Ford's Small EV Move Could Pay Off Big

Source The Motley Fool

Here's what we know, or mostly know for sure: At some point, electric vehicle (EV) sales in the U.S. market will gain serious momentum. So far, sales have chugged along more slowly than anticipated. Overseas regions such as China generate more than half of new vehicle sales via EVs, while the U.S. generates about 8% of new vehicle sales via EVs. But Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is tackling one of the challenges preventing more widespread adoption in the U.S., and it could pay off big.

For free!

"There's no bigger obstacle than charging," said Ford CEO Jim Farley in an interview with Reuters.

It's true -- range anxiety, as well as high prices and quality, remain the major hold-ups to more widespread EV adoption in the U.S. market. But Ford is taking a new approach to help battle range anxiety by launching its new "Ford Power Promise" program.

The program is simple: Educate people about EV charging and how convenient it is to charge at home. Ford is offering all new Ford EV buyers a free home EV charger, with standard installation costs covered. Customers who purchase a Ford EV during the fourth quarter and already have a home charger, or who live in apartments, will be eligible to receive $2,000 cash from dealers.

It's a small move that could lure people who are on the fence regarding an EV purchase. It's also a move that surveys show is a smart one. According to a 2024 survey, Ford found that 89% of shoppers are more likely to purchase if they have home charging. An even steeper 92% of owners find that charging at home is as easy as charging mobile phones.

That's not all Ford is doing, however. It's also offering a little relief and security when it comes to the very expensive battery component. Ford is offering an eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty to help alleviate concerns over battery health and life.

Change of pace

The strategy to help boost EV sales with the program comes at a time when Ford could use a change of pace in the EV world. Ford sold roughly 44,000 vehicles in the first half of 2024. That's a 72% gain over the prior year's first half, which was enough to make it the second-largest EV seller in the U.S. market. It still massively trailed Tesla's top spot, with 831,000 deliveries during that time.

Speaking of Tesla, however, Ford became the first major automaker to partner with Tesla on its nationwide network of superchargers in May 2023, and Ford vehicles will be equipped with compatible charging ports starting in 2025.

What it all means

Ford's Model e division, responsible for its EVs, is expected to lose up to $5.5 billion in 2024 alone. Ford has pulled back on roughly $12 billion in EV investments and projects. It even canceled a highly anticipated electric SUV in August to help offset EV losses, even as the move cost it roughly $1.9 billion in the near term.

While Ford is busy trying to offset heavy EV losses, this is one of the first strategies we've seen that actually pushes the vehicles toward consumers. That small move could pay off big if Ford can educate people on the convenience of charging at home.

Should you invest $1,000 in Ford Motor Company right now?

Before you buy stock in Ford Motor Company, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Ford Motor Company wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $765,523!*

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of September 30, 2024

Daniel Miller has positions in Ford Motor Company. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Fed hike odds near 90% into Wednesday's decision — how to trade the dollar, gold and the S&P 500A 0.3% monthly core CPI print has lifted the market-implied probability of a 25bp Fed hike on 16 September to roughly 86.5% ~ 90%, which would be the first increase since July 2023. Here is the decision timeline, the pricing versus the forecasts, both scenarios, and the key levels for the dollar, gold and the S&P 500.
Author  Suzie
Sep 14, Mon
A 0.3% monthly core CPI print has lifted the market-implied probability of a 25bp Fed hike on 16 September to roughly 86.5% ~ 90%, which would be the first increase since July 2023. Here is the decision timeline, the pricing versus the forecasts, both scenarios, and the key levels for the dollar, gold and the S&P 500.
placeholder
Silver breaks $64 as precious metals rebound — can gold hold the $4,280 line into the Fed decision?Silver has climbed back above $64 an ounce for the first time this week, leading a broad rebound across precious metals hours before the Federal Reserve delivers what is expected to be its first rate hike since 2023. Spot silver was last at $64.64, up 1.49% on the day, while gold reclaimed $4,300 and platinum and palladium both advanced. The question now is whether the bounce is a genuine turn — or a pause before the Fed's dot plot decides the next move.
Author  Suzie
Sep 16, Wed
Silver has climbed back above $64 an ounce for the first time this week, leading a broad rebound across precious metals hours before the Federal Reserve delivers what is expected to be its first rate hike since 2023. Spot silver was last at $64.64, up 1.49% on the day, while gold reclaimed $4,300 and platinum and palladium both advanced. The question now is whether the bounce is a genuine turn — or a pause before the Fed's dot plot decides the next move.
placeholder
Bitcoin falls below $75,000 as the CLARITY Act fails in the Senate — what the vote means for cryptoThe US Senate blocked the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act in a 49-50 procedural vote, sending Bitcoin briefly below $75,000 — its biggest one-day drop since June. Ethereum fell more than 8%, Coinbase slid 10% and $75 billion of crypto market value evaporated. Here is what the vote was, why it failed, and the levels that matter now.
Author  Suzie
Sep 16, Wed
The US Senate blocked the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act in a 49-50 procedural vote, sending Bitcoin briefly below $75,000 — its biggest one-day drop since June. Ethereum fell more than 8%, Coinbase slid 10% and $75 billion of crypto market value evaporated. Here is what the vote was, why it failed, and the levels that matter now.
placeholder
Dow drops 631 points as the Fed hikes — but futures are rebounding: what's next for US stocks?The Dow fell 631 points and the S&P 500 closed below 7,600 after the Fed hiked rates for the first time since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect more tightening. Asia-session futures are already recovering — here are the levels and analyst views that decide whether 7,500 holds.
Author  Irene Q.
23 hours ago
The Dow fell 631 points and the S&P 500 closed below 7,600 after the Fed hiked rates for the first time since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect more tightening. Asia-session futures are already recovering — here are the levels and analyst views that decide whether 7,500 holds.
placeholder
Dollar index tops 100 for the first time since July as the Fed's hawkish dot plot sinks inThe U.S. dollar index broke back above 100 for the first time since 31 July after the Fed delivered its first rate hike since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect at least one more increase this year. Here are the levels that matter for DXY, the currencies feeling it most, and what to watch next.
Author  Irene Q.
23 hours ago
The U.S. dollar index broke back above 100 for the first time since 31 July after the Fed delivered its first rate hike since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect at least one more increase this year. Here are the levels that matter for DXY, the currencies feeling it most, and what to watch next.
goTop
quote