September 1, 2026 · Updated October 9, 2026 · EV Charger Install Hub

Ford Power Promise Free Charger: What's Actually Covered (and What Isn't)

Ford's Power Promise is one of the few remaining ways to get a home EV charger installed at no cost — which matters more now that the federal 30C tax credit expired on June 30, 2026. Buyers choose between a complimentary Level 2 charge station with standard installation, or $2,000 in bonus cash.

The catch is in the word standard. Plenty of homes need work that falls outside it, and that portion is still yours to pay. Here is what the offer covers, where the line sits, and how to find out which side of it your house is on.

What You Get

The Power Promise is a choice, not a bundle. Eligible buyers take either:

• A complimentary Level 2 home charge station plus complimentary standard installation, carried out by Qmerit Electrification LLC, Ford's installation partner; or
• $2,000 in bonus cash toward the vehicle instead.

Which one is worth more depends entirely on what your home needs. A straightforward installation in an attached garage is comfortably under $2,000, so the cash can be the better deal. An install needing a panel upgrade and a trenched run can exceed it — but the promotion would not have covered those parts anyway. That is the calculation this article is here to help you make.

The F-150 Lightning Is Not Included in the Current Round

The July 7 to September 30, 2026 extension applied to the Mustang Mach-E only. Ford announced in December 2025 that production of the current F-150 Lightning ends, and the truck was left out of this round.

This is a change, not a constant. Earlier rounds of the Power Promise did cover the Lightning — model year 2025 buyers were eligible, and the benefit was described at the time in terms of a capped contribution toward Qmerit-coordinated labor rather than the 60A / 80-foot scope quoted for the current Mach-E round. If you are reading about the program on an older page, check which model year and which round it refers to before assuming the terms still apply.

If you own a Lightning, or bought one from remaining stock, the home charging installation is an ordinary out-of-pocket cost. The truck's large battery makes Level 2 charging effectively mandatory — see our F-150 Lightning charger installation guide for what that typically runs.

Where "Standard Installation" Stops

Ford's standard installation is generous but bounded. It covers a circuit of up to 60 amps, roughly 80 feet of wiring, and the tie-in to your meter. It excludes permitting costs and fees outright.

In practice, four things push a job past standard:

• A panel or service upgrade. If your existing panel has no spare capacity for a 240V circuit, it has to be upgraded first. This is the single most common overage and the most expensive.
• Trenching or underground conduit. Detached garages, carports, and driveway parking away from the house need a buried run, which standard installation assumes you do not need.
• Long wiring runs. Past the standard allowance, the additional distance is billed to you — older houses where the panel sits far from the parking spot are the usual case.
• Permit fees. Excluded explicitly. These vary widely by municipality.

None of this makes the offer a bad one. It means the free installation covers the common case, and the further your home sits from that case, the more of the bill stays with you.

How to Tell Which Side of the Line You're On

You can narrow it down before anyone visits. Check three things:

• Your panel's amperage and spare breaker slots. The main breaker is labeled — 100A, 150A, or 200A. A 100A panel in a home with electric heat, an electric range, or an electric water heater is the most likely to need upgrading.
• The distance from your panel to where you park. Pace it. Comfortably inside 80 feet with a clear indoor route is the good case.
• Whether the run crosses open ground. If it does, expect trenching, and expect to pay for it.

If all three look favourable, the promotion likely covers your installation end to end. If any one of them does not, get a number on the uncovered work before you choose between the charger and the $2,000.

The Wider Picture After June 30

Home charging economics changed this summer. The federal Section 30C credit, which covered 30% of equipment and installation costs up to $1,000, expired for property placed in service after June 30, 2026 — so manufacturer promotions like this one, and state and utility rebates, are now the remaining ways to reduce the cost. Utility rebates commonly run a few hundred dollars per Level 2 charger and are unaffected by the federal change.

Worth noting: Ford has extended the Power Promise several times, but the terms have not been constant between rounds. The F-150 Lightning's removal in this extension is the clearest example. Treat the current window as the current window.

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