Charging FAIL & GREAT Surprise When We Compare The Model Y & Mach-E On The World’s Toughest EV Test!

[generaltso]

If that holds, it means we really only need 100 kW chargers, not 150, as the charging time difference may be minimal.

Yeah. I think we can all agree that we hope the charging curve greatly improves over time with software updates. Maybe it already has in the production vehicles. We should know pretty soon.

 

[generaltso]

I’m new to electric vehicles and charging. Putting aside the Mach E vs Y competition, should I be worried about the Mach E charging ability (since that is what I bought and not the Tesla) or is this more about the charging stations?

The issue with not being able to start a charge was an issue with the charging stations. But the slow charging curve that has been reported so far is the Mach-E. The good news is that Ford can change that with OTA updates. The short answer is no, you shouldn't be worried. Unless you do a lot of road trips, most of your charging isn't going to happen at DC fast chargers anyway.

 

[TheSteelRider]

I’m new to electric vehicles and charging. Putting aside the Mach E vs Y competition, should I be worried about the Mach E charging ability (since that is what I bought and not the Tesla) or is this more about the charging stations?

That has been debated at length here in these forums, for example in this thread:

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...s-progress-and-traveling-with-the-mach-e.510/

In general from what I've read on the internet (where of course everything can be believed), EA is seen as a very unreliable charging station vendor. That said, they have supposedly been working hard to change that image (ex. https://insideevs.com/news/423682/electrify-america-network-reliability-tesla/)

 

[MattG]

The Mustang has a 68kWh usable capacity and used 70% over the test: That equates to about 47.6kWh used in the 143 mile test.

The Model Y has about a 72.5 kWh usable capacity (according to the folks I've talked to) and used 56% over the test. That equates to about 40.6kWh used in the 143 mile test.

Thanks! That’s encouraging...I have a 240 mile route through CO that I drive weekly and am hoping the ER AWD can do it in one charge...sounds like there’s a good chance it can do so at least most of the year!

 

[Metv707]

The issue with not being able to start a charge was an issue with the charging stations. But the slow charging curve that has been reported so far is the Mach-E. The good news is that Ford can change that with OTA updates. The short answer is no, you shouldn't be worried. Unless you do a lot of road trips, most of your charging isn't going to happen at DC fast chargers anyway.

Thanks for your feedback. I’ll definitely be following this subject closely.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Thanks! That’s encouraging...I have a 240 mile route through CO that I drive weekly and am hoping the ER AWD can do it in one charge...sounds like there’s a good chance it can do so at least most of the year!

If you're doing 240 at interstate speeds you may be out of luck. However, you may only need splash and dash.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I’m new to electric vehicles and charging. Putting aside the Mach E vs Y competition, should I be worried about the Mach E charging ability (since that is what I bought and not the Tesla) or is this more about the charging stations?

The big question is how frequently do you do long road trips (i.e., trips longer than a single full charge in a day)?

Remember that for daily driving, your batteries can be full every morning when you start out. That's a huge time savings over the course of a year.

 

[TheSteelRider]

The issue with not being able to start a charge was an issue with the charging stations. But the slow charging curve that has been reported so far is the Mach-E. The good news is that Ford can change that with OTA updates. The short answer is no, you shouldn't be worried. Unless you do a lot of road trips, most of your charging isn't going to happen at DC fast chargers anyway.

Thanks for your feedback. I’ll definitely be following this subject closely.

Just to add one more splash of color ... an Ford insider here on the forums claims that the we should be very careful of giving much weight to any charge curves presented by pre-production cars (I'll let you search the forums for said information so you can judge that point of view appropriately ... I think that claim is buried in "the thread that never ends"). With that grain of salt out there, it is useful to note that Kyle over at InsideEVs/Out of Spec motoring seems to have the same opinion as this insider and is going to do a charge curve deep dive "soon"

 

[TFLtommy]

Been a long time TFL watcher as well. Really enjoy the slip tests. It's a great way to highlight that not all AWD or 4WD systems are created equal. Keep up the good work. Maybe give your dad a Snickers before you head to a non-Tesla charging station. He always seems so grumpy.

Also, it seemed like the navigation systems were not set in either car. I'd be curious to see if that made a difference (as Ford claims it should) in the predicted range accuracy.

Thanks for watching, that means a lot! It will take more than a snickers haha! To his credit, I know the guys and gals at EA and EVgo customer support better than most of my extended family hahaha!

I really really wanted to plug the EA station into the Ford's nav, but it didn't know it existed! Tried voice command, tried finding it on the map but for some reason it is invisible to the Ford. Didn't want to plug in the supercharger into the nav on the Tesla and give it an unfair advantage with pre-conditioning.

 

[TFLtommy]

Loving the multi-part Mach E test videos @TFLtommy! Out of curiosity, when was that Mach E built? did you photograph the VIN plate inside the driver door that shows this?

I wanna say a September build if I remember correctly. Typically the media cars are gone over with a SUPER fine tooth comb to make sure they are ship shape, but yeah a surprising number of issues out of ours.

 

[Metv707]

Just to add one more splash of color ... an Ford insider here on the forums claims that the we should be very careful of giving much weight to any charge curves presented by pre-production cars (I'll let you search the forums for said information so you can judge that point of view appropriately ... I think that claim is buried in "the thread that never ends"). With that grain of salt out there, it is useful to note that Kyle over at InsideEVs/Out of Spec motoring seems to have the same opinion as this insider and is going to do a charge curve deep dive "soon"

Absolutely right! I keep forgetting the fact that these are preproduction vehicles.

 

[TFLtommy]

I will say after a week of driving it I would strongly encourage that you consider a Standard range car. When I drive I try and keep a little book where I record the distance driven every day. I personally average 30 to 40 miles in a day. If you have a place to charge at home, the range even on the SR AWD is more than enough. I'd personally save the change and go for a Standard range for every day driving as 200 miles + on a charge seems realistic from my experience. For road trips where the ER would have the advantage, well, um, let's just say I'm not sure the charging network is quite flushed out for the majority of folks. So save the dough!!!

 

[MattG]

If you're doing 240 at interstate speeds you may be out of luck. However, you may only need splash and dash.

Average speed on my route is 57mph. There are stretches with a 65mph limit, but lots of it is less than that. It seems really similar to that TFL terrain...I’m excited to get my car and try it out! But yeah, worst case I’d just need a splash and dash (zap and dash?) so I think I can convince the wife this car is worth it.

 

[rgparham]

Average speed on my route is 57mph. There are stretches with a 65mph limit, but lots of it is less than that. It seems really similar to that TFL terrain...I’m excited to get my car and try it out! But yeah, worst case I’d just need a splash and dash (zap and dash?) so I think I can convince the wife this car is worth it.

on my commute to work it is not uncommon for traffic to go 75-80 mph .

 

[Shayne]

Yes, the bigger battery has a higher peak charge rate. Whether that really ends up meaning anything in the real world remains to be seen. So far, the only tests that I've seen that get close to 150kW don't maintain that speed for more than a minute or two.

I am not sure if the peak power is to warm it up to take the 90 KW? Peak and what it charges at are two different things. Peak is a bit of a weird stat and appears to tend to make people misunderstand. As I noted a 45 min charge to 80% equates to around an average of 90 KW. This is really good (just a start) and OK for me. For me if it holds a steady 50 KW up to 90% I could not expect more from the current chargers up here.