My Mach-E Journey

[MACH-E Mountain Way]

I apologize in advance for my long windedness but it has been quite a long journey. I have wanted an EV for many, many years and have finally got one. I literally had a Tesla roadster screen saver (whatever that is) about 15 years ago...and visited the Palo Alto assembly site (I even bought a T-shirt) in 2008 when I used to travel for work. I'm also the guy that owns a copy of "Who Killed The Electric Car" so it is a bit surprising that it took me this long to take the plunge so to speak.

I have been saying for years (almost decades lol) that it is just a matter of time before EVs make 'regular cars' obsolete or at least a weekend hobby for the die-hards. I firmly believe that there will come a time when I can drive from Colorado (my current home) to Las Vegas or even California without having to stop for a recharge along the way...but it won't matter and that will never be an issue because we are human and have other needs beside destination time. Admittedly, this may be years out but I firmly believe that it is coming.

But in all reality I know we're definitely a few years out from that imagined future so my real world concern for purchasing an EV was essentially 300ish miles of range and the ability to charge at home. Like I said I was originally deciding when and under what circumstances to buy my "Tesla" when life, etcetera intervened. I had actually been on the original list of people to buy a Model 3 and even put 1K down to be in line for a Model 3...As mentioned, life intervened and it wasn't until 2022 that I started to seriously think about jumping into the EV world and began my earnest search into what I would actually get. Around this time I appreciated that the stable genius in charge of Tesla may not be the industry leader I had once hoped for and that there were now a growing number of options in the EV landscape to choose from (when I slapped down my 1K there was only Tesla in the game for the most part). I did test drive a Model Y but never got to test drive the Model 3 which was what I had on order. I figured the driving experience would be similar enough though to be a good comparison. I didn't like the interior of the Model Y that much and found the lack of almost any actual controls, knobs, or switches to be a bit off-putting. The touch screen was easy enough to use I suppose but I also didn't like not having an instrument cluster right in from of my line of vision while driving.

Anyway, after some initial research and looking at several different non-Tesla vehicles, I landed on the Mach-E. I initially (naively) thought that maybe I could find a Toyota EV because I have sorta been a Toyota guy most of my life, but was quickly dissuaded from that notion. I couldn't even find a Toyota to look at it in person. The Mach-E feels like it is the perfect combination of features that make it an easier transition from the ICE world to the EV world. At least that is how I look at it as someone who has been driving ICE vehicles for over 35 years.

I also remember distinctly seeing a commercial (probably during the Super Bowl or something) of the Mach-E when they were first advertising it and thinking to myself...Man that thing looks sweet and I may just have to get one of those...one of these days...not at all thinking that it would be my first EV. After all I have always considered myself a Mustang fan even if not a Ford fan in general. I've always wanted a Mustang but it was never in the cards before. Ironically my sister had a convertible Cobra Mustang in 2003 and I was kinda jealous of that fact. Truth be told, even though I have been a Mustang fan, I haven't always been a fan of the model design during certain periods of time...I don't know the specifics but I can say with some certainty that I was not that into some of the designs from the 80's and 90's...and it seemed like it started to turn around in the early 2000s with the move to the more retro look. I know I'm probably going to get some hate from the "It's not a Mustang" crowd but I think that horse is out of the barn already lol.

I should probably also mention that my dad was a Ford guy when I was young but eventually became a Toyota guy in the early 1980s. I guess that's what 'designed obsolescence' (or whatever it was called) can do for someone who is poor, sick of constantly having to do this or that repair, and just wants a car that runs. So yeah, that's basically how I became a Toyota guy myself to be sure.

So I guess the bottom line is that when it came time for me to actually jump into the game I appreciated that there were a lot more options available than just a Tesla. Thus, I realized that the Mach-E was the best fit for everything that I was looking for and I thought it looked so much better style-wise than anything that Tesla has to offer. Plus, now that we know that Tesla has been basically exaggerating the real world range of their vehicles. I feel even more confident that I made the right choice (at least for my circumstances).

I also very much appreciated that I was adopting a new technology for the most part and that some patience would be required...after all I feel like I am basically driving a "computer" and there would likely be some hiccups along the way. Now I just have to find the Ctrl Alt Delete buttons.

Needless to say, I'm a little over 3 months in (got my extended range premium on 5/20) and I have nothing but love for my new EV. I have never had a vehicle that was this fun to drive. This reminds me of what I used to tell all of my redneck compatriots way back when...EVs will take off (no pun intended) when the gas car guys get sick of being 'dusted' at the stop light by an EV...It's hard not to respect something that is leaving you in the rearview constantly .

Oh, and there's also the cost savings over an ICE vehicle when it comes to 'fuel'...there's nothing like plugging in at home and having a full tank the next day. Thankfully we don't have the high electricity rates that I've seen in other parts of the country and gas prices don't appear to be going down. I haven't actually been to a gas station for gas in over 3 months now and don't miss that at all. I will have to fill up my truck soon but I'm not driving it all that much these days now that I have the MME. I have found that if I charge my EV during off peak hours it currently costs me about $5-$6 per 'tank' which equates to roughly 300 miles of range. The same amount of range in my truck would cost me $70 for the 20 gallons of gas that it would take (and I'm being very generous with using $3.50/gal for the calculation from what I have seen around lately). What red blooded American wouldn't love that? I haven't had much experience with DCFC other than to just try it out and use some of my free 'juice' so I can't really speak to that yet.

I'm so glad my EV hunt is over and I am excited to continue the Journey...at least until I have the inevitable HVJB failure that everyone keeps talking about anyway...

Sponsored

 

[glenthompson]

Interesting story and not entirely dissimilar from my own. I kinda eased into the EV world via 2 hybrids (Camry, Prius) and a Plug in hybrid (Prius Prime). Also a Toyota guy as you can tell. I also put a deposit on a Model 3 but dropped it when the real pricing was revealed. By the time you added the LR battery and the FSD hardware needed for the vaporware it almost doubled the price. Decided that was not the time. Started researching other BEVs and considered the VW ID.4 but too many bad stories about the UI. I was only considering cars eligible for the tax credit. A friend had a Bolt that he loved for his daily 60 mile commute - 2x30. However it was too small for our needs. My wife liked the idea of the Mustang because she owned one when she was much younger and long before she met me. I got to pick the particular model but she insisted on a white car.

The only time our MME has been on a DCFC was when our son used it for a couple of weeks while his car was in the shop from a rear-end accident. He couldn't charge at home or work.

Now off to the Ford dealer to pick mine up - it was not performing OTA updates so the dealer had to force it via FDRS.

 

[21st Century Pony]

Congrats! The Mach E is a good car.

I also have the Premium extended battery awd, and today after 16 months of ownership and an Atlantic - Pacific - Atlantic road trip my Mach E has almost 47k on the odo.

...did I mention my avoidance of gas stations since May 2022?

 

[Teslaeata]

Had a PHEV Outlander for c140,000 miles before I gave it to my son and dived right in to the EV world with the ‘Stang!

Second son has one eye on the ‘Stang when I’m done with it!

65000 miles and over 20,000kWH bought, 25% on DCFC, charge to 100% at home frequently but only when going out next morning otherwise to 90%.

SoH currently 95.53% so charge regime not adversely affecting anything more than any other posters’ SoH.

I say do what you need when you need and don’t spoil you life worrying about charging.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Congrats on the new MME! I hope you enjoy it. ??

Tesla isn’t really exaggerating their range. Their EPA claims are based off of an old EPA standard. Most other auto makers are using a newer standard for their EPA claims, which is more conservative (although probably still a bit optimistic). ??

 

[ChehRob]

Mustang went for a horrible several (?) years in the 80s or 90s. Fortunately they went to AA and got back on the wagon. Ford also built the great Taurus, esp the station wagon, and then totally messed it up. Ford was about down to just the 150 as a winner when they introduced the Maverick, Mach E, and Lightening.

 

[RKinWA]

Welcome, and great story. Mine was much shorter. I never even considered an EV. I remember seeing the info about the MME when it first came out and there wasn't even a spark of interest. I also have several friends with Teslas and even rode in them a couple times and had no interest. One of my buddies is a Tesla evangelist, constantly trying to get me to join him because we're both tech guys. I wouldn't even do a test drive in one as I hate the looks, exterior and interior, so much, but around March of 23 I did decide to start watching EV videos, and subsequently started going to sit in them to see how comfortable they were. I've owned 22 vehicles in my time, so buying a new one isn't a big deal for me (I've bought 3 on my lunch breaks ?).

I've owned a few Ford products, and they were at the top of my list of favorite vehicles, so I took the plunge and visited a Ford dealership to check out an MME. In March 23, they were pretty hard to come by, but I found a dealership that had a Premium and took the tour. The moment I saw it in person, and then sat in it, I knew without a doubt I had found my next vehicle. I decided though I would not buy one unless I could get a black GT with black interior, almost an impossibility to find in March, but they said they would keep their eyes open.

Then on a Saturday a couple weeks later, one of the local dealerships called to tell me they had what I was looking for, but it was used, a '21 with 15k miles. I never buy used, but once I learned there was virtually no difference between model years (except the '21 had a couple features the others didn't) I took the plunge and paid a 10k ADM and got it. I had no regrets, I put 6k miles on it in 2 months and loved every minute of it, but ultimately decided I had to have the PE, and a new one at that. And that's how I ended up with my current vehicle. And still no regrets, loving every moment of it, and can't wait to upgrade to the '25 or '26 when they come out.

Sponsored