2021 Mach-E: The gamble of taking the Mustang electric

With the announcement of the Mustang Mach-E coming to market late in 2020, the internet has been buzzing. An electric Mustang is enough to create a stir but this is also the first four-door and all-wheel-drive Mustang. Some are saying it isn’t a true Mustang, but regardless of what you think of its name, the Mach-E certainly is an amazing vehicle, filled with the latest technology. When it hits the market later next year, it is sure to prove itself with it’s performance.

The Mustang Mach-E will come in several models: First Edition and Premium models will be available late in 2020. The Select and California Route 1 models hit the road in early 2021 and the GT Performance Edition will come in the spring of 2021.

Still a Mustang

Regardless of model, they share some key components. The California Route 1 has rear drive only. All others get two permanent magnet electric motors for all-wheel drive. The front motor module contains a 50 kilowatt electric motor, an inverter module and the computer controls to regulate the system operation. Compact in size, the front motor module is only about 64 cm wide, 46 cm long and 41 cm deep. The rear module contains a 210-kilowatt motor and an inverter module. When the GT model arrives, the front motor will also be a 210-kilowatt motor, which will give it over 600 lb.-ft. of torque and 0 to 60 mph times in the mid three-second range. Power from electric motors is instantaneous, so throttle response is immediate when driving.

Power comes from lithium ion battery cells assembled in modules beneath the floor of the passenger compartment. Protected by a perimeter structure and only a few cms thick, battery packs are built in standard- and extended-range configurations. The standard-range battery has 288 cells and puts out 75.7 kWh energy, while the extended-range battery has 376 cells with 98.8 kWh energy. That is enough energy to provide an estimated 325-kilometre range with the standard battery and 425-kilometre range with the extended-range battery.

There is an eight-year/160,000 km warranty on the batteries and, if necessary, service would involve exchanging one of the battery modules (there were 10 battery modules on the battery pack on display at the Mach-E reveal). The battery pack is heated and cooled as required to maximize performance and battery life with a plate beneath the cells that uses a liquid heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is also connected to the passenger compartment to help provide temperature control inside the Mach-E.

Charging up

Charging the Mach-E’s batteries at home with either the supplied 110-volt charging cable which provides approximately five kilometres range per hour of charge or the optional 240 volt fast charger for 35 kilometres per hour of charge will be fast enough for most owners. Ford is partnering with companies across the country to provide fast-charging service to Mach-E owners and the high power 48 amp charging stations provide over 50 kilometres range per hour of charge.

The powertrain design enables other features on the Mach-E. The flat floor provides good foot room and excellent headroom even for tall passengers. The motor modules are compact and leave enough space in front for a storage compartment that can hold a carry-on suitcase and a couple back packs in addition to the normal storage under the rear hatch.

Ford engineers tell me they are still perfecting programming for the power split between the independent front and rear motors so they will provide optimum traction for all road conditions, but a ride in the proto-type Mach-E proved the all-wheel drive not only helps acceleration but also performed well through a tight slalom course. While most drivers never drive a slalom course, it shows how the traction can be applied while cornering, and the Mach-E has excellent traction. With the battery pack in the floor, there is a low centtr of gravity which improves handling. There is almost no body roll even on fast corners.

Ford will have invested more than $11 billion into electrification by 2022 and the Mustang Mach-E is a milestone in the Ford saga. It leads the way into a new world of driving. The Mach-E didn’t need the Mustang name to make this an exceptional vehicle but it can perform like a Mustang, and naming it a Mustang is marketing genius. What name brings more memories to drivers? Like imagination, the potential of this new Mach-E design is limitless.