2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Gets a Series of Teasers
The waiting is the hardest part, as Tom Petty sang. Ask the eager Tesla Model 3 owners who waited years for their reservations to become reality. Ford is going through the same period of suspended animation while 50,000 reservation holders shelter-in-place and eagerly scan for news for updates on when the Mustang Mach-E will arrive. The earliest models are promised before the end of the year (though maybe not for the U.S.), but the bulk of orders won’t be delivered until early 2021.
In the meantime, Ford has been dribbling out teasers on its first foray into mass-market electric vehicles–the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. First up was a video of the Mach-E doing cold weather testing. Snow much fun!
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The Ford Mustang Mach-E’s all-wheel drive system has been a popular choice with those reserving the car. Ford engineers did their testing at the Smithers Winter Test Center in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Airborne Upgrades
Taking a cue from Tesla, Ford next announced that the Mach-E would be capable of over-the-air (OTA) updates for its software system. The company promised that many updates could take place in under two minutes and be essentially transparent to the car owner.
Ford engineers have been working from home to perfect OTA
The secure updates will use the Ford Sync communications and entertainment system and its cloud-connected capability to provide performance enhancements, new features and updates to the Sync system itself. The updates will able to be scheduled by customers so they can take place at a convenient time when the vehicle is not in use. The first updates are expected to roll out with six months of the Mach-E being delivered to customers.
Ford’s expanding OTA capability to other vehicles in its lineup as well starting this year. One challenge Ford engineers have had is developing and testing the OTA system during the pandemic. Working remotely, engineers developed systems to be able to access and reprogram vehicle modules, keeping the technology process moving forward.
Charging Ahead
The first question for electric car adopters is—where can I charge it? That’s usually followed by—how long with it take. Ford’s aware of these customer concerns and has answers for both questions.
Charging starts at home
Ford’s hooked up with Amazon for installation of Ford Connected Charge home charging stations. Those Level 2 (240-volt) systems will handle most drivers’ needs. Ford Mustang Mach-E owners, through the FordPass Charging Network, will also have access to the Electrify America network of DC fast-chargers and other chargers, encompassing 13,500 stations and almost 40,000 plugs nationwide.
To reinforce the convenience of on-road fast-charging, Ford did some tests with the Mach-E after working on improving its charging speed. Using a 350-kilowatt Electrify American DC fast-charger, Ford was able to add 61 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging. The test model Ford used was a Mach-E with rear-wheel drive and the extended-range battery. The charging time represented a 30 percent improvement compared to previous estimates. Ford even showed some of the quick trips you could take with a fast charge like that.
Oh, the places you will be able to go
Going from 10 percent state-of-charge to 80 percent takes 38 minutes on the same DC fast-charging station. As most EV drivers know, the last 20 percent of charge tends to take longer than charging from a lower level. The Mach-E is expected to have 210-to-230-mile range for the standard range model (the difference is between AWD and RWD models) and up to 300 miles of range in the extended-range models.
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