Hitting the road this weekend? Get ready for your electric road trip!

[Charge_Rob]

Hey, Rob (and Brian) -

When will it be possible for Plug & Charge to recognize my Tesla, EA and EVgo memberships and give me discounted DCFC charging?

Soon™ right?

That's an excellent question for Tesla and EA - EVgo doesn't support Plug & Charge at all yet.

As an EV driver myself, and someone who road trips far more than most, if we could deliver that for you guys on our own, we would have.

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[Charge_Rob]

Do you know that Ford gets a piece?

Plug and Charge is a way for Ford to show how easy it is to own an EV, because using apps is challenging for some people. Removing an impediment to ownership. That's worth money to Ford.

I could see them charging Tesla, EA, IONNA the processing cost that they're not incurring. But haven't ever seen confirmation that they get anything else.

And yes, I also seek out the least cost options.

To confirm - Ford does not get a cut of BlueOval Charge Network transactions, regardless of if they're Plug & Charge or Ford app activated, just so everyone's clear. The service is provided to make your charging easier.

 

[Charge_Rob]

Maybe, but I think the answer is far simpler: When a plug and charge session payment is processed through Ford, it gets a piece of the action. Likely, it’s a substantial fraction of the difference between full retail and the membership cost. So, encouraging people to use plug and charge is just a promo for another revenue stream for Ford.

As someone who does a lot of long distance travel in his Lightning (my 20th road trip of more than 1500 miles begins next week) I am price sensitive when charging. Fortunately, the DCFC infrastructure in the US has improved to the point where I usually have choices when stopping to charge. I almost always check the cost before deciding where to stop.

While this sounds good, it is in fact not true. Whether you use Plug & Charge or not, the price you see is the price the charge network receives. Ford does not mark up BlueOval Charge Network transactions. The service is there simply just to make it easier for you to charge.

As someone who does way more EV road trips than most, I value having BlueOval Charge Network because using all 22 networks in-network is the best way to make sure you're getting the best charge at the right location without an army of apps.

 

[RickLightning]

To confirm - Ford does not get a cut of BlueOval Charge Network transactions, regardless of if they're Plug & Charge or Ford app activated, just so everyone's clear. The service is provided to make your charging easier.

So, if I charge at a charger, and use Plug and Charge, or Ford app, who pays credit card processing - Ford or Tesla/EA/IONNA?

 

[Charge_Rob]

So, if I charge at a charger, and use Plug and Charge, or Ford app, who pays credit card processing - Ford or Tesla/EA/IONNA?

As your credit card statement will say, Ford Motor Company runs your credit card and is the merchant of record for BlueOval Charge Network transactions, whether that's Ford app or Plug & Charge.

This is a service provided to you to make your charging easier. One of the largest barriers to EV adoption is making public charging easy, as many of us know.

 

[RickLightning]

As your credit card statement will say, Ford Motor Company runs your credit card and is the merchant of record for BlueOval Charge Network transactions, whether that's Ford app or Plug & Charge.

This is a service provided to you to make your charging easier. One of the largest barriers to EV adoption is making public charging easy, as many of us know.

Right. I just wondered if the networks repaid Ford the processing fee.

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