When it’s time to charge their cars, Chattanooga Ford owners of the Ford Focus Electric or C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid will find the charge port to be right where they need it, according to Ford. Engineers placed charge ports on the left front fender of these vehicles to ensure the ports were in the best possible place for customer use.
Now, the location of the charge port may seem inconsequential, but a Ford Houston electric vehicle owner is likely to plug in or disconnect his or her car four times a day, or nearly 1,500 times a year. That’s a much higher frequency than filling up a gas tank.
“After benchmarking multiple competitive vehicles, we found there wasn’t much consistency in charge port location,” said Susan Curry, Ford Electrified Vehicle Technology Integration supervisor. “We wanted to give customers a location that made the most sense for them and would seem as simple as filling up at the gas station.”
According to Ford Clovis, Ford engineers relied on market research to determine how customers were expected to charge up. They found that placement in the front could have created problems with customers having to bend down to plug in or out, snow packing, dead insects or debris, and potential damage from car accidents. If the charge port was placed in the rear of the vehicle, it would also be subject to damage from fender benders, and it would be less accessible when trying to connect to a charging station.
“The left front fender location keeps the charge port in sight, before the customer enters or exits the car, for an easy reminder to unplug or recharge,” said Mary Smith, Ford Electrified Vehicle Technology Integration supervisor. “It creates an intuitive placement for owners that also has aesthetic appeal.”
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