Ford Friday provided an update on charging times for its upcoming Mustang Mach-E electric SUV.
That includes speedy DC fast-charging. And the good news is that, even before deliveries of the Mach-E start—mostly on-time—later this year, Ford has already stepped up its fast-charging times.
The company now says that the 2021 Mustang Mach-E will recover 61 miles of range in just 10 minutes. That’s about a 30 percent improvement over the 47 miles in 10 minutes that Ford quoted last fall.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E
That’s for the rear-wheel drive version with the 98.7-kwh extended-range battery. The all-wheel drive version with the extended-range pack can recover 52 miles in that time, and both of the models with the big battery can get from a 10% to 80% charge in about 45 minutes.
With the 75.7-kwh standard-range battery, charging times clock in at 46 miles with rear-wheel drive or 42 miles with all-wheel drive, and a 38-minute approximate time to get from from 10 to 80 percent.
Collectively, these charging times place the Mach-E solidly in the same league as the more expensive Audi E-Tron and Jaguar I-Pace—but not in the same league as Tesla, which has boasted that its Model 3 and Model Y are able to gain up to 75 miles in five minutes at Supercharger V3 stations.
Ford engineer inside Mustang Mach-E
Although Ford didn’t provide further clarification on exactly how it can cram electrons in that much faster, it verified to Green Car Reports that the times were quoted when connected to 150-kw CCS DC fast-charging hardware. According to earlier communications, most of the lineup could charge at a peak 150 kw, except for a base Select model that was limited to 115 kw.
The I-Pace only reaches a peak 100 kw, but it keeps near its peak for much of the charging session; the E-Tron also uses a wide range of its session near 150 kw (or even up to 155 kw if hardware permits).
Every Ford all-electric vehicle, which includes all Mach-E versions, will come with a Ford mobile charger that’s capable of adding 21 miles per charging hour when it’s plugged into a 240-volt outlet. Or Ford has a 48-amp wall box that will allow up to 30 miles back per hour.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E frunk with food
Although the tailgating potential of the Mach-E frunk teased earlier this year was a surprise, any EV carrying the Ford Mustang name, road-trip capability seems like a prerequisite. And while very fast charging is one side of that, actual places to charge quickly is the other side.
Ford also announced that it has added 1,000 more charging stations and 5,000 more charge connectors to its FordPass Charging Network, which it has already called “North America’s largest electric vehicle charging network,” bringing the total up to 13,500 stations and 40,000 connectors.
According to Ford, the network growth comes through existing partners—which we know includes Greenlots, Electrify America, and others—building up their networks in California, New York, and Massachusetts.
FordPass network - May 2020
FordPass Home Screen
FordPass Power My Trip functionality
The FordPass app is available on Apple and Google Play stores for any Ford customer, or via the in-vehicle interface, and will help offer planned charging points based on the current state of charge (including dynamic charging occupancy data).
The Mach-E will be Plug&Charge compatible, meaning that drivers will be able to just plug in the vehicle, without additional handshakes, fobs, cards, PINs, or button-presses.
So although the speeds might not quite be at the level of Tesla Supercharging, the Mach-E should offer something close to the level of road-trip convenience.
Ford also earlier this week provided another detail that launches the Mach-E into a tech-savvy zone. It will be one of the first mass-produced vehicles on the market to offer over-the-air updates from the start.