From Behind The Wheel | Mustang Mach-E
Hello and welcome to From Behind the Wheel. My name is Nicky Shields and we are absolutely thrilled that you're joining us virtually from all around Europe. And no doubt, just like me, you're probably extremely eager to have a detailed look at the exciting, the all new, All-Electric Ford Mustang, Mach-E. Well, I've got some good news. I think we all need a bit of that right now, don't we? Because that's exactly why we're all here.
To get into the detail of Ford's first ground up, All-Electric vehicle and dramatic new member of the iconic and global Mustang family. Now, as we're going to find out over the next 30 minutes, the Mach-E accomplishes the rare feat of combining head turning design, dynamic, thrilling performance and forward looking, intelligent and connected technology in an All-Electric SUV. Now, like you, I'm very excited to know more, which is why we've put Darren Palmer and Ron Heiser behind the wheel, two men who are very passionate to ensure that the first All-Electric Ford Mustang really does bring on tomorrow. Let's see what this thing can do. The Mustang coupe is the world's most popular sports car, and the reason is because it appeals to your emotions.
It's more than just a car. You know, at Ford, we're full of Mustang enthusiasts, both Darren and I, are Mustang owners. We drive Mustangs all the time.
Your dream job is to work on the Mustang program. So this was an awesome opportunity. When we said we were going to make a Mustang inspired SUV. People said "You can't do that.
You can't mess with an icon. That people love, all around the world." So we took that really seriously.
At the end of the day, when you start to think about what Mustang is really all about, it's about fun, fast and freedom. Something really surprising for people, is to gauge the size of the vehicle. In fact, the way the roofline goes down is very deceiving. It's kind of a trick that hides the true space inside the vehicle. So I'm always getting asked if the Mustang Mach-E handles like a Mustang, and I can definitely tell you, yes. Today I'm out on a close track to give you a demonstration of just how quick and responsive the Mustang Mach-E is when you enter a turn, how planted and solid you feel coming in and out of turns.
The beauty of the setup of the Mustang Mach-E with its battery electric vehicle architecture is really all around its power, torque and acceleration. I'm in an Extended Range All-Wheel Drive. It has 258kW of power and 580Nm of torque. And believe me, you can really feel that torque.
You get that instantaneous response and literally within a half a second you're at peak torque. So the battery, and how the battery is handled, is super important. Long range battery, electric vehicles. We understand that fewer parts leads to fewer connections, which leads to fewer failures. That's why our battery has 376 cells compared to some competitors that need 4000 to 8000 cells to do the same thing.
There are two modular battery packs available, 68 and 88 kWh. Capable of up to 150 kilowatts for fast charging. This extended range gives us up to 610 kilometres on the rear wheel drive and 540 kilometres on the all-wheel drive. So with our hundred years of engineering experience at Ford, we've been able to take our battery electric power train and really tune it for a performance in all weather conditions.
Whether you're on a on a beautiful day like we're driving today, or in frigid temperatures of 20 to 40 degrees below zero. We spent a lot of time and a lot of engineering efforts to integrate the battery structure into the vehicle. And that does a number of things for us. First of all, by having the battery and the body work together, we can really optimize for safety. The other thing that you get is an incredibly stiff vehicle.
So that really gives you benefits in terms of handling and just that feeling of stability on the road. When we first tested the car, we felt the performance is so good and the reaction is so fast, there are times when you want to turn that down. And so we have three drive modes, Active, Whisper, and Untamed. And it's really like different moods,
it's not for different people. It's for the same person at different times. The one feature that is available across all of the drive modes is something called one pedal drive, and it makes the experience of driving electric car even more special. To pushing down on the accelerator the car takes off. But when I take my foot off, the car regenerates, bringing back the energy that it used during that acceleration.
So, I'm in Active mode now and you may feel like you want to tone down the system: you select Whisper and the system changes lots of parameters. The steering feel, the pedal method, the one pedal drive system, the colours, the sound and the overall screen look. It changes all of those into a much more calm feeling. And this is Unbridled mode. In Europe, it's called Untamed.
This is for serious driving. There is less boost in the steering. So it's much more of a sport steering feel. There's more aggressive regenerative breaking.
So you actually get the feeling of a kick down when you're taking a corner. From the inside, we've amped up the sound of the propulsion system. I think you can hear that as I'm accelerating, we've amped it up in Untamed and in Whisper, we're actually turn the sound off. It's so important to me that this vehicle lives up to the Mustang brand. There are so many elements in this car put in by our engineers, the same engineers who worked on Mustang and they loved Mustang as much as I do. And I've been driving this car for over six months now, as we've been doing our final testing and I just want to drive more every single day.
In terms of get up and go, the Mustang Mach-E has it. Well, thank you to Darren and Ron. I think it's safe to say they enjoy their job. I'm quite envious, really. This is such a tease. I'm so close and yet so far from driving the Mach-E. But don't worry, guys, our time will come, I promise you that.
But really interesting to see the Mach-E being put through its paces across these two very different environments out on track and then out on the road. But of course, the road in Detroit is going to be very different to a road in Germany or in Denmark. And what the team at Ford know that different environments bring different challenges, which is why Ford have paid such close attention to tuning this car to every market that it's sold in. Tailoring it to the needs of customers whilst never losing any of the fun or the thrill that we saw earlier from Darren and Ron. And now to tell us how they've gone about it is at Van Noyen, Ford Europe's manager of Vehicle Dynamics. Hello here at Lommel Proving Ground, together with the vehicle dynamics team, we're making sure that the new all electric Mustang is just right for European roads.
Let's have a look inside. The Mustang Mach-E is a great vehicle to drive everywhere in the world, but the fact is that the roads and surfaces are different in different regions of the world, and sometimes driving habits and expectations of customers are slightly different between those regions as well. European customers typically spend a lot of time on rural, twisty, country roads, but at the same time on very smooth motorways at very high speeds.
We have been tailoring the Mustang Mach-E on those type of typical European roads. We have been adjusting the springs, the dampers, the rollbar, the calibration of the electric power steering system to make it fit to those specific road conditions. Another advantage of the setup of this vehicle is the high speed stability, which is very, very crucial on the German motorways. We also calibrated the active driving assistance systems so the system works seamlessly with all types of traffic layouts in the entirety of Europe. The immediate acceleration is very, very sporty and very much in tune with what European customers want.
"Fun to drive" is probably the key element that we want to develop in all our Ford products. And this Mustang Mach-E will definitely meet the expectations of all our European customers. But if there was just one thing, globally, that we wanted to achieve with this electric vehicle, is that it deserves the Mustang logo on it. And it does. Up to now, we've seen what it looks like on the roads, and on track, and discovered the lengths that the engineers have gone to. Sparing no effort in infusing true
Mustang DNA into every attribute of the Mach-E. But this vehicle itself is only part of a much bigger story. The story of the ecosystem Ford has developed to surround its Mach-E customers and to create a unique and innovative new purchase and ownership experience. So now it's time to take a closer look at what it's like actually living with a Mustang Mach-E, and over to my first guest, he is the Mustang Mach-E product manager for Europe, a fellow EV enthusiast, and someone who's been very fortunate to actually live with the Mustang Mach-E prototype for a while now. Stefan Tinnemann, welcome. So good to see you.
Hello, Nikki. Happy to be here. Well, thanks for joining us. We're really excited to be talking to you today. And we saw the guys earlier really enjoying driving the Mach-E and clearly showing off some of the cutting edge technology. It seems like this is a must drive car.
Yes, absolutely. It is incredibly fun to drive, but it's actually more than that. Mach-E customers don't just own a fantastic car.
They also enjoy unrivaled experience. We've built a new business model around this car featuring a broad ecosystem of connected services, human centered design, thrilling performance, seamless connectivity and innovative services. It also starts a new era of how we actually sell vehicles to customers. Well, that sounds really interesting, Stefan. Explain how this new sales process will work. Sure. So Mustang Mach-E is exclusively sold online
through our website, and it is really easy to configure and even finalize your purchase, even from your couch, because we built the vehicle to a pan-European specification with a streamlined yet flexible line-up. We always have a choice of vehicles in the system, which means a faster delivery to our customers. Mach-E is fully equipped and fully connected, and at launch we're offering two series: the RWD version and the more sporty or AWD version, both of which come with an option of the standard range battery or the extended range battery.
Plus, you can configure two optional technology packs, and you have seven colours available to choose from. Now, Stefan, you mentioned the two series, the choice of colours and batteries, which all seems fairly straightforward. What else can customers do to really make the Mach-E their own? So, Mach-E customers will actually be able to personalise their vehicle even before they take delivery of it.
So, we will put the customers behind the wheel even before the car has arrived at the dealership. We've developed a feature which is called Remote Vehicle Setup^, which will let you personalize your experience and your Mach-E, it starts with creating a profile where you can sort of profile picture or avatar and then you can set your favourite navigation preferences, for example, home location, work location, or other points of interest. You will also be able to set your favorite radio stations, find nearby charging stations that you can also then save, and personalise. And you can
preset daily departure time for preferred cabin temperature levels. So your Mach-E will always be ready to go. Wow. I mean, that sounds really helpful and practical in the real world, Stefan.
So, my Mach-E arrives and then what happens? So, when you meet your vehicle for the first time at the dealership, your personal profile and preferences will be loaded into the next generation SYNC system in the vehicle. So the moment you sit in your car, your vehicle already knows you and your preferences. So that makes it a really seamless and personalised experience, and brings a powerful new dimension to the relationship between the owner of the vehicle, and the smartphone. It sounds incredible, Stefan, but the connectivity and onboard tech, that must require a lot of processing power. So the secret to intelligent devices is connectivity and the ability for machine learning, Mustang Mach-E has both of those. It is equipped with a powerful onboard modem, FordPass Connect^.
Because every system in the car is powered by software, we can control more of the vehicle than ever before. And, we can Over The Air update most of the vehicle's modules. So this allowed us to give Mach-E an artificial intelligence level that really learns while you use the car. The more you use your car, the more the car gets to know you and will make intelligent suggestions.
For example, if you always call home on your way home from work, it would suggest that to you, or it would suggest tuning into your favourite radio show if you always do that when driving, for example. So that is just brilliant because the Mach-E basically becomes more personalised the more I drive it. Now, when we saw Ron and Darren using that slick looking touch screen earlier, to access a little of the car's features, would you say that that's kind of mission control for the car? Yeah, absolutely. It really is. So our Next Generation SYNC system uses a 15.5" touch screen, and it gives you kind of the same
experience as on your smartphone or tablet. So you can pinch, zoom, rotatem, and swipe. This is truly the most intelligent Mustang that we've ever created.
It puts you in control of everything you'll need, whenever you need it. A lot of HMI systems are built in a hierarchical way that makes it difficult to use, and you have to dig through a lot of sub-menus. With the Next Generation SYNC system on the Mustang Mach-E we've laid it out in a much simpler way, using cards from top to bottom that allow access to features without having to launch an application.
You can even connect your phone in parallel through wireless to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to have all your favourite apps available at one touch. So in fact, there are more than 80 settings that can be accessed via the next generation SYNC system. So you can really personalize the driving experience. The system is really easy to use. There's no back button and every app iss always one or two touches away.
And Stefan, I notice the reassuring presence of a actual physical volume control. I love that. That was something our customers told us. They still wanted to have an easy to reach option at the bottom of the screen.
Now, the intuitiveness and the simplicity of the SYNC system, it sounds so easy to use, but what else can we expect in terms of other connected onboard technology? So, for example, the navigation system is fully cloud connected, which offers you one touch destination suggestions, for example. But it also includes real-time traffic data, which makes your navigation more accurate and more reliable. We have also made the voice control system more receptive than ever to natural language interactions and more complex dialogue. It will give you smart answers, and it understands 15 languages too. A system that really listens and understands the driver.
So, for example, you could say "Hello Ford, I'd like to have a coffee" and it would suggest a coffee place near you. You can also see live charging information as well. So the real power is when the Next Generation SYNC^ combines with your smartphone and enhanced FordPass app.
So you literally have the key to integrating your Mach-E to your daily lifestyle. Well, Stefan, thank you so much for that overview. And we will come back to you in a moment. But first, I want to delve a little bit deeper into FordPass.
I'm very happy to say that. Joining me now is Divya Sebastian, the Ford Europe Retail Connectivity Solutions manager. Brilliant to have you here. Thank you, Nikki. Lovely to be here.
Thank you for joining us. Now, FordPass, this is something that Ford owners will be very familiar with already... but when it comes to the Mach-E, can we expect some kind of technological quantum leap forward? Most certainly, FordPass is going to be an invaluable companion app for Mach-E owners. It's very much part of using the vehicle, and is going to enhance the user experience greatly.
In the same way one uses a mobile banking app, FordPass is going to be essential and will provide that monitoring capability and control when away from the vehicle, especially when it comes to charging. Right from the most used features: Remote Start, Remote Lock and Lock, that you can access from anywhere in the world with mobile reception, to the very useful battery charge levels, and vehicle health status. Mach-E customers will benefit from a lot of features. Including some exciting new features, all thanks to the advanced computing power in the Mach-E.
For example, phone as a key. In all European left hand drive markets, you can use this exciting new feature. Once the feature set up through FordPass and the Next Generation SYNC^ using Bluetooth technology, the vehicle will identify the approaching driver from up to 40 meters away and unlocks in much closer proximity.
All that's left to do is press the button on the vehicle pillar to enter the Mach-E. It completely replaces a physical key. Now, the owner will have the flexibility to set up other drivers with the same feature. For example, if there is more than one person in the household that needs to use the vehicle, this can easily be set via Next Generation SYNC. And let me assure you, the feature is perfectly safe to use and has been designed to abide by allcybersecurity requirements. And as an emergency backup, when you do not have your phone or key on you, you can unlock the Mach-E by entering a personal passcode on the door keypad.
And once you're in the vehicle, your personal profile is loaded and the vehicle is set up for you. So, Divya once you're in the car... that's when the HMI interface takes over. Yes, we aim to transfer the intuitive and exciting in-app experience back into the vehicle, and by having remotely set up my profile on my phone, as soon as I get into the vehicle, the entire experience is tailored to myself. Right from the drive mode, as you can see, to ambient lighting, my profile, home address, charge stations, all of the settings. You can use FordPass
or the Next Gen SYNC screen to set your departure time twice a day. You can also set a preferred temperature level, so the cabin is at that level when you're ready to depart. And what's really smart, preconditioning uses electricity from the charge point when it's plugged in and charging, meaning you are not using charge that you can't use for that journey. Now, that is so smart. You mentioned journeys though, does that mean you can use Next Gen SYNC for planning journeys? Yes, so Trip Planner allows you to plan trips in advance in Next Gen SYNC, and also in Ford Pass.
So you can spend Friday evening planning the weekend trip with your family, while relaxing in your lounge. And Trip Planner will give you the shortest and the fastest route options, automatically suggesting charge stations and amenities that are available nearby. Now, you can save the trip in FordPass, and it's immediately available Next Gen SYNC. So, the next morning when you jump into the vehicle, your trip is there and ready for you to go. This also will dynamically adjust the route so it will take into account traffic, weather conditions and charge station availability.
Now, that's very reassuring that charge time information is available when you're planning those longer journeys, because I've become unstuck with that in the past. And that's exactly why we have built into the Mach-E intelligent range, which is a very useful feature. Now, through with over-the-air updates, we will be able to enhance this feature over time. It will help predict range by analyzing driving behavior, weather forecast along the planned route. And, it will also take into consideration traffic conditions as well as terrain and elevation of the planned route.
And if range is significantly impacted, then Next Gen SYNC will let you know. With OTA, the really cool thing is that customers can choose to schedule the update at a convenient time to them, and they can do this through FordPass or the Next Gen SYNC. Divya, it's clear that, from the on the road perspective, you've put a lot of thought into enhancing the driver experience.
But how can FordPass and Next Gen SYNC be used when it comes to charging? Now, we know the most important aspect of living with an electric vehicle is how you control and monitor charging*. And as a holistic single app solution, FordPass plays a key role here, too. By providing an end to end seamless user journey right from finding a charge station, to paying, and also providing that real-time interaction with your car regarding your charge levels**, all initiated through FordPass. And an obvious key aspect that we've taken into account is ensuring that the Mach-E charging is adequately supported by the European electric infrastructure. Now, with intermittent charging, we will ensure that the most efficient and convenient charging schedule and duration takes place. For example, Mach-E creates intelligent routines where you can charge enough at home to such a level that you can get to work and continue charging for free or at a cheaper rate.
In addition, FordPass shows charging progress, current range, estimated completion time, time remaining, target charge levels and also lets you know when charging is complete. In many locations in Europe, you can schedule charging to benefit from a low tariff electricity cost, if you provide it, it gives you that detail. Well, Divya, thank you so much for taking us through FordPass and giving us your perspective from behind the wheel.
Now, it's time to welcome back Stefan. He's going to tell us a bit more about charging, which is such a key consideration for EV ownership. Stefan, can you just tell us a bit more about charging at home and also on the go? Sure! So, for at home charging, we are supplying our universal charge cord that comes with connectors to both your home socket, but also higher power industrial outlets. Obviously, the most convenient and effective way to charge at home is with our Ford Connected Wallbox that can easily recharge your Mach-E overnight. The Ford Connected Wallbox is connected through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which makes it easy for you to manage and monitor your own charging, but also control access, including the maximum charge rate for potential visitors at your home. The Ford Connected Wallbox is a great piece of kit and it gives you up to 55 kilometers of range in one hour. For out of home charging*,
We're giving our customers peace of mind with a 5 year free subscription to our FordPass charging network. Which already has access to more than 150,000 charge points throughout Europe. If you're on the road and just need a quick top up to your charge, you could charge at one of our IONITY High Power chargers along European motorways, at up to 150Kw. This would recharge your battery from 10 to 80 percent and only 45 minutes, or add up to 119km in only 10 minutes**.
This is really key to making long distance travel in electric vehicles a reality. We're also giving one year's free subscription that gives you access to preferred rates that are significantly cheaper than ad hoc charging. Wow. I mean, for many EV drivers like myself and actually those looking to buy their first EV, those figures are really reassuring, Stefan.
But what a lot of people will also want to know about is the other kind of reassurance, the warranty. Tell us more about that. So we don't only want to give our customers the ultimate ownership experience, but we also want to give the ultimate peace of mind. That's why we're offering eight years and 160,000 kilometers of warranty on the high voltage battery and the high voltage components^^. Additionally, there is obviously the two year standard warranty on all other components. For an electric vehicle, this means a lot lower cost of ownership, less moving parts, less maintenance required.
So there's really a huge cost of ownership benefit as well. Wow. So Stefan, 8 years and 160,000km? It kind of feels like you're saying to Mach-E drivers that this EV is future proofed? Absolutely. But it's future proofed in other ways, too. The vehicle won't stay the same as the day it got delivered. It gets better over time through fast, seamless over-the-air updates^, which will enhance the vehicle performance and functionality.
Thanks to Ford's innovative, industry-first, cloud and software platform, it keeps the current software running. Until you activate the new version, owners can choose to accept and schedule over-the-air updates through FordPass or the HMI. Well, Stefan, thank you so much for taking us through all of that. A really intriguing insight about what Mach-E customers can expect.
It's been my pleasure. Thanks for having me. And a very big thank you to all of you for joining us on this tour of the Mach-E. I really hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. And before we leave you, we felt it apt to give the final word to Darren over in Detroit. Now, I've become a huge Mustang fan, and in fact, I was part of the team that launched the Mustang in Europe, so it's extremely important to me that this vehicle lives up to the Mustang name.
And I can tell you, from the heart, it does. Anyway, I can't stop driving this car, so I'll see you later. ^FordPass Connect, the FordPass App and Complimentary Connected Service are required for remote features (see FordPass Terms for details). Connected service and features depend on compatible Vodafone network availability.
Evolving technology/cellular networks/vehicle capability may limit functionality and prevent operation of connected features. Connected service excludes Wi-Fi hotspot. *Charge power can decrease with increasing state of charge. Actual charge times and charge speeds can vary based on different factors (Weather, temperature, driving behaviour, vehicle condition, age of the lithium-ion-battery, used charging infrastructure). **Extended range RWD model only. DC Fast-Charging with power output of 150kW required.
^^The high voltage battery will experience gradual capacity loss with time and use, similar to all batteries, which is considered normal wear and tear.
2021-03-07 12:04
