The Ford Mustang Mach-E: A Digital Native’s Electric Dream
Natalie Merola
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I’m so ready for an electric car.
But it’s got to look like something that I want to spend time in every day. Young, progressive tech minded people are thinking alike: we are ready to get behind the wheel of an electric car. But it has to be affordable and able to go the distance. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, priced from $43,000 and with a range of 300 miles on a full charge, is poised to capture your attention.
“The Mach-E is great for those who have graduated college and still love the Mustang DNA, but have different needs now,” Mark Kaufman, Ford’s global director of electrification said. Those who have grown up in the Mustang coupe may now be married and have one or two kids, and need to accommodate more passengers and more stuff. The Mach-E will soon deliver that with the style and performance that made us all love the Mustang in the first place.
Modernizing the old-school Mustang, which for 50 years has treated people to high performance and its iconic body shape, the Mach-E is the Mustang of the future: A 5-passenger SUV with an electric motor and promising the DNA that Mustang lovers love. Ford will build the Mach-E with 459 horsepower, so close to the 500 HP that the Mustang 5.0 delivers, and is fast, promising a performance of 0-60 MPH in 3 seconds.
The interior of the Mustang Mach-E features a simple driver information screen and an oversized center screen. ? Ford
And, with pricing starting at about $43,000 and it is expected to top out in the $50K range (and offset by the $7,500 federal EV tax credit), Mach-E will be the instant competitor to the Tesla Y and provide an accessible counterbalance to the more expensive tech-forward electric SUVs such as the Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace and the Porsche Taycan.
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Plugging in the Mustang Mach-E is designed to be fast and easy. ? Ford
The Future of Car Ownership… Redefined
We’ve learned lately about how to buy a car without going to a car dealer–the contactless experience that the COVID-19 pandemic has *inspired* the auto industry to invent. And, the Mach-E will continue the contactless journey if that’s what customers want. You can reserve your Mach-E online (a $500 deposit is required), or you can visit the dealership for a test drive and to handle the paperwork in person. Many dealers will deliver a car for a test drive, and even deliver the paperwork, the car and the key when you finalize the sale.
Then, owners will find that Ford’s ‘over the air update’ system to upgrade the Mach-E’s software will take place when it’s most convenient: when it’s sitting in your garage. Owners won’t have to visit the dealership for this. For maintenance that needs to be done in person– air filter and tire rotations– the schedule is once a year. So you’ll have more time on the road, less time waiting for your car to be returned to you.
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The “frunk” in the Mustang Mach-E. ? Ford
The Beauty of an Electric Car: Tech Integration, Inside and Out
Ford realized that EV buyers are early adopters, tech fans and have high expectations–including a lot of cutting edge technology, Mark Kaufman told us. So, Ford not only developed some innovative features that advance the electric car ownership experience, but they filled the interior of the car with lots of great tech, too.
Mach-E owners will find the Ford Pass app to be an important part of managing their car. You’ll be able to analyze your charge level and available driving range. And, you’ll be able to use other apps, like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which many of us are already used to, as well as apps to manage systems in the car like navigation and entertainment. The Mach-E infotainment system will display all those apps on a large screen on the center of the dashboard, and the system will learn what you use the most, adapting its organization to your preferences automatically: it will seamlessly add those apps to the bottom of the screen for easy access so they are always at your fingertips.
And speaking of those over the air updates for the software? The system will also update the apps on your infotainment center.
To manage your battery and electric usage, Ford Pass will let you quickly find charging stations with available plugs. More charging stations, in fact. While Ford’s research shows that 90% of charging will be done at home, having a ready and reliable network of charge stations is key to people’s confidence; you want to know that you won’t get stuck out on the road with a dead battery. So the company is building a network of 13,500 public electric charging stations across the country and in all, there will be 40,000 plugs. These stations will also offer fast charging, delivering up to 61 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging.
But you’re not limited to using Ford’s charge stations, unlike *some* other electric cars. You can use ChargePoint or other charge stations without setting up accounts and payment systems with those providers. Ford’s streamlined system allows owners to use Ford Pass to charge at any station; fees will be centralized to your Ford account.
And, for the 90% of charging that is done at home? Ford is offering Mach-E owners a hassle-free charge station that can be installed at home; this charges at a rate of 30 miles of range per hour.
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A rear view of the Mustang Mach-E shows the iconic tail lights and the new SUV shape. ? Ford
Meet the Mach-E in Spring 2021. We Can’t Wait
Buyers still have a year or so to go to meet the Mach-E. It’s expected to roll out to dealers in the Spring of 2021. But until then, expect to see more details and photos from this electric SUV. And we’re willing to wait for affordable luxury. “What you’re getting is exactly what you’d expect: there’s more space than a Porsche Macan. The SUV looks sleek and fast, but [the rear seats are] a 60/40 split, and the back cargo area has a lift gate” for even more space, Mark Kaufman said. It makes sense if you need an SUV and want the same performance of a Mustang, but now, you’re getting the affordable, electric, luxury all wheel drive SUV that has the looks and the features to match the feeling and emotion this classic car inspires.