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For electric vehicles to become truly mainstream, manufacturers have to solve a lot of tasks, including wide access to charging stations. Tesla has offered its customers a better charging experience and it has made its vehicles accessible to a wide range of consumers, says Ford CEO Jim Farley.

When we talk about the electric car market, there is Tesla and all others. The Texas manufacturer has pulled out far ahead. The company has not only created excellent EVs that attract consumers, but also an extensive charging network of its own. The Tesla Supercharger Network has no equal in the world, and the level of satisfaction when using it is the highest in the industry, which is confirmed by annual studies in different parts of the world.

Recently, Ford CEO Jim Farley made an 1,100-mile trip across California and Nevada in an electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck. His goal was to find out what it is like to travel in an electric car in order to understand how their owners cope in real-world conditions. During this trip, he talked with the owners of EVs and even gave several interviews. One of them was given to The Kilowatts last week.

In the interview, Farley said that Tesla is already way ahead in offering its customers an extensive charging network. The owners of Tesla vehicles are no longer worried about how they will be able to travel in their electric vehicles. Meanwhile, the owners of all other EVs are experiencing some difficulties. He cited his experience with one charging station as an example. Farley has noticed that at Superchargers, Tesla owners sit in their cars carrying on with business because charging has become routine. On the other hand, owners of other EVs at non-Tesla charging stations often talk to each other, sharing their charging experience, giving advice on where to charge and what route to take. They were experiencing what Tesla's customers had already experienced about three years ago. But now there is no problem to charge in a convenient place, so they are just relaxed.

According to Farley, this is an important indicator. The wide availability of charging stations makes the electric car a good choice not only for enthusiasts and early adopters, but also for most consumers. The range of EVs is no longer a major consumer concern, as manufacturers have improved batteries over the years. However, the question of whether they will have easy access to charging stations is still extremely relevant. As Farley's experience has shown, while Tesla Superchargers are usually light to moderately busy, queues can often be found at charging stations of other providers.

Farley said Ford and Tesla had discussed a charging partnership periodically in the past, but the final decision was not made until May. The company adopted Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS). As a result, Ford customers will have access to a wide Tesla Supercharger network in North America as early as 2024. In addition, the company will begin production of its electric vehicles with NACS as early as next year.

© 2023, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts; follow him on Twitter

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