[Paul84]

First of all, a "hello" to all Mach E Fans,

my name is Paul and I'm from Germany.
I reserved my Mustang Mach E, RWD, SR about 2 Weeks ago. It will be my first electric car, and I have been caught up in the Mach E since I saw the Ford Commercial for the first time.
What I am still asking myself about is, if I should switch ether to the ER or the AWD? My plan is to commute to work, which is about the 55km away (one way) Charging at home won't be any problem. But I would love it to go on vacation within Europe with the Mach E, covering distances between 400km to 800km.
I now a lot depends on planning and charging does not seem to be a problem in Europe. What catched me about the AWD is the (possibly) better acceleration. For me it also depends on the range difference between RWD and AWD in real life. Or better... How close will the reality be to estimated ranges provided by Ford?
What are your thoughts on this?
I'm looking forward to become a Mach E family member?

Cheers
Paul

 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Welcome to the forum Paul! Great to have someone from Germany on here! As far as AWD or RWD is concerned, do you deal with a lot of bad road conditions in your area?

 

[St00k]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not sure if we know the difference between AWD and RWD range. I think so though...

Definitely not for real world though. I'd expect real world would probably be about a 10% loss compared to RWD.

 

[Paul84]

Hey.
Thanks a lot for your replys guys.

In terms of weather in our area the last few years we had very mild winters with only 1 or 2 weeks with snow. But going more to the south, or in regions in higher altitudes things are different. We had a lot of rain most of our last winters. So I guess not the "usual" weather that demands an AWD? What about the "power" aspect? Not in terms of horsepower, since it has the same with the SR battery. More in terms of acceleration or let's call it "felt power". If there is only about 20 to 30 km difference in range between AWD and RWD.

 

[St00k]

Taking a look at the info here:

Ford Website Leak

https://www.ford.com/powertrains/battery-electric-vehicles/mach-e/ An early Merry Christmas to y'all! Summary of the trims/prices below. Please note the prices are starting at prices (without tax incentives) and the range estimate is with an optional range extender (no pricing on that yet)...

www.macheclub.com

It looks like 270 miles for AWD and 300 for RWD. Basically 10%.

In KM that's 435 to 483

 

[Paul84]

I see that there is a huge difference regarding the estimated range between Fords US website and the German version. In Germany they offer the AWD and SR battery with an estimated range of 420km (260 miles). The difference results from the the different calculation standards. EPA in the US, WLTP in the EU. So maybe the truth lies in between.

 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

I see that there is a huge difference regarding the estimated range between Fords US website and the German version. In Germany they offer the AWD and SR battery with an estimated range of 420km (260 miles). The difference results from the the different calculation standards. EPA in the US, WLTP in the EU. So maybe the truth lies in between.

Yeah it gets confusing because the EPA and WLTP numbers are so different.

 

[Paul84]

It really is confusing. Range wise the difference is quite big. I am still not sure about upgrading my RWD to the ER battery or to AWD with SR battery. AWD with the ER battery is a bit over my budget I guess. Any more thoughts on this?

 

[Dutchy]

Well, regarding to the difference between EPA and WLTP ranges, I found this explanation: “The nature of the (European) WLTP cycle is different from the (US) EPA cycle. The EPA test emphasizes long-distance cruising, which of course is more common in the US, with its geographic nature. WLTP is about shorter, start-stop driving, more common in Europe,” So for us in Europe (I live in the Netherlands), we should look at WLTP ranges.

Paul, you say that the Mach E will be your first EV, then you will already be impressed with the acceleration of the RWD with SR! I currently drive a VW Golf GTE (hybrid) and when I use the GTE button (combined electric and normal engine) it really goes like crazy (7.4 seconds 0-100kph). But that acceleration is still quite a bit slower than the Mach E RWD! And you don't really need that acceleration, I hardly ever use the GTE button on the Golf. Another disadvantage of quick acceleration, you have to take another cost into account, tires! On my Golf (front wheel drive) the front tires only last about 15.000 km before they are worn down and I am not pushing the limits at each traffic light. The rear wheel drive of the Mustang will be better for the tires, but they will take a hit when accelerating fast everytime.

And finally, the RWD does 0-60 mph in the low 6 seconds, the AWD in mid 5 seconds according to the specs so far. So is that 0.5 second difference worth a 7.500 Euro's for you?

 

[Paul84]

Hey Dutchy,

thanks for taking the time and replying.
I think you got a good point by mentioning different aspects like the wear of tires.
I did a test drive with a hyundai kona electro a few weeks ago and I've been impressed by the acceleration although it only has about 136HP (small battery). So I guess, like you said, that the acceleration will be even more impressive. Even compared to a 190 HP Diesel Mercedes C-Class I recently drove.
So my decision will be "just" to upgrade to the ER Battery as I am planning to commute to work with the car instead of doing it by train.
What version did you reserve, Dutchy?

 

[Dutchy]

Hey Dutchy,

thanks for taking the time and replying.
I think you got a good point by mentioning different aspects like the wear of tires.
I did a test drive with a hyundai kona electro a few weeks ago and I've been impressed by the acceleration although it only has about 136HP (small battery). So I guess, like you said, that the acceleration will be even more impressive. Even compared to a 190 HP Diesel Mercedes C-Class I recently drove.
So my decision will be "just" to upgrade to the ER Battery as I am planning to commute to work with the car instead of doing it by train.
What version did you reserve, Dutchy?

Hi Paul, I reserved the RWD standard range with additional Technology Pack (not +) in the colour Iconic Silver. In the Netherlands we don't need AWD (no hills to climb, no snow) and the standard range is more than enough. I can drive across the country (140km) and back again easily on one charge and will have spare range even after that. And on holidays, for instance to northern Italy (not now,because of Corona ) it would take only one extra stop for charging.

 

[Dutchy]

First of all, a "hello" to all Mach E Fans,

my name is Paul and I'm from Germany.
I reserved my Mustang Mach E, RWD, SR about 2 Weeks ago. It will be my first electric car, and I have been caught up in the Mach E since I saw the Ford Commercial for the first time.
What I am still asking myself about is, if I should switch ether to the ER or the AWD? My plan is to commute to work, which is about the 55km away (one way) Charging at home won't be any problem. But I would love it to go on vacation within Europe with the Mach E, covering distances between 400km to 800km.
I now a lot depends on planning and charging does not seem to be a problem in Europe. What catched me about the AWD is the (possibly) better acceleration. For me it also depends on the range difference between RWD and AWD in real life. Or better... How close will the reality be to estimated ranges provided by Ford?
What are your thoughts on this?
I'm looking forward to become a Mach E family member?

Cheers
Paul

By the way, why would you go for the AWD? Your commute is only 55km, so 110km up and down. You can easily reach that with the standard range and you can top it off at your home charging point during the night. And as for the holidays, for the extra costs of the extended range (8.150 Euro in the Netherlands) you can hire an ICE car for many years during those holidays. Have you seen the traffic jams for the charging stations during high season? Here's an example:

 

[MachDrive]

By the way, why would you go for the AWD? Your commute is only 55km, so 110km up and down. You can easily reach that with the standard range and you can top it off at your home charging point during the night. And as for the holidays, for the extra costs of the extended range (8.150 Euro in the Netherlands) you can hire an ICE car for many years during those holidays. Have you seen the traffic jams for the charging stations during high season? Here's an example:

Funny you should say that. In LA and other major tesla install bases, the biggest complaint about the supercharger network is the wait times, or that they have to travel out of their way to find one thats not so busy.
Yes the batteries may charge faster than the other manufacturers. but if you add in the wait time and/or extra travel time, things start to even out.

 

[Paul84]

Holy Cow, that traffic jam is insane.
I finished my thoughts about going with the AWD an will stay with the RWD instead. But I'm still considering the ER battery, because in Germany there is a little more uphill and downhill driving(especially here in the souther region where I live). Adding the fact that we like to go to Austria or South Tirol on vacation probably the ER makes sense. My wife still has a Nissan Qashqai with a diesel engine. So for long trips we could use that too. But I would love to do such trips with the MME too, with less charging as possible when we are underway. Plan is to charge at home to 100%. Drive one way to South tirol for example (about 450 to 500km) and charge at the hotel before heading back or for driving around there.
I hope we can avoid such traffic jams, as we usually don't go on vacation during the peak seasons. Since we don't have kids, we aren't dependent on school holidays etc.

 

[Dutchy]

Holy Cow, that traffic jam is insane.
I finished my thoughts about going with the AWD an will stay with the RWD instead. But I'm still considering the ER battery, because in Germany there is a little more uphill and downhill driving(especially here in the souther region where I live). Adding the fact that we like to go to Austria or South Tirol on vacation probably the ER makes sense. My wife still has a Nissan Qashqai with a diesel engine. So for long trips we could use that too. But I would love to do such trips with the MME too, with less charging as possible when we are underway. Plan is to charge at home to 100%. Drive one way to South tirol for example (about 450 to 500km) and charge at the hotel before heading back or for driving around there.
I hope we can avoid such traffic jams, as we usually don't go on vacation during the peak seasons. Since we don't have kids, we aren't dependent on school holidays etc.

Hi Paul, still, 450 to 500 km is only just over the (theoretical) range of the RWD standard range. I don't know if you plan on driving those 500km in one stretch or that you take a break halfway. According to the infographic below, 10 minute charging at a speedcharger will give you about 90km extra range. So a well planned coffee break could save you 8000 Euro. But it all comes down to determining what distances you travel now during a day and then decide whether or not you need the extra 150km of range.

Perhaps you should take a look at this video at 07:00 :

 

[Chris]

Choosing between the SR and the ER is, imho, not so much a matter of range but more a matter of energy.
It's reassuring to have enough energy for your heating/cooling or system consumption, not to have to worry about that. And I think it's a one time decision. I doubt if it is possible to add the extra batterie power later on.
So I reserved the RWD, ER. Maybe a bit too much, but better an easy feeling then a constant calculating one.

 

[Paul84]

Yes, it is a lot about the different factors that affect the battery. Like Chris said using the heating or cooling combined with the audio, or headlights etc..
I guess that the WLTP estimates are a bit too optimistic.
But... Recently I read a review of a Tesla model 3, with the test doing 130 kmph and the air condition on. They reached 340km. That model had the 75kWh battery. Adding the fact that it has AWD and 487 HP, this seems to be a pretty good range. It's WLTP Range is 530km.I don't know where this difference is coming from compared to the MME. Maybe Shape an wind resistance?