The Road Trip Believer: This Ford Employee is Electrifying the Customer Experience

Robert Hayes’ journey with electric vehicles began not in an office or on the factory floor, but behind the wheel.

After Hayes spent years as a Ford engineer working on everything from climate control systems to powertrain strategy, a benchmarking drive in an electric vehicle sparked an unexpected passion. The silent power, the instant torque – it was a revelation.

After receiving his Mustang Mach-E, Hayes embarked on a personal odyssey: racking up 70,000 miles across North America over the course of three years.

These weren’t just leisurely drives, though Hayes made sure to squeeze in trips to plenty of national parks. They were rigorous tests, pushing the limits of his vehicle and his own understanding of the broader electric vehicle landscape – all on his personal time, before Hayes had even joined Ford’s Model e team.

His extensive road-tripping highlighted a crucial need: a more seamless and reliable public charging experience. While Hayes loved the thrill of the open road in his Mustang Mach-E, he also encountered many of the frustrations that other early adopter electric vehicle drivers often faced when charging away from home.

This first-hand experience fueled a desire to make a tangible difference, leading him to seek out roles within Ford focused on improving the public electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Though he initially aimed for a position where he could help tackle charging reliability, Hayes’ deep understanding of customer needs, honed through countless conversations with fellow electric vehicle drivers during his travels, shone through during his interview, catching the attention of Ford’s customer experience team.

“Mapping out chargers and routes was always a fun game for me,” said Hayes. “That game has obviously been made quite a bit easier with the BlueOval Charge Network doing most of the work for me, but it’s no less enjoyable.

"I like to visit a variety of chargers on my trips – everything from a free Level 2 charger at a local grocery store to new Tesla Supercharger locations to really get a good idea of the charging landscape today."

His deep passion – both for electric vehicles and those who drive them – unexpectedly led to an opportunity to join Ford’s Model e team, focusing on the customer experience of public charging.

This move was a perfect fit for Hayes, allowing him to leverage his technical background as a Ford engineer, alongside his intense passion for electrification, to directly help improve the experiences of other electric vehicle drivers.

Hayes’ approach is uniquely personal. He doesn’t just analyze data; he lives the electric vehicle lifestyle. He’s electrified his entire home, installing solar panels to power his recently acquired F-150 Lightning, and even replaced his gas furnace with a heat pump. This commitment allows him to authentically address customer concerns, drawing on his own experiences to help dispel common misconceptions about what living with an electric vehicle is actually like.

“People say, ‘an electric vehicle just wouldn’t work for me' – I’m here to prove them wrong,” said Hayes. "I’ve done everything from cross-country road trips to city driving to an 1800-mile loop north of the Arctic Circle in an electric vehicle. When people are skeptical, I can speak from personal experience.”

Hayes' role focuses on making public charging less daunting. He understands the anxieties surrounding vehicle range and the desire for convenient charging options while on the road, acknowledging the ease and familiarity of home charging.

His goal is to bridge that gap, helping to ensure that public charging feels as straightforward and reliable as plugging in at home. He actively seeks feedback from customers, and input is used to help refine Ford’s charging strategy, making it easier for everyone to embrace the electric vehicle experience.

“I don't want anyone to say that there's a limit to what they can do with their electric vehicle. These are go-anywhere, do-anything vehicles, so my mission is to share that feeling with our customers.”