14 DAY TRIAL // American multinational automaker Ford has recently announced plans to fit several dozen of the facilities it currently owns and operates across North America with charging stations for electric vehicles.
The company explains that the goal of this initiative is to improve on the company's overall ecological footprint by making green cars more appealing to members of its staff, and thus up the number of people who own and drive such vehicles.
Business Green informs that the electric vehicle power suppliers that the American multinational automaker has it eyes set on are GE-manufactured WattStation chargers.
Such chargers are expected to be set in place at over 60 Ford offices, product development campuses, and manufacturing facilities across North America.
Still, facilities in and around its headquarters will be the first to be equipped with stations designed to power up environmentally friendly cars.
Should things go according to plan, the first such electric car charging stations will be installed at facilities in southeast Michigan sometime later this month.
The American multinational automaker expects that, by the end of the year, it will have succeeded in fitting all the facilities targeted by this initiative with GE-manufactured WattStation chargers.
Commenting on this initiative, Mike Tinskey, currently employed as Ford director of vehicle electrification and infrastructure, pointed out the fact that, “Ford's commitment to sustainability extends beyond our fuel-efficient vehicles to include our daily workplace.”
”We know that a growing electrified vehicle infrastructure is key to making plug-in vehicles a viable option for more consumers. Ford is committed to doing its part to help develop that infrastructure,” Mike Tinskey went on to argue.
Interestingly enough, it would appear that the American automaker is ready and willing to let its employees use these stations to get their electric vehicles back online free of charge for four hours each day.
The company expects that this will help make environmentally friendly cars even more popular among members of its staff, Ford spokespersons explain.
If the American automaker is right, then its setting in place this network of green vehicle charging stations might enable employees who commute from up to 21 miles (roughly 33.7 kilometers) in plug-in hybrid vehicles, i.e. Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi, to travel to and from work on electric power alone.
This would yield noteworthy benefits as far as reducing traffic-related emissions is concerned, specialists working with Ford claim.
Apart from trying to convince more of its employees to opt for electric cars, Ford is asking that its staff use the MyFord Mobile smartphone app to gather data concerning driving and charging. Information obtained in this manner is to serve to better understand driving patterns, maybe even influence product design in the future.