Excellent Q&A with Ford/Mach-E Electric Vehicle Engineer

[SyNRG]

Aluminum requires special equipment, tools, and is harder to work with / repair, labor hours takes longer than steel thus more expensive of a repair.

Forgot to add, Ford has an advantage with aluminum via the F150, when introduced in 2014 forced dealers to invest in equipment and training, thus bringing cost down and therefore insurance rates remained the same for owners.

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[eastern refugee]

I think it has something to do with repairability. Aluminum can't be repaired it has to be replaced. So if it's one big piece of aluminum, then any damage means the whole body/frame has to be replaced which effectively totals the car. So from an insurance perspective, your payouts are always going to be way higher.

It has EVERYTHIGN to do with repair ability. An all aluminum frame car is structurally strong. however when it gets tweaked like in an accident then it is no longer structurally sound. As it is a one fram unit you cannot just simply pull off this part and replace it. You have to replace the ENTIRE frame of the car. This is sooo costly that is far cheaper to just total out the car. This is THE why Ford and everyone else are using aluminum/steel components for the frames. This hybrid design allows for parts to be replaced and not the entire frame. All aluminum frames are typical on exotic cars. The car is far lighter and therefore can go faster. Tesla is likely the cheapest car to use this technology but it comes at a cost. This is THE why Tesla's are extremely expensive to insure for the price.

 

[eastern refugee]

$650 for a six month premium on a Model 3 doesn't seem that bad to me. What type of coverages and deductible are behind that figure?

This is the RWD ONLY. AWD is $900-1000

 

[eastern refugee]

not true. Ford is taking their time and parts will be readily available. If your Tesla was fixed in a normal time frame then congrats. However my point still stands as you have stated. You HAD to go to a Tesla shop which means the cost of repairs are higher since it is a monopoly. The Mach E can be fixed under conventional rules of competition. As such the overall cost of the two cars is significantly cheaper then Tesla

 

[Billyk24]

Select dealerships means all 2100 of them is more than Tesla.

 

[Trekkie]

Yeah, I had no idea until I started doing research and called Geico. I was shocked that the rate for a model 3 was 65% higher than my mustang.

My Model X was the same price as my 2016 Ford Expedition EL it replaced. 550 every six months.

i'm also old (48) and haven't wrecked a car, ever, or gotten caught speeding for (knock on wood) almost 15 years...

 

[Billyk24]

How many out of warranty places fix Tesla that are not official designated Tesla repair shops?

 

[Scufflegrit]

I disagree with this. There are a lot of vehicle repairs that won't involve the EV drivetrain. I've bought a heated seat element from Ford for a previous F150. I've bought a brake wear sensor and a small under body air deflector from BMW to replace on my X1. I've bought a switch from Acura to replace one of the steering wheel mounted radio controls for a previous TL. Those parts can also go bad or be damaged on EV's and aren't any more difficult to replace on an EV than an ICE vehicle. Most of the vehicle repairs I've performed have not been related to the engine or drivetrain.

 

[Golfer]

Especially since all the electronics and systems are truly fully integrated in order to take advantage of OTA update ability.

 

[Trekkie]

Especially since all the electronics and systems are truly fully integrated in order to take advantage of OTA update ability.

Keep in mind though, body shops can fix cars just fine. THis is one of Tesla's weakest points. Body damage on them can't be fixed just anywhere, while Ford has years of experience here. Maybe they can't fix the EV system, but the regular stuff they have tons of experience fixing (fit/finish issues, windshields, brakes, whatever else)

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