News already bashing

[timbop]

What he said was "do you think we would have added the wiring and not use it". They aren't using it now, so that could mean "why would put extra wiring in than we plan to use"?

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[Nak]

Tesla troll confirmed. And not even an educated one.

Why a Tesla troll? It could be an ICE troll. Or a "Real Mustang" troll. Or a Kona troll. etc, etc, etc. I'm not saying it isn't a Tesla troll, but there's nothing to confirm it is. I think the MME is far more well thought of in Tesla circles than it is in ICE circles.

 

[06VistaGT]

What he said was "do you think we would have added the wiring and not use it". They aren't using it now, so that could mean "why would put extra wiring in than we plan to use"?

That was my interpretation as well. I hope we are wrong.

 

[J Duce]

This is the question and answer for context:

Q: Two more battery-related questions:

What battery capacity is reserved on the Mach-E? Is it 80% usable? 90% usable? Or, is that still being determined?

Is the DCFC rate ever going to be increased or is the 150kW max based on wiring sizes?

Answer:
Oh man if there wasn't a question that I was less allowed to answer. Suffice to say that Tesla is famous for and even previously sued for advertising too much usable capacity. We are MUCH more conservative than that. We're still calibrating and figuring it our for a few more months.

And, to answer the second without answering the second, do you really think that anyone would put that much extra copper wire in a car to support 350kW and not use it? DCFC rates destroy batteries, and Tesla is pretty much the only vehicle OEM that has as much parallel cell structure to avoid catastrophic damage from DCFC rates like that.

@hybrid2bev and @trutolife27 ... can you confirm whether extra copper is installed in the MME to support 350KW? I know the engineer was careful to neither confirm or deny, but his/her statement leaves an open question whether the statement was general or that it specifically indicated that extra copper was installed.

I guess until Ford confirms or a lab disassembles the car, we cannot be sure.

 

[hybrid2bev]

@hybrid2bev and @trutolife27 ... can you confirm whether extra copper is installed in the MME to support 350KW? I know the engineer was careful to neither confirm or deny, but his/her statement leaves an open question whether the statement was general or that it specifically indicated that extra copper was installed.

I guess until Ford confirms or a lab disassembles the car, we cannot be sure.

?‍ Sorry, no idea. I'm just as curious as you .

 

[silverelan]

350kW ain't happening with the first-gen MME. That would require an entirely different architecture (800v). Thing is, we don't need 800v or 350kW to charge quickly instead the car just needs to have a robust combination of a good BMS, cooling system, and capacity buffer. Ford engineers are conservative so there's certainly margin in the ability to accept/deliver power but there's always a trade-off.

If the MME can pull an e-tron and charge from 10% to 80% in ~25 mins using 150kW, I think we'd all be over the moon. Right now, Ford is committed to taking almost twice as long as Tesla Model Y and Audi e-tron.

 

[silverelan]

Something tells me we're going to get some legit insight into the MME's charging abilities.

 

[zhackwyatt]

Something tells me we're going to get some legit insight into the MME's charging abilities.

All someone needs to do is zoom and enhance. There is a reflection in the side window. I've seen this done a thousand times on TV.

 

[cab]

As an owner of an older Model S (2013), I think the Mach e has a reasonable amount of range (heck, it's more than my car has!). At the EPA range figures, fast charging while on the road becomes my real focus.

When it comes to that fast charging, for me the highest priority by far will be charger availability on road trips. Everything else is is moot w/o that as a starting point. Electrify America has made great strides to FINALLY start closing the gap with superchargers, but that gap is still pretty wide. I would also note that "availability" means the chargers are working, not occupied, etc. - historically a bit of a crapshoot with other DC fast chargers. Availability also means having them WHERE YOU NEED/WANT THEM to be....even superchargers aren't perfect in that regard, but the latest expansion wave here in Texas has been nice (San Antonio area finally got some love with 3 locations over the course of the pas year).

My next priority is charge rate (not just peak, but the whole curve). Our own experience has varied considerably over the years at superchargers. As an example, in June, my wife pulled into the Waco, TX SC (halfway between Austin and Dallas) and with only 64 miles of charge on the Model S it was charging at a pathetic 20kW...ouch. She charged just enough to get her to the supercharger in Alvaredo, TX and when she pulled in with 33 miles of charge remaining, she was charging at 126 kW. At the exact same 64 miles of charge remaining, she was charging at 93 kW. I'm not hung up on needing 150/200/250/250 kW charge rates so much as getting something that is consistently above 80 kW - that makes for a reasonable trip in my book. If the Mach e can sustain that rate up to 80% that would be nice.

I do worry more than a little bit about what happens when the VW penalty money runs out for Electrify America, but perhaps given their own hefty investment in EVs, they won't let it die on the vine...we'll see. Oh, and that Waco, TX supercharger station with the crappy charge rates...they just added 10 more chargers last week (20 total...vs. the 4 at the EA station down the road).

My general impression (w/o having seen or drive in of course), is the Mach e is the first real competitor to Tesla (iPace is probably one too, but pricey) and I look forward to seeing and, more importantly, test driving it - as a "car guy" it hits a lot of the right buttons for me.

...and that wraps up my first post!

 

[OttawaGuy]

I find this thing about the electric cars autonomy so funny! It's like THE THING to consider when saying a car is better than the other!

For gas engine cars, do people buy a car because it has a better fuel economy than the other? Is a car better because it has been fuel economy? NO!!

People buy cars because they are what they want to drive, they like the style, they like the features, they like the price, etc! Why shouldn't it be the same with electric cars!

Like if a car with a similar size battery gets only 100miles while another models gets 300miles, now that's worth saying (or bashing if you wish to), but really comparing Tesla's to Ford's and making all a hype about a few miles difference...come on!

I way prefer the style of the MME of Tesla's styling and how they approached the electric car. So I chose a Mach E over a 3 or Y. Autonomy is important but not the main factor.

Ah and yes Tesla charges twice as fast!!! Wow that's awesome, but what's the impact on battery performance and lifespan?!

Anyhow, let them bash if they so wish, I won't tie my %?$"//" a knot because my SR-RWD "only" got a 230 miles EPA rating!!!!

 

[ajmartineau]

Something tells me we're going to get some legit insight into the MME's charging abilities.

I need data points!

 

[Orangefirefish]

Tesla’s are optimized to excel on the EPA test and real world highway range is a big drop. Unless you drive at 48mph all the time...

We’ll see how good the 70mph range of the Ford is but I’m pretty optimistic about it. SR RWD buyer here.

 

[EVer]

Why a Tesla troll? It could be an ICE troll.

 

[timbop]

Everybody needs a good skull codpiece...

 

[VegStang]

I was hoping for a little more range surprise when the EPA numbers came out, but they met the targets (while increasing the performance), gotta say bravo. Just means with a little effort I can get better range (when I’m not having fun with those 2 motors that is.)

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