“We’re going into the mass consumers who have a lot of charging anxiety. They don’t have range anxiety, they have charging anxiety,” Farley said. His comments came in response to US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm’s recent\u00a0four-day, 600-mile EV road trip from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Memphis, Tennessee, that saw some staff members block a charger with a gas-powered car to “reserve” it for Granholm’s car.<\/p>\n
It’s pretty obvious that the US charging infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired in the US both in terms of coverage and reliability, but there’s a notable exception \u2013 Tesla’s Supercharger network. Ford has acknowledged that earlier this year when it signed an <\/span>agreement to adopt the EV maker’s NACS charging port on its electric cars starting in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n Charging challenges aside, Ford’s head honcho said EVs are also at a disadvantage in the market today because of their higher prices compared to ICE alternatives. He suggested that consumers are “not willing to pay a premium” for EVs, despite the fact an increasing number of models are becoming available and prices have dropped\u00a0from a year ago.<\/p>\n “Some customers who have the right duty cycle are really interested, but the price premium that we see a year ago is not there today,” Farley explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ford has yet to offer an affordable EV in the US, with its lowest-priced model being the Mustang Mach-E, which starts at $44,795 (including a $1,800 destination charge). Ford did announce plans to launch the Puma EV subcompact crossover in 2024 in Europe, but there’s no indication that it will make it stateside.<\/p>\n General Motors covers the affordable end of the EV market better thanks to its Bolt EV and EUV that start under $30,000, but these models will be discontinued at the end of the year. Still, GM has pledged that the upcoming 2024 Equinox EV will start around $30,000 \u2013 there’s even a petition aimed at holding General Motors to its promise.<\/p>\n GM has also suggested that the Ultium-powered next-generation Bolt will go below the $30,000 mark. Tesla has also announced plans to launch a small EV priced around $25,000.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.motor1.com\/images\/static\/16x9-tr.png\")
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