Ford recently joined the list of carmakers that will use Tesla’s Supercharging network in North America called North American Charging Standard (NACS).
Ford CEO had some pretty harsh comments on the Tesla Cybertruck days after agreeing to be a part of the coalition to use Tesla’s Supercharging network. It is called the NACS (North American Charging Standard). This makes things really interesting in the USA since the Biden administration is in the process of making CCS (Combined Charging System) the norm. But Ford, GM and Rivian have already agreed to use Tesla’s Supercharging network. These are some of the biggest EV players in North America. Essentially, this decision could leave the CCS useless in times to come.
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Ford CEO on Tesla Cybertruck
In an interview with CNBC, Ford CEO Jim Farley said, “The reality is, America loves an underdog — and we are the market leader for EV trucks and vans, and we know those customers better than anyone. And if [Elon Musk] wants to design a Cybertruck for Silicon Valley people, fine. It’s like a cool high-end product parked in front of a hotel. But I don’t make trucks like that. I make trucks for real people who do real work, and that’s a different kind of truck.”
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He is clearly taking a dig at the Tesla Cybertruck which is set to rival the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck that has been raking in huge volumes for the American auto giant. In fact, it has been the highest-selling pickup truck (in its ICE-powered guise) in the USA for over 4 decades. That shows just how iconic and legendary it is. Ford wants to replicate this success even going into the electric realm. The initial response has been quite promising. But things will start getting interesting once Cybertruck arrives in the market. Reports suggest that the Cybertruck might be launched toward the end of this year with production ramping up going into 2024.
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What We Think
Ford is showing that it has not surrendered to Tesla just by agreeing to use its Supercharging network. Perhaps, this is just one small step that it had to take to give its EV owners peace of mind. Tesla has lent 12,000+ Superchargers to other carmakers which is incredibly beneficial for the EV owners. This is particularly true for highway driving. Ford, GM and Rivian saw merit in this deal and joined the coalition. But that doesn’t mean that there will not be any rivalry among these auto giants. Their EVs will still try to grab each other’s market share.
