As a Mustang Mach-E Owner I Disagree That Ford Supports EV Fast Charging as My Dealership Has Only One and Unconnected ChargePoint, While Salesman Says "It's Above His Pay Grade"

In response to John Goreham’s recent article, "Ford Just Had A Fantastic Month of EV Deliveries," Torque News reader Walt T offered a candid and detailed perspective on Ford’s approach to supporting electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. While praising the Mustang Mach-E’s design and driving experience, Walt’s comment underscores significant challenges he faced as an EV owner, including unfulfilled promises, broken chargers, and a lack of dependable fast-charging options at Ford dealerships. His experiences raise important questions about whether automakers like Ford are truly prepared to meet the infrastructure needs of their growing EV customer base.

Below, I share Walt’s insightful comment in full to spark a larger conversation about the current state of EV charging for Ford customers.

Walt T writes:

As a Ford Mustang Mach-E owner, I disagree that Ford supports EV fast charging.

I leased a new 2023 Mustang Mach-E in March 2024.

This November the Ford dealer I purchased from had only one ChargePoint charge station that had not been connected. Also, there was a gas car parked in one of the 2 spots. I asked why ChargePoint when Ford offered free hours of charging with Electrify America? The EV expert said that was above his pay grade.

I spent the Summer at an NJ shore town. To date, I have not received a Tesla Supercharger adapter that was promised by September. Knowing I was heading to NJ for the summer I bought an aftermarket one. Editor's note: With GM now beginning their conversion to the NACS Tesla plug standard there are things you need to know, one of them being, it may be unsafe to use a Tesla supercharger with a non-Tesla car.

It turned out that the Tesla Superchargers in the area do not support adapters. There were two Ford dealers, one North and one South of my location. Neither had Superchargers. One kept promising they were coming, but didn’t happen all summer (although they had plenty of Ford Mustang Mach-Es on the lot). The other said "Ford was making those adapters, then will install them,” but no idea when. I checked back all summer but nothing. Then I found a municipal parking lot about 10 miles away that has four ChargePoint chargers (Editor: ChargePoint is first out of the gate with new NACS EV charger options).

I had to travel there to charge all summer.

On multiple trips outside the area, I ran into different chargers, some successfull, quite a few broken. Found two different Tesla charging stations. Both times the aftermarket charger worked for about 10 minutes then everything started flashing red and shut down. I documented the second time and was able to get a refund on the secondary charger.

I love the the Mustang Mach-E. The car looks great and drives terrific. In my opinion the Blue Cruise hands-free mode is a joke, since it responds to every speed limit sign on the road and constantly turns off as you pass an exit speed sign. I don’t pay the extra to have it.

So in closing I support the switch to EVs, but feel at present it is for customers that can park in their garage with the 240 volt in home charger installed. This works for me, even with the summer charging issues (there’s a McDonalds and Dunkin next to the Municipal lot). As far a Ford support, the dealers all need to have a bank of Electrify America chargers, which surely expands its charging options, so if you’re traveling you can at least depend on the local Ford Dealer for a fast charge.

Editor's Note

Walt, your story hits a nerve that many EV owners can relate to, and it raises a glaring issue: while Ford is racing to sell EVs like the Mustang Mach-E, it seems to be limping when it comes to the crucial infrastructure that supports them. Promised Tesla Supercharger adapters delayed? Ford dealers without functional chargers? This isn’t just an inconvenience. What about the trust of early adopters who are paving the way for Ford’s EV ambitions. Let’s not forget, charging accessibility can make or break the EV experience, and relying on municipal lots or third-party solutions isn’t a long-term answer for a brand hoping to rival Tesla (news and opinion).

Your point about EV ownership being more practical for those with home charging is spot-on, but what about the millions who don’t have that luxury? In fact, I can at least list 3 reasons charging at home is a must for electric vehicle owners. Ford—and the entire industry—needs to realize that a sleek EV is only as good as the charging network behind it.

Readers, what has your experience been like with EV charging, particularly with dealership and public chargers? Do you think automakers are doing enough to support their customers as they transition to electric vehicles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. He has more than a decade of expertise in the automotive industry with a special interest in Tesla and electric vehicles.