After Ford announced mandatory upgrades to dealerships that want to sell electric vehicles (EVs), and now the company is pushing back its deadline for dealers to decide on the investment.
Ford is delaying the deadline for dealers to decide whether to add charging hardware and more at dealerships by about a month, as detailed in a report from Automotive News.
The upgrades could cost dealerships up to $1.2 million, and the original deadline of October 31 has been delayed until December 2 to give retailers more time to mull the changes over.
“We value our relationship with our dealers and have decided to provide additional time for dealers who have not yet decided or asked for more time,” said Ford spokesperson Marty Gunsberg.
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While Gunsberg declined to state how many dealers have opted into the program, the spokesperson also added that Ford will provide specific figures after the enrollment period.
Similarly, the Ford-owned company Lincoln is planning an investment of about $900 million in a comparable program, with dealers selling both needing to opt-into both programs.
Ford dealers have two-tier options with varying investment levels to join the program and continue sellings EVs. The funding is set to help dealerships build EV chargers on-site, as well as providing additional staff training for the new technology.
