MyFord Mobile App Will Show You Where Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Are Located

As oil hits the highest levels since May 4, 2011, and the average price of gas is somewhere in the $1.20 per litre range for Canadians, we are definitely still feeling pain at the pumps. So maybe it’s time to start thinking about purchasing an enivronmentally friendly electric vehicle, which are slowly becoming a reality in the marketplace—most notably in Quebec. 

Montreal and Quebec City have become the charging hotspots in Canada, according to Ford, with over 150 public charging stations between the two cities—and they can be found at big box retailers like Rona and grocery store chains like Metro. Ontario is behind compared to Quebec, but you can find a charging station at Mapleview Mall in Burlington (among other designated locations that you can find on the MyFord Mobile App). 

MyFord Mobile App, which you get with the purchase of a Ford Electric vehicle, offers many features. It allows you to use your smartphone to start up your car and heat it up from a distance, unlock the car, see how electrically charged the car is, shows which public charging stations are available, how much gas you’ve saved by using an electric vehicle, allows you to see who around you also has an electric vehicle on the leaderboard, and allows you to share your achievements via social networks. 

Jeremy Cato of The Globe and Mail reported in mid-July last year that Chairman Bill Ford of Ford Motor Company says that the company plans to have 25% of its fleet electrified by 2020. Ford executives I talked to at the Canadian International Auto Show said that they’ve improved the electric vehicle re-charging technology. You can now charge your car in just three hours, down from seven, and that the new 260V charger also gives you 260km of range, up from the 150km that the old 110V charger did. 

While Ford isn’t the only manufacturer according to Cato that is building electric vehicles, they are certainly pursuing an aggressive strategy in that direction with hybrid (both electrical and gas) and fully electrified vehicles for sale across Canada. In Ontario, consumers are elgible for a $5,000 to $8,500 incentive for purchasing an electric or hybrid vehicle but there aren’t very many public charging stations so it is wise to have your own private ones installed. 

Forbes ranked Ford’s electric vehicles as the 5th and 6th most likely to succeed cars in this niche market back in late August of last year with the Chevrolet Volt taking the top position according to the columnist. The EV may have been shot down over ten years ago as well documented in Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) but is certainly making a comeback in light of higher oil prices and increasing worries about the earth’s supply of crude oil as mankind must find other ways to drive around without consuming gasoline.