The Mustang Mach-E is the exciting shape of the electric future

[Zorro]

Ford just unveiled its first EV and it’s stunning. Called the Mustang Mach-E it appears to get a lot of things right. From the branding to little surprises, the Mustang Mach-E looks to be a hit.

“We knew we had to do something different and something exciting and something only Ford could do,” Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford North America said at a press event prior to the Sunday unveiling. I think she’s right. The Mustang Mach-E is the ideal shape of the mass-produced electric future. Henry Ford would be proud. This is an electric car for the masses.

It starts with branding. I hate it. The car guy in me is sad that a Mustang will soon be available in a four-door version. And electric. And lifted. That’s not a Mustang, I want to say. A Mustang is a sports car. And yet a Mustang is an affordable, reliable vehicle, and that’s exactly why Ford is calling its first EV a Mustang.

Branding is critical for the electric future. Ford is using an established brand that resonates with buyers. Look for this again and again as car companies unveil an electric version of current and past vehicles. An electric Ford F-150 and an electric Jeep Cherokee.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/18/the-mustang-mach-e-is-the-exciting-shape-of-the-electric-future/

[Ilsa]

1. It's a beautiful car.

Looking forward to seeing more E-cars on the road.

[Codeine]

2. That story may be the most illiterate

piece of “professional” writing I’ve ever encountered.

That aside, the car looks nice.

[Bonx]

3. Looks like an old Honda Crosstour

yuck.

[Cartoonist]

4. Where's the pic?

[Codeine]

5. Here's a decent shot;

[sdfernando]

6. Doesn't look much like a Mustang.

There are some styling queues for sure but I wouldn't call it a Mustang. It could end up being a mistake to name it a Mustang.


....Why not use a name they have on their backburner??? I don't think "Edsel" is being used currently.

[Codeine]

12. Edsel!

That would be a ballsy move.

[sdfernando]

13. If you go to the Ford website this sits under the SUV page! /NT

[Volaris]

22. That's not a mustang, then. Looks more like a 2020 Pinto...

[LuvNewcastle]

23. Mustang II

[SammyWinstonJack]

18. LOL!

[Codeine]

11. Compact crossover.

One of the most popular formats on the market, or so I’m told. I like the small size and raised seating position of the style.

[Blue_true]

24. What is the 0-60 time interval?

When unmarried men reach 60, life presents them with two dilemmas, marry a 22 year old or buy a muscle car. I am looking at the latter.

[CentralMass]

26. 0 to 60 is supposed to be in the mid 5 second range for the AWD models.

https://www.theverge.com/transportation/2019/11/17/20967565/ford-mustang-mach-e-electric-suv-specs-price-la-auto-show-2019

"Both AWD versions of the Premium Mustang Mach-E are supposed to be able to get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in the mid-five second range, while the RWD versions sit in the mid sixes."

[Blue_true]

27. Wow. That is much better than the Cobra.

But once out of the blocks, the Cobra would likely peel the paint off of it. Cars like the Cobra are for long weekend drives on the interstate.

I will take a look at the E-Stang, though.

[doc03]

28. I read that there is a GT option of 459HP/612 torgue that will do 0-60 in the

3.5 second range.

[CentralMass]

30. Nice .

[msongs]

7. price is $40K nt

[MineralMan]

15. $45k. And that's just one model.

The rest are $50k and up. Too much. For a Ford, especially.

The price point for all of the electrics is too high. I realize that it has to be, but that's going to slow down adoption of these cars in numbers high enough to fund all the charging stations that will be needed.

People who drop $50k or more on a car expect luxury appointments. In the electrics, the money goes into batteries and technology.

The range is also an issue. The best ranges for those Fords are about 300 miles. Just about every gasoline-fueled car on the road can do closer to 400 miles these days, and a fill-up take 10 minutes, max, if you count a potty break in there.

At about 225 miles, drivers will start worrying about finding a charging station, and start looking at their phones for a map to one. Then, when they get to one, what do they do while their car is charging? Shop? Eat? What? And what if all the charging stations are in use? What then.

Here's the thing: These days, given roads, speeds, and driver comfort, a typical long road trip day will be 5-600 miles. If a car can't provide that range, it simply won't get used for road trips. If you could plan your trip with an overnight stop at the end of the day's drive, and could charge while you slept, it would be fine. If you can only drive 300 miles, well, WTF?

And that's just one of the things.

[Liberal In Texas]

25. Well, charging stations right now are an issue.

There aren't enough of them. But more are on the way. And my car (Kia Niro PHEV) has a map program that shows where the nearest charging stations are. I believe most EVs have these. Long trips are why I bought a PHEV as opposed to an e-Niro pure EV. In town, the mileage indicator on my crossover in the summer reads 999/mpg. (In the winter it's less because the Niro runs the heating from the gasoline engine.)

In the very near future there will be faster charging stations so on a long trip you can pull off to the interstate service area and charge to 80% in less than half an hour, about the amount of time it takes to use the restroom and maybe grab a sandwich. 80% is usually considered perfectly acceptable to get to the next charging station. It's the last 20% that increased the time to recharge.

I used to drive frequently between North Texas and Eastern Nebraska in a Chevy TrailBlazer. I always had to refuel in southern Kansas (about 300 mi., total trip was just under 700 mi.) where I would take a restroom break and eat some awful fast food. It took a lot longer than 10 minutes.

The Mustang might seem a bit pricey, but cars are just getting expensive. My 2019 Niro PHEV listed out at about $36K but there was a 2.5K rebate from the state of Texas and a federal tax credit which brought the price down almost $10K.

Tesla has gotten a jump on the charging station problem. There are far more Tesla charging stations available than for non-Tesla vehicles. Plus, Teslas can charge at non-Tesla stations whereas non-Tesla vehicles (like mine) can't charge at a Tesla station.

Certainly by the time my grandchildren are ready to start driving, ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles will seem like dinosaurs. The EV revolution is coming faster than you think. It's just unfortunate that the Luddites (like Deadbeat Donnie) in our current government keep throwing up road blocks.

[MineralMan]

36. You're right about cars getting more expensive, for sure.

However, there are plenty of cars a person can buy in the $20-25k range. Current stats show that the over 55 age group is buying 54% of all new cars. I'd guess most of those folks are not as interested in EVs as younger folks. Younger car buyers are the ones buying the cheap new cars, for the most part. It's not a simple equation, though.

Ford is introducing a plug-in EV that starts at $45k and goes up from there. I'm not sure who the target audience is for that line of vehicles. Your hybrid NIRO makes sense, and is price $10K lower than the lowest price new Ford EV. It's not selling like hotcakes, though, for KIA.

I'm not sure a market segment that will be interested in a Mustang-branded EV exists that is large enough to justify this entire Ford model lineup. Maybe it does, but I'm not really aware of it. That's a possibility. We'll see, sometime in 2020 when the cars are actually available for purchase.

I still see price and driving range as the major limitations for marketing plug-in EVs to American drivers. I think those obstacles are not going to go away, either. The pure EV is a specialty vehicle, I think, in the US market, and will remain so. You bought a hybrid.

[Takket]

8. Yeah I have a Taurus and the MachE looks more like my car lol

[ismnotwasm]

10. A pretty car.

Also, a glimpse of the future. Not being a car nerd, I’m fine with calling it a Mustang.

[Baclava]

14. An all electric SUV starting out at $44,000 base price, if you are in the market for that

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/18/forget-ford-v-ferrari-ford-targets-tesla-with-mustang-mach-e.html

[MineralMan]

16. I love that second photo! Here's the conversation that's going on

outside, behind that car:

She: "Where are we? Out in the middle of nowhere? Where's the charging station?"

He: "It's just another 100 miles, That's what the map says."

She: "Uh-huh...over those mountains?"

He: "Don't sweat it. We'll make it."

She: "Uh-huh..."

I know that road, actually. I know exactly where they are. Good luck.

[Baclava]

19. Same as Tesla though, u have to spend another $15K for 300 mi range bigger battery

Hybrids are still better deal if u ask me

[StarryNite]

17. It looks nothing like my Fox style 1990 Mustang GT

but hey, I'm cool with it! I do love my Mustang though! I'm the second owner, I've had it 20 years!

[maveric]

20. It looks nothing like my 2006 GT.

I don’t care for the new style.

[Celerity]

21. 2006 GT

nice car

pricey still (like 10 or so times the cost of that base Mach-E)

[maveric]

29. It's a Mustang GT.

Not the beautiful machine you spoke of. I wish I had a “GT”.

[Celerity]

31. ahhh, ok, sorry for my misunderstanding

[rockfordfile]

32. Don't care for ford. Henry Ford was antisemitic traitor to out country.

Henry Ford was a Nazi supporter

[912gdm]

34. ffs.

......I cant......

[Maru Kitteh]

35. He's also very dead.

[Maru Kitteh]

33. I. WANT. ONE.