Ford’s L2 chargers in Dover, DE recently got the attention of many EV enthusiasts especially as they seemed to look similar to Tesla Superchargers. From the over the shape to the cutout, and the middle cutouts seemed only for aesthetic purposes. The long charging cables were stored inside the charging point. Also, these Superchargers received critic from Tesla Product Design Director Javier Verdura who designed the Tesla charging stalled.
The similarity is so much similar that only the size and color of the chargers seem different. While some may argue that the Tesla design executive was unnecessarily throwing shade at a competitor, such practices are not uncommon at all. Ford’s own executives throw shade at Tesla all the time. Just recently, for example, Ford North America Product Communications Director Mike Levine posted a photo of a red Ford F-150 Lightning parked in front of Tesla’s California headquarters at 3500 Deer Creek Road in Palo Alto. The image was a simple jest, though it does suggest — and highlight — that the F-150 Lightning would likely beat Tesla’s own electric pickup truck to market.
Ford: Can I copy your homework? Tesla: Yeah just change it up a bit so it doesn’t look obvious you copied Ford: Ok pic.twitter.com/GEsROGHegj
— Maciek (@therealmaciek) November 23, 2021
Tesla Product design director’s critic
Alumni from the Art Center College of Design, Verdura is one of Tesla’s most esteemed designers, standing side by side with Chief of Design Franz von Holzhausen. Verdura is a giant in the product design sphere, winning some of the industry’s most prestigious awards such as the Red Dot, IDEA, and Good Design over his tenure.
And by fancy you mean disingenuous, unnecessarily large, poorly executed knock-off of our design
— Javier Verdura (@JVerdura) November 23, 2021
Being the person behind the Tesla Supercharger’s design, the executive did not mince words when commenting on the design of Ford’s Level 2 AC chargers. In a sharp critique, Verdura noted that Ford’s chargers were “disingenuous, unnecessarily large, poorly executed knock-off of our design.” This might seem harsh, but it is quite accurate. Considering that the stations are Level 2 chargers, after all, Ford could have made them far smaller and sleeker, similar to Tesla’s own L2 chargers.
Credits- Teslarati
