Ford Motor Co. is moving forward with new standards governing how its retail network can sell electric vehicles amid some pushback from dealers — even as experts say the success of the EV strategy partly will depend on how the rollout goes.
The Blue Oval in September unveiled the new EV standards to its network of some 3,000 U.S. dealers at an annual meeting in Las Vegas. The program is structured in tiers and, for dealers that want to sell EVs, includes investment requirements to install on-site EV charging infrastructure and new stipulations like no-haggle pricing.
Some dealers have indicated they're on board with the program, which runs from the start of 2024 through the end of 2026. But others have raised concerns about the amount of spending required to install chargers, how they'll recoup those investments, how the program will affect their profit margins, and whether the program flouts state franchise laws that require legacy automakers to sell their products via dealers in many states. EV startups, led by Tesla Inc., meanwhile, can sell their vehicles directly to consumers.
