We’re calling Ford’s new discount solar partnership super-sneaky because it takes the competition between electric vehicles and gasmobiles into new territory. Until now, the battle for new car buyer hearts and minds has focused on low-hanging fruit, namely, the car buyers. The new partnership will take embrace the political forces that can help promote EV ownership by accelerating the EV charging infrastructure and reducing the cost of a home solar system.
The new discount solar partnership joins the Sierra Club along with Ford and SunPower to offer a rebate for solar customers, along with a nice chunk of a donation for the Sierra Club for use in its EV advocacy initiatives.
Courtesy of Ford Motor Company.
EV Drivers And Discount Solar
The tight relationship between EV ownership and solar ownership is getting tighter by the minute, one good example being a massive discount solar financing program between SolarCity and Honda. The initiative kicked off last year with a $65 million pot and the two companies just pledged another $50 million.
SunPower and Ford launched their partnership, “Drive Green For Life,” back in 2011. It offered a discount for a 2.5 kilowatt rooftop solar system scaled to the Ford Focus EV. The idea was to provide enough charge for about 1,000 miles of driving monthly. At the time, the cost was estimated at $10,000 after federal tax credits, with much more savings to follow from state and local rebates.
The new discount partnership offers a $750 rebate on a SunPower home solar system, with the added kick that SunPower will donate another $500 to the Sierra Club.
We’re guessing there are also some new tweaks and updates to the solar system since it first launched. On its part, Ford is pitching the system to embrace compatibility with new models aside from the Focus EV, including the C-MAX Energi Plug-In Hybrid and Fusion Energi Plug-In Hybrid.
EV Ownership And EV Advocacy
It’s probably a good bet that most EV early adopters are keenly aware of the need to advocate for more and better EV charging infrastructure as well as more support for alternative energy, but as the EV market goes mainstream it’s going to embrace more potential buyers who aren’t tuned in to the political forces working against new clean tech (we could go on and on, but nvm just Google it).
The Sierra Club hookup is a clever way to bridge that gap, basically by taking all the guesswork out of EV advocacy. You get your EV, your solar system, and your contribution to a powerful environmental lobbying organization all in one fell swoop.
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