Mustang Mach E sets EV world records
Heard the one about John O'Groats to Land's End in an EV? Ford manages 840 miles with only one stop for charging
Of the familiar criticisms often heard about electric vehicles, range is surely the most frequent. Without Superchargers available to everybody else just yet, most EV owners are at the mercy of c. 200-mile motorway ranges and a patchy public network. The confidence a driver needs to take on any long journey is knocked before going anywhere. With a journey, say, from John O'Groats to Land's End, you would understandably be wary of tackling it in an electric car.
But perhaps not for much longer, as Ford has demonstrated just how far an EV can travel with three new Guinness World Records in a Mustang Mach-E. For the 840 miles from the south-west of England to the north-east of Scotland, a RWD Extended Range Mach-E only required 43 minutes and 13 seconds of charging, delivering 6.5 miles per kWh in the process.
With the 88kWh usable battery of the Extended Range, that efficiency meant a theoretical range of 572 miles, against a WLTP claim of 379. The records achieved were for shortest charging time from John O'Groats to Land's End (the previous record was 75 minutes in a Tesla), the lowest energy consumption from John O'Groats to Land's End (which stood at a piffling 1.8 miles/kWh) and fewest charge stops from John O'Groats to Land's End. Which, with just the one, will never be beaten until someone eventually goes the whole hog.
There was no way such records could be set with any Tom, Dick or Harry behind the wheel, so Ford employed the services of drivers with petrol and diesel economy records already on their CV. Quite what sacrifices have to be made to eke 6.5 miles/kWh from Mach-E aren't made clear, but it was hardly likely to have been the swiftest or most comfortable of journeys. Even though the record took place in July, the detrimental effect of air-con on range would surely have ruled that out. Wouldn't it?
Whatever the details, the records now stand, and seem like they'll take some beating. For those that are interested, the 43-minute charge took place using a 150kw charger at the new MFG charging hub, which is by J27 of the M6. Useful to know for those heading up to Scotland in an EV, and especially for Mach-E customers - the MFG network is joining the Ford Pass charging app.
With Ford's research suggesting most people think an EV can do 150 miles, there is obviously a marketing benefit to all this record-setting. Assuaging concerns about range anxiety are all part of the industry's sales pitch - even if they can't do anything about broken chargers or another driver taking the last spot available.
Whereas your average petrol saloon can theoretically smash out 800 odd miles with one stop whilst comfortably doing 75/80 on the motorways with 2 kids in the back and all the modcons on.
Hell even my F Type averages 360 miles a tank whilst usually being driven with a lead right foot so that would only mean 2 stops!
Other fact is the M5/M6 is littered with Smart Motorway upgrades/roadworks so even though i'm sure sat at 50-60mph is optimal for range, not a chance they'd have been able to sit at any constant speed for any length of time as the both motorways at best could be called stop/start & i'm sure that can't be great for EV range.
Would have been better carving its own path. I’m sure the tech is very good but it’ll never get a look-in from me.
The visual trick with the D-pillar making it look like a fastback is clever though and I approve of that bit!
I do appreciate a super lean burn diesel would still be fairly cheap all things considered.
It’s only a couple of years back posters on here were livid with rage that an EV would only do 120/140 miles on a charge. I mean how could they drive in one go the mystical annual jaunt from the uk across the continent in one blast with their enormous cast iron bladders ?
And now it seems technology is racing really that quick forwards
I'm impressed. 840 miles with one charge, so 420 miles per charge average, on real world roads.
The point isn't that you or I are going to drive for 420 miles, the point is if it'll do that under ideal conditions, we can have confidence to undertake a ~200 mile trip without worrying about doing 80 or using the heating/air-con.
It looks to me that the current crop of long range EVs have already reached the point of being good enough range, the only remaining thing is for them to become cheap enough for everyone to own one. (In PHers case, likely alongside a proper sports car).
Great to see the technology moving in the right direction (pardon the pun), and not like it wasn't going to get better. It's not been that long that engines have been fuel efficient enough to be doing long distances on one or two tanks of fuel.
Can we have a sub forum called DiCHEADS?
In all seriousness, more data about average speed, what was turned off etc would be useful, but regardless an impressive achievement - shame its had to be the shape it is and not a sleek (er) coupe
Personally I think people are heading blindly down a rabbit hole and thinking / hoping that ev’s are the future. I may be a philistine as I don’t see the future as being electric but hey ho what do I know?
Can we have a sub forum called DiCHEADS?
In all seriousness, more data about average speed, what was turned off etc would be useful, but regardless an impressive achievement - shame its had to be the shape it is and not a sleek (er) coupe
I quite like these, cash in or not ? Surely Ford still making actual Mustangs is a blatant cash grab and we should all just get misty eyed over the sixties ones ? It was only introduced in the first place to make money, a basic 4 door car made to look a bit sporty, not sure why everyone gets so reverent about it ? I quite like Mustangs but it isn't a big deal if Ford want to use it elsewhere, after all it was make of homeless Horse before that. Things change, focus on the ones that actually matter !
The headline figure is impressive, but given the usual decrease that comes with "real world" vs. WLTP tests, an increase of nearly 200 miles leads to some questions.
(Side note: some of these "real world" tests are complete misnomers and do EVs no favours against public perception and "range anxiety".)
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