Ford acquires Electriphi, a charging management and fleet monitoring software for EV

Ford announced it is acquiring Electriphi, a California-based provider of charging management and fleet monitoring software for electric vehicles. Electriphi’s team and services will be integrated into Ford Pro –a new global business within Ford committed to commercial customer productivity and to developing the most advanced charging and energy management experiences.

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.

“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,” said Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis. “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 estimates that the depot charging industry will grow to over 600,000 full-size trucks and vans by 2030. This acquisition supports Pro’s target to capture over $1 billion of revenue from charging by 2030.

The Electriphi acquisition comes as Ford prepares for the launch of all-electric versions of two of the world’s most popular, high-volume commercial vehicles – the Transit van and F-150 pickup. Ford will start shipping E-Transit to customers later this year; F-150 Lightning Pro will be available in spring 2022.

“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,” said Electriphi CEO and co-founder Muffi Ghadiali. “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’s team of more than 30 employees has developed and deployed a purpose-built electric vehicle fleet and charging management platform that simplifies fleet electrification, saves energy costs, and tracks key operational metrics like real-time status of vehicles, chargers and maintenance services. The team 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.

“Ford Pro is focused on helping commercial customers work better and smarter, with greater productivity and connectivity backed by trusted durability,” said Cannis. “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.”

Electriphi’s charging platform will complete the purpose-built, charging ecosystem services for commercial customers, including employee home charging, public charging and e-telematics solutions. From charging installation to operations, Ford has customers covered end to end. Customers in North America can sign up for Electriphi charge management services now at electriphi.ai. Ford Pro plans on making these services available in Europe at a later date.

The Electriphi acquisition is expected to close this month. Terms are not being disclosed. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as Ford’s financial advisor in connection with this transaction.

Ford Pro – redefining, unlocking commercial customer value
Ford Pro, a key part of the Ford+ plan for growth and value creation, will deliver work-ready vehicles, products and services including:

• Ford Pro vehicles – Ford’s broad lineup of combustion-engine and hybrid commercial vehicles and, soon, all-electric versions of the company’s industry-leading vans and full-size pickup trucks developed for commercial use
• Ford Pro charging – hardware and software solutions for public, depot and overnight home charging of electric vehicles so they’re ready to work again the next day
• Ford Pro intelligence – digital services, with distinct features integrated in vehicles that enable customers to better manage and maintain their fleets
• Ford Pro Services Elite – expanding Ford’s strong network of commercial vehicle centers by adding 120 dedicated, large-bay service hubs across the United States with extended hours and rapid turnaround, plus introducing 1,200 mobile service vehicles by 2025
• Ford Pro FinSimple – bundled financing for vehicles, services and electric vehicle charging

Some elements of Ford Pro commercial services already have been introduced and are now being expanded in Europe, among them the recently launched Ford Fleet Management and FORDLiive. The latter is a connected uptime system expected to reduce downtime of customer fleets by up to 60%. Such enhanced services are generating higher levels of customer satisfaction, loyalty and growth for Ford.

In addition to expected benefits for customers, Ford Pro’s ambitions for itself are significant. The company anticipates its growing capabilities and appeal to generate $45 billion in revenue from hardware and adjacent and new services by 2025 – up from $27 billion in 2019. In North America, Ford’s share of Class 1 through Class 7 full-size trucks and vans exceeds 40%. In Europe, Ford has been the leading commercial vehicle brand for six consecutive years.