Ford have announced they will be launching a new sustainable charging program that allows electric vehicle (EV) owners in California to opt into carbon-neutral charging at home. The idea is to reduce their carbon footprint from the energy used to power their vehicles.
Ford is choosing to participate in the California Air Resource Board (CARB) Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) to offer customers a new way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by matching the use of electricity used to charge electric vehicles at home with 100 percent local renewable energy.
The program works by allowing owners of eligible plug-in vehicles to opt into the program through the FordPass app. Once enrolled, the FordPass app automatically tracks the amount of electricity used while charging at home.
From this, Ford generates or buys an equivalent amount of California-sourced Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), an EPA-recognised program that records the generation and usage of green energy.
Ford then sends evidence of the matching amounts to CARB, ensuring that all home plug-in charging activity is matched with zero-carbon electricity. The carmaker is working hard on its transition to electric vehicles and is investing more than $30 billion in electric vehicles and batteries through 2025.
Ford are also aiming to progress towards achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2050, backed by science-based targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Overall, Ford expects 40 to 50 percent of its global vehicle volume to be fully electric by 2030.
Matt Stover, Ford Motor Company director of charging and energy services, said “Ford’s electric vehicle customers are beginning to realise all the possibilities associated with their vehicles and sustainable energy management.
“By working with regulators, utilities and customers for home integration services, we’re enabling EV drivers to lower their carbon footprints, potentially save money and help protect the grid, all through their smartphones.”
The program is eligible for California-based owners of all current Ford all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. These include the Mustang Mach-E, the E-Transit and the Escape Plug-In Hybrid. This scheme will also be available with the all-electric F-150 Lightning that launches in 2022.
