Ford Motor Co. is developing a novel idea to train its retail network on how to properly sell and service electric vehicles: take them back to school.
The automaker and its dealer council plan to launch an initiative called Electric University, a multiday educational program operated near Ford’s Dearborn, Mich., headquarters that would give salespeople, service technicians and parts department staffers a crash course on all things EV.
“We’re going to be able to send our people and immerse them in the world of electrification,” Tim Hovik, Ford’s National Dealer Council chairman, told Automotive News. “This really is a transformative time in history. Everything we’ve ever done before … this is a different world.”
While the details haven’t been settled, Hovik said the program likely would include in-person classes covering everything from an EV’s performance capabilities vs. internal combustion vehicles to ancillary ownership benefits such as mobile power generation.
The idea, Hovik said, was partly inspired by the early popularity of Ford’s Bronco Off-Roadeos, four locations around the country where new Bronco owners can go to learn how to drive properly on various kinds of terrain. Before the programs opened to customers late last year, Ford hosted dealers at the Off-Roadeo outside Austin, Texas, so they could take turns behind the wheel.
Hovik said the company and council realized they needed something similar given Ford’s lofty EV sales goals and the intense competition in the space.
“We absolutely are going to have to do a phenomenal job to get all of our people up to speed to deliver the world-class experience we do,” Hovik said. “We just need to get a little smarter when it comes to electric.”
A Ford spokeswoman declined to comment on the program, saying specifics were not yet finalized.
It’s unclear when Electric University would launch or how the program might be affected by Ford’s decision to have dealers opt in to sell future EVs under a set of to-be-determined standards.
While specifically branded in-person classes would be new, the idea of Electric University would be in line with efforts under CEO Jim Farley to boost dealer training.
Nick Anderson, general manager of Chuck Anderson Ford in Excelsior Springs, Mo., told Automotive News that the amount of educational materials for new vehicles has increased significantly since Farley took over in late 2020 and as Ford has transformed its portfolio with the Bronco, Maverick and Mustang Mach-E. With the pandemic limiting most in-person gatherings the past couple of years, the company largely has focused its training online.
“Ford’s done a really good job getting all the new information out with online classes or tutorial videos to dealers,” Anderson said. “They’re bringing us more product knowledge information with easier access than ever before.”
Ford has high hopes for EV sales. It has boosted spending on electrification to $50 billion through 2026 and plans to produce 2 million EVs globally by then. It anticipates building 600,000 EVs per year by the end of 2023.
Dealers are selling the Mach-E and E-Transit van, and they’re preparing to start getting shipments of the F-150 Lightning this spring. The automaker also plans electric versions of the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator crossovers expected to go on sale in late 2024.
While dealer training initiatives are not new, Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, said automakers need to think through creative educational approaches because of the profound shift EVs are bringing to the industry.
“The wholesale change from one type of vehicle to another means the sales force needs to know what the buyer is looking for and what their expectations are,” Fiorani said. “This is about changing the mindset of the buyer. They need to know what’s different and how their life will be impacted by their purchase.”