Ford Pro and Atlanta-based energy provider Southern Company said their six-month pilot program demonstrated that managed charging for electric commercial fleets can reduce energy costs, improve grid reliability, and maintain full operational readiness.
The pilot leveraged Southern Company’s fleet of more than 200 Ford F-150® Lightning® trucks and over 150 Level 2 AC Ford Pro Chargers across multiple states. Data collected through Ford Pro Intelligence provided insights into fleet charging patterns, showing that energy use could be shifted into lower-cost periods and aligned with utility grid signals without disrupting fleet operations.
Tom Canada, fleet electrification project manager for Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power, said, “Ford Pro’s energy management algorithm was able to throttle chargers to avoid windows of peak grid demand, shifting charging within the drivers’ existing charging window while still ensuring that drivers got the energy they expected out of a charging session. The insights gleaned from this pilot represent valuable learnings that can be applied to help us manage our electric vehicle fleets more efficiently and help us better advise customers who may approach our electric utilities for advice about managed charging for their fleets.”
The results highlighted nearly a 25% shift of energy into optimal charging windows, a reduction of energy costs by almost one-third, and temporary site-level demand reductions of over 1 megawatt. During specific demand response tests, total fleet charging load dropped by 0.5 megawatts over 30-minute periods, averaging roughly 10 kW of savings per charger.
Ford Pro said the pilot demonstrated how intelligent energy management can provide visibility and control over fleet operations, allowing companies to balance operational needs with grid demands. The trial also showcased the potential for scalable managed charging frameworks, which could inform future EV fleet programs and contribute to broader grid resilience.
By combining vehicle data with software solutions, Ford Pro and Southern Company aim to provide commercial fleets with tools to optimize energy use, reduce costs, and support electricity grid efficiency while maintaining uninterrupted fleet operations.
