine Blee, Ford’s Passenger Vehicles Director explained: “We recognise the transition to EVs is more complicated than buying a petrol or diesel car, and now that we’re launching our fourth EV, the Puma Gen-E, we felt it important to put the Power Promise in place to help overcome the barriers that can exist. 

"There are still a lot of myths about EV ownership, and we’ve spent a lot of time upskilling our dealers so they can help customers and answer all their questions.”

The Power Promise also offers reassurance about servicing and breakdowns to buyers from the five-year service and roadside assistance plan. This provides five years’ free servicing and five years’ breakdown cover, which includes towing assistance. EV owners also have access to the Blue Oval charging network, which enables them to use 33,000 public charging points around the UK via the Ford Pass app. 

Ford is not the only brand to offer buyers a free home charger. Hyundai, Kia, Skoda, Toyota and Volkswagen also offer a wallbox and free installation, and Audi offers buyers who sign up to an OVO Charge Anytime home charging tariff up to 30,000 miles of charging credit. 

However, Ford is the first to offer the charging box, installation and free electricity. The Ford offer currently runs to 30 June. According to Ford, if someone needs a more complicated installation or a different Ohme charger would suit them better, Ford will cover the cost of this. Or, if someone already has a charger or can’t have a home wallbox installed, they’ll get the £500 as an additional discount off the car instead. 

The offer is available on personal contract purchase and personal lease deals, and in most instances Octopus should be able to fit the home charger within 20 days of completing a home survey for a customer. 

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