Ford says good-bye to Best Buy and pegs AeroVironment as new plug-in EV charger dealer

By Nick Jaynes May 17, 2013

Ford Fusion Energi — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When the Ford C-MAX Energi was launched, Ford had an agreement with Best Buy’s Geek Squad to provide Ford customers with easy installation of 240-volt charging stations in their homes.

Since then, Ford had rolled out several other plug-in-powered cars including the Ford Focus Electric and the Fusion Energi.

Quietly, Ford has penned a new agreement, apparently, with AeroVironment to do the same job.

What happened to the Geek Squad account? We asked Jason Lasecki, Ford EV Communications Manager. “Best Buy decided to transition out of the EVSE Installation business to focus more on their core areas of expertise,” Lasecki said. “AeroVironment has an excellent record of installing stations in residential, commercial and public settings with high quality and attention to detail. It’s a nice fit for Ford.”

To date, AeroVironment has installed over 11,000 charging stations nationwide. Customers interested in ordering from AeroVironment can initiate the process with a single call, though an online system is in the works. Clearly, AeroVironment has its act together as many customers – depending on local regulations and layout of their property – will be able to schedule their charging station install in a single visit.

We were always a bit wary when contracts get moved around like this, and we’re wondering if they got the contract based upon their name rather than expertise. However, AeroVironment seems to be the right step for Ford but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

Cars

Rivian won’t add CarPlay to its cars. It doesn’t need to

Rivian software front-on

Legacy carmakers may have struggled to build new and user-friendly software for their vehicles, but a crop of new car companies have come along with different ideas on how car software should be approached. The likes of Tesla and, more recently, Rivian are just as much tech companies as they are car companies, putting a heavy emphasis on the software in their vehicles and how it can be improved in the wider automotive industry. And traditional carmakers are taking notice. Rivian and Volkswagen just signed a big deal to create next-generation software platforms, a move that’s likely to benefit Volkswagen a whole lot.

So, when Rivian executives constantly get asked about adding CarPlay to their vehicles, it makes sense that the answer is a resounding "no." Rivian has invested in its software, and it doesn’t want to hand over that aspect of the driver experience to the likes of Apple and Google. Customers still regularly ask for CarPlay, but I don’t see Rivian ever adding Apple’s automotive infotainment system. And after test driving a second-generation Rivian R1S for a week, I’m OK with that.

Computing

Figure’s latest robot is already in testing at a BMW plant

The Figure 02 robot looking at its own hand

OpenAI-backed robotics startup Figure unveiled its second-generation bipedal humanoid robot, the Figure 02 (F.02), on Tuesday.

The automaton is being developed to perform menial tasks on factory floors, but the company has hinted that we might be getting robo-butlers sometime soon.

Cars

With 671 hp and physics-defying handling, Mercedes-AMG’s C63 is not your average plug-in

2025 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance front quarter view.

If you want the most technology in your performance car, look no further than the 2025 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance, a plug-in hybrid super sedan that’s as complex as its name is long.

Plug-in hybrids like the C63 are how Mercedes’ legendary AMG performance division aims to achieve modern performance while it continues to develop the tech for true high-performance EVs. While it still burns some gasoline, the 2025 C63 is a big improvement over its predecessor in terms of efficiency, swapping a thirsty V8 engine for one with half the cylinders that's assisted by electric power.