Editor-in-chief on YouTube channel Pickup Truck Plus SUV Talk Jill Ciminillo, got their hands on the all-new Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. She enjoyed the opportunity to take it on a winter road trip through Chicago and Wisconsin.
During the long drive, Jill discusses the Mustang Mach-E as a whole, with a primary focus on its range and how it performs, plus a bit of snow testing. She also shares the positives and negatives of the trip. She says if you live in the northern states and you plan to buy an electric car, this is a video you should watch. Hmm, what went wrong?
We always try to guess what to expect when it comes to these videos. We recommend that you also bet. Maybe the Ford had much less range than Jill expected, the charging infrastructure was limited and some charging stations were not working? Any other guesses before we dive in? Keep in mind that the folks on this YouTube channel don’t appear to be EV owners and most of the content pertains to gas-powered trucks and SUVs.
Right away, Jill notes that the Mach-E only shows about 180 miles of range with a full charge. It resets the crossover computer because the estimated range is partly based on the previous driver’s driving habits. After resetting, it shows 223 miles, which is still less than the EPA’s estimated range of 250 miles, but this is due to the cold Chicago weather.
As expected, the cold weather limits the range of the Mach-E, but not significantly. Instead, highway driving and constant high speed are the main culprits. Jill still feels pretty good about the Mustang’s range. Her husband – who says he would never drive a car that doesn’t have a manual transmission and he’s not interested in an electric car – would be okay with the Mach-E. Even in winter, he wouldn’t have any fear of the range if he was driving in one direction 70 or 80 miles for work.
The real problem that Jill is facing has to do with charging. She takes the time to take the Mach-E to a public charging station and only adds about 1% in 45 minutes. She realizes that she actually used more energy just driving to the station, but she doesn’t have a level 2 charger at home.
Jill reminds people considering an electric car that having a level 2 home charging system is critical. Plugging into its standard outlet would take 96 hours to fully charge the Mach-E. With a Level 2 system, that time drops to approximately 11 to 14 hours. Obviously, this is something that many of our readers are aware of, but you have to remember that there are brand new readers every day and many people who watch these videos have no idea about electric vehicles. We are happy that Jill is clear about the charging situation.
Watch the video for all the details. Then scroll down and leave your takeaways in the comment section below.