Gary Zhou 
Ford’s Model e EV certification program, which was announced last year, has attracted its own fair share of critics from the automaker’s dealers. Since the program was announced, hundreds of dealers have reportedly opted out of the Model E program despite initially opting in for the initiative.
Last week, an Automotive News report revealed that Ford would be rolling out changes to its dealer requirements for its EV certification program. These changes come amidst challenges for the automaker, such as a legal battle about the EV initiative that it lost last week in Illinois.
The state’s motor vehicle board had determined that Ford broke the law by requiring dealers to make costly EV investments in exchange for the ability to sell electric cars. Due to the legal issue, Ford implemented a series of updates to its EV certification program. These include a reduction in the number of chargers that dealers are required to install, updated deadlines, and cheaper training costs, as noted in a Ford Authority report.
In a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Michael Martinez of Automotive News noted that around 400 Ford dealers have dropped out of the EV certification program since the initial enrollment numbers were shared by the automaker. Martinez also noted that Ford wants dealers to carry little inventory, so plans are underway to create retail replenishment centers.
“Almost 400 dealers have dropped out of the program since initial enrollment figures were shared. Ford wants EV dealers to carry little inventory, so it’s planning for them to restore stock through “retail replenishment centers,” Martinez wrote in a post on X.
While Ford’s electric vehicles like the Mustang Mach-e and the F-150 Lightning have been attracting stellar reviews from consumers and reviewers alike, the company’s EV program has been hitting some roadblocks as of late. Just last month, Ford noted that it would be delaying or canceling about $12 billion of its own planned EV-related investments. Facilities like the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site and the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky were also affected.
