Mach-E Will Not Migrate to Universal EV Platform

[E90alex]

Yep, it looks like Polestar is more tightly integrated with a Chinese Meizu system, while Volvo is more vanilla Android Automotive.

Wonder if Polestar could switch to the Volvo system in the US, or perhaps Polestar, being pure EV, didn't want to bother with the US market anymore...

That’s just a one off smartphone they made with Meizu for some reason. The software in the car is Android Automotive and Polestar was the first to utilize it. They share lots of hardware and software with Volvo.

Volvo probably got a pass because they have a long established history in the US with a decades old dealer network and manufacturing plants (both cars and heavy trucks/equipment).

If they had made Polestar a wholly owned subsidiary under Volvo they probably would have been allowed to continue. But they spun it off as an entirely separate company and Polestar as a car company barely has a dealer/retail footprint, just a few years of history, and no manufacturing facilities of their own. There would be not be a major economic impact ripple effect if they got banned, so they did.

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[JoeDimwit]

They have a roadmap. But they 100% are not going to share it. They can’t. It would butcher their current sales. As a completely hypothetical scenario, anyone currently looking for a new vehicle, but not tied to a lease end date to do it, if you could buy a Mach-E GT today, but knew that Ford was building a new model that was actually a coupe, would you buy a current Mach-E or wait for a coupe next year?

 

[Jimrpa]

That was my question, would they invest in fully recreating the wheel, or would they take what they have already and just modify it to fit US regulations... but, I hadnt realized they licensed that platform from VW, although I'm sure they did a lot of breakdowns and used what they learned to build the UEV.

Your question makes no sense. Also, I doubt that Ford would have deliberately appropriated any proprietary VW IP.

 

[bojesphob]

Your question makes no sense. Also, I doubt that Ford would have deliberately appropriated any proprietary VW IP.

Why doesn't it make sense? When I was in college, I worked at the Marysville Honda plant in Ohio one summer. Chevy had just released the Avalanche, and Honda engineers brought a brand new one in on the lot and proceeded to do a tear down on it and cut it apart to see how it was built. The Ridgeline was then announced a few years later. Ford will definitely be studying that platform and be learning how to recreate something similar/better (but not the same). They'd be stupid not to.

 

[Jimrpa]

Why doesn't it make sense? When I was in college, I worked at the Marysville Honda plant in Ohio one summer. Chevy had just released the Avalanche, and Honda engineers brought a brand new one in on the lot and proceeded to do a tear down on it and cut it apart to see how it was built. The Ridgeline was then announced a few years later. Ford will definitely be studying that platform and be learning how to recreate something similar/better (but not the same). They'd be stupid not to.

I’m not disputing that Ford tears down competitive products. They’ve been doing that for many, many decades. What I’m saying is that it’s unlikely that Ford would simply lift proprietary VW IP they were given privileged access to and incorporate it into their own designs, unless they had some form of agreement with VW to do so.
As I noted earlier, the Ford use of the MEB in Europe is a stopgap measure to ensure compliance with European regulations and to meet European market demands.

 

[bojesphob]

I’m not disputing that Ford tears down competitive products. They’ve been doing that for many, many decades. What I’m saying is that it’s unlikely that Ford would simply lift proprietary VW IP they were given privileged access to and incorporate it into their own designs, unless they had some form of agreement with VW to do so.
As I noted earlier, the Ford use of the MEB in Europe is a stopgap measure to ensure compliance with European regulations and to meet European market demands.

Cool, okay, we agree then. I definitely wasnt trying to say they would steal patented and proprietary stuff, but they have unfettered access to the tech and can "recreate" things that are protected by those things, coming up with a similar, but ultimately difference, design. One of the bad things about doing posts online, context can get lost easily in text.

 

[E90alex]

Why doesn't it make sense? When I was in college, I worked at the Marysville Honda plant in Ohio one summer. Chevy had just released the Avalanche, and Honda engineers brought a brand new one in on the lot and proceeded to do a tear down on it and cut it apart to see how it was built. The Ridgeline was then announced a few years later. Ford will definitely be studying that platform and be learning how to recreate something similar/better (but not the same). They'd be stupid not to.

Legal issues aside, they’d be stupid to copy any of the MEB platform at this point. It’s a last generation platform and VW Group has already been working on its next generation SSP platform with a more modern electronics architecture designed by Rivian.

The upcoming Ford UEV platform is already a next generation EV platform far beyond what MEB is, including zonal electronics, structural battery pack, and large structural castings.

 

[phil]

Boy, the way Glenn Miller played!

 

[phil]

This has been my issue from the beginning: no roadmap.

They don’t have to be as darning as GM and announce a complete switch to EVs like Cadillac. But throw us a bone with some meat on it for god’s sake! Tell us the no regrets markets you are committing to. Just like you asked. One of this, two of that, etc. But Farley’s “victory of common sense and affordability” is a disaster of a strategy and NOT WHAT I’M HERE FOR (yes I’m yelling ).

I'd be interested in seeing a roadmap, too. But at this point, would you even believe them if they announced one? I doubt they are truly committed to any EV market. Still, it'd be nice to see a plan.

 

[Jerrytball]

Even though I have the Electric Bmw, I still have a soft spot for Mustang of course. And I was very impressed that I saw like 10 of them within an hour down here on the Gulf Coast, which when I had mine, it was like me and like one other person. So when I went down to use the electrify America station today, there was two Mustangs there and then I saw three like driving towards town then I saw like four others so that’s like the most I’ve seen in this area so I’m glad to see they’re becoming more popular down south. But now you say they’re gonna be discontinuing them in the future?

 

[corradoborg]

But now you say they’re gonna be discontinuing them in the future?

Pure speculation at this point. All that's being reported for sure is that the Mach-E will not migrate to the new UEV platform. That doesn't necessarily mean it won't continue on it's own, existing platform. But it doesn't mean it will, either.

Also, Ford has changed its mind on EV programs so many times now that we all have whiplash. It could announce tomorrow that the Mach-E *IS* migrating to UEV after all.

 

[phil]

Even though I have the Electric Bmw, I still have a soft spot for Mustang of course. And I was very impressed that I saw like 10 of them within an hour down here on the Gulf Coast, which when I had mine, it was like me and like one other person. So when I went down to use the electrify America station today, there was two Mustangs there and then I saw three like driving towards town then I saw like four others so that’s like the most I’ve seen in this area so I’m glad to see they’re becoming more popular down south. But now you say they’re gonna be discontinuing them in the future?

I don't see a post from you yet on the M50. How do you like it?

If I had to give up the electric Mustang, that's probably the one I would get next.

 

[Jerrytball]

I don't see a post from you yet on the M50. How do you like it?

If I had to give up the electric Mustang, that's probably the one I would get next.

Oh, I’m sorry, yeah I’m really liking it. The ride is incredible. The air suspension Is really a pleasure going over bumps. I’m getting about 290 miles to a charge at 100% around town, but I usually only charge to 80%. I only got the rear wheel drive version so it still got so much power that it’s plenty and seems to hold the Road really well. The 12 V battery, it’s probably easier to get to than any vehicle I’ve ever owned. It’s just a little lid you open up in the batteries right there you can take it out. A lot of features I like on there, like the self parking I like when you get out of the car, you turn it off and automatically on the screen it says do you want to do precondition for 30 minutes. That way I can leave the Wife in the car with the air conditioner on while I’m shopping. Automatic windows all the way around I like that the automatic voice controlled sunscreen that blocks the sunroof, you can activate it by voice telling it to open her clothes. I love the hatchback feature of it so many things things. Even when I’m charging people say that’s electric. It looks like a regular car and I kinda like that I mean it’s cool that it doesn’t stand out as Electric and I’ve taken my relatives friends for a ride that absolutely hate electric vehicles and after a 10 mile ride, they were like I’m not saying nothing anymore about an electric car. And of course they do have their error messages but everybody with the same type vehicle had a recent error what it said, replace your battery but I tested the 12 V battery. It was fine and after like a day, apparently there was some type of glitch in the software that they fixed and eventually cleared.

 

[NY_Cade69]

Heard Lincoln has an opening in their line-up.

 

[Jerrytball]

I don't see a post from you yet on the M50. How do you like it?

If I had to give up the electric Mustang, that's probably the one I would get next.

I was just out for my morning walk and I saw Carvana drive in the neighborhood with a Tesla performance model on the back and he stopped at my friend’s house and he’s getting rid of his Mustang GT ice version. He says yeah my uncle’s got a couple of them so I went with Tesla. He said this premium gas in the Mustang just ain’t getting it anymore. He said driving 60 miles a day, I said I got what I got. I just hope you’re happy with it. I’m sure you will be happy with Electric. It’s a different world driving it when you’re used to a loud car. I said I actually find it more exciting driving the electric car than I did a gas powered car.

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