This Car Company is leading in one key area

Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, MI has installed a 1.1 million kilowatt hour solar array capable of providing power to over 158 average size homes and saves an estimated 794 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The key takeaway here isn’t the size of the array alone but rather the equipped employee parking lots that are littered with EVSEs for the employees to power up their cars.

In 2014, Ford employees ended up saving over 6000 gallons of gas which is enough to fill my Ford C-Max Energi over 428 times! Currently, the automaker has 145 charging stations available for employee use at 43 Ford Offices located in 6 states and in Canada.

Cynthia Williams, Ford Associate director, environmental and regulatory planning, stated recently:

“Providing a charging network at Ford facilities not only benefits our employees but builds upon our commitment to the electrification program and developing environmentally conscious vehicles,” said Williams. “Ford is striving to deliver quality products and sustainable manufacturing, and to make eco-conscious vehicles easier to use.”

Ford Motor Company sells the Ford C-Max Energi and Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid vehicles as well as the fully 100% electric Ford Focus.

“Ford has a deep commitment to sustainability,” said Stephanie Janczak, manager, Ford sustainability and vehicle environmental matters. “We are working to make people’s lives better by creating great products and by investing in the communities where our employees work and live. Expanding our network of charging stations throughout North America is an extension of our commitment.”

Over 360 parking spaces are covered by the Ford World Headquarters campus array and I hope that many more corporate leaders of our large companies will do the same and help their employees make the leap over to electric powered vehicles. As you can see, if made available employees will switch to electric power if given the option to do so and since in Ford’s case the power is being generated by the Sun, their vehicle miles are free and 100% clean power.

Other companies which shall remain nameless actually manufacture EVSEs and expect other companies to buy them for their employees but won’t for their own employees. I worked for one such company previously. The US would more quickly adopt electric cars if companies provided charging infrastructure at their offices. Hats off to Ford for making the commitment to the cars, the environment and renewable energy.