Ford is readying itself for commercial vehicle electrification, announcing recently that it will be acquiring a California-based provider of charging management and fleet monitoring software for electric vehicles.
In a statement, Ford said that it will integrate Electriphi’s team and services into Ford Pro — a new global business within the company to develop advanced charging and energy management experiences. The acquisition is set to close this month.
“While more commercial vehicle customers are considering all-electric vehicles, charging management remains a hurdle to mass adoption. Ford Pro plans on leveraging its leadership position in the commercial vehicle market, its vehicle offerings and Electriphi’s technology to help customers with this transition,” the company said in a statement.
Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis noted the commercial customers’ need for depot charging options.
“As commercial customers add electric vehicles to their fleets, they want depot charging options to make sure they’re powered up and ready to go to work every day,” Cannis was quoted as saying. “With Electriphi’s existing advanced technology IP in the Ford Pro electric vehicles and services portfolio, we will enhance the experience for commercial customers and be a single-source solution for fleet-depot charging.”
Ford Pro estimated that, by 2030, the depot charging industry will grow to over 600,000 full-size trucks and vans. Ford’s acquisition of Electriphi supports Pro’s target to capture over US$1 billion of revenue from charging by then.
Aside from that, the American automaker said that the Electriphi acquirement will be complementing the launching of the Transit van and F-150 pickup. Ford said that it will start shipping E-Transit to customers later this year; the F-150 Lightning Pro will be available in 2022.
Electriphi CEO and co-founder Muffi Ghadiali claimed that the move will help commercial customers to experience better business in using an electrified fleet.
“Customers have been clear — electrification of their fleets is inevitable, with significant economic and sustainability benefits. They now need solutions that enable a seamless transition to electric vehicles,” he said.
“Our synergies with Ford Pro will supercharge this transition. We’ll delight customers by helping them reap the benefits of electrification, so they can focus on what matters most — running their businesses effectively.”
Based in Silicon Valley, Electriphi — which is made up of more than 30 employees — has developed and deployed a purpose-built electric vehicle fleet and charging management platform. The benefits that it offers are:
The company also brings deep expertise in charging infrastructure, commercial electric vehicles, and enterprise software, “with a proven record of reliably providing services to government, commercial businesses, energy utilities and OEMs.”
Meanwhile, Cannis said that they are “focused on helping commercial customers work better and smarter, with greater productivity and connectivity backed by trusted durability.”
Cannis added, “Bringing Electriphi on board is the last component to complete Ford Pro’s strategy to establish a commanding leadership position in the software space and build out our full-service stack to create an always-on relationship with the commercial customer.”
For now, Electriphi’s charging platform solutions are offered in North America and will be introduced to Europe at a later date.
Photos from Ford
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