Last year Ford Motor added the Tesla network of Super Chargers to their existing charging network. As an EV owner this is pretty cool as it expands significantly the chargers available thru Ford's Blue Oval charging network.
On back order since last autumn this showed-up on the porch last week.
Since I already use a Level Two Tesla Universal Charging Station at home this is an easy-peasy adaptation (pun intended).....
Behold the 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z28; and all its performance attributes.
Darn nice ride.
Engine: Two permanent magnet, synchronous electric motors, with a single speed automatic transmission
Power: 346 HP
Weight: 4,759 LB
Top Speed: Factory limited to 120 MPH
0-60 mph: 3.8 sec
Max Torque: 428 LB FT
Automotive engineering has moved light years since 1968.
And there is no such thing as a green sports car.
Vrooom!
Not mine.
It's a loaner.
The Ford dealership had to keep our Mach E overnight for a sleepover to replace its software brain.
Long story short - a big brain dump.
This is a model year newer and at 0 - 60 in 3.9 seconds still blows the doors off most piston-powered sports cars.
At least off the line.
Black livery has a Darth Vader menacing vibe. It looks real cool. It tempts to lure you to the dark side. Nevertheless, having been down
this path early in my life - no f’ing way.
No black car!
By the time I got home from Green Bay this Mustang was coated in a uniform layer of flyover country dust…..
A new squeegee.
You're probably thinking: What the hell for?
It's for the electric sports car in the background. My Ford Mustang Mach E, Premium AWD, Extended Range, Battery Electric Vehicle. Because I no longer visit a gas station and clean the glass while filling my tank I now perform this task at home. Yes, I have to fill a bucket with warm soapy water the scrub the bugs off the glass.
Rated at 346 horsepower and 428 pounds-feet of torque, when you stomp on the gas (a figure of speech) on this blue rocket and accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.9 seconds you squash a lot more bugs.
This will also come in handy during the winter.
Turns-out my pal, Braumeister, has a Level Two charger in his garage just like I do.
If I have to travel to the Naked City and stay overnight if he and the missus are in town I might be able to score a spot on the fold out couch and top-off my battery overnight.
If he's reading this he might get a chuckle from the title...
This piece of click bait has been floating around social media.....
I have no solar panels or a wind turbine.
I get my power from the grid like most everyone else - 89% of which in Wisconsin is generated by burning fossil fuels. I did plant 40,000 trees decades ago; consequently my carbon foot print is likely smaller than most folks. My conscience is clear.
My daily ride is a Ford Mustang Mach-E. I love the advanced driving technology and performance capabilities. My AWD Premium with extended range battery is rated at 346 hp and 428 pounds-feet of torque. 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds is likely faster than most folks.
GM’s
Corvette E-Ray has a 495 hp mid-engine set-up and an electric motor
that sends 160 hp to the front wheels for an unfair advantage of 655
hp and 0-60 in 2.5 seconds.
Luring
buyers to an electrified Vette or a racy EV isn’t a green pitch. Nobody calls these “environmentally friendly” sports cars.
They’re purchased because consumers are looking for performance,
innovation or value.
A fully electrified Corvette is the next frontier. Porsche has plans to replace their Boxster and Cayman ICE models with EVs next year and Ferrari expects release of its first EV in 2026.
Daniel Pund, editor in-chief of Road & Track magazine, put it best; “many consumers previously drawn to fast, fashionable cars have shifted to luxury sport-utility vehicles or electric vehicles.”
And yes, they're expensive. Get over it.
Last weekend I took my Mach-E Mustang on a short road trip to deliberately and impose by force some range anxiety on myself.
I was seeking confidence in my battery and the vehicle's technology in response.
On the return leg, and before reaching Green Bay, at 30% battery remaining the software began messaging me the closest DC charging station. Yes, it becomes more shrill as you further deplete your battery and ignore the vehicle entreaties to pull off at a convenient location to add some kilowatts. The car will "nudge" you by purposefully disengaging the autopilot (Ford Blue Cruise) and the disembodied voice will strongly suggest the driver redirect the route.
The thing of it is, is that I knew exactly how many miles to get home and my Tesla Level Two Universal Charger. And I had very high confidence in the the instrument readout on remaining battery life and range.
I left home with a 92% charge and returned home with 17% battery and 31 miles of range to spare. Plenty to have gotten me to Sturgeon Bay and a fast charger if I wanted to.
Most of the trip utilized some form of hands-free driving (I still keep one hand on the wheel anyway) and I got to fill the cabin with really loud rock n' roll music from the Mustang's 10 speaker Bang & Olufsen entertainment system.
And I fetched five boxes of delicious venison sausage goodness too.
0-60 in less than 4.8 seconds.
Hubba Hubba...
Getting used to driving features on the Mustang Mach E.
On a freeway the Intelligent Automated Cruise Control keeps the vehicle between the lines - fog line on the right and center line on the left. It is a variation on the self driving technology; but scolds you if you take a hand off the wheel.
Ford's BlueCruise is activated when you hit the far left button on the steering wheel. Immediately you are in Autonomous mode.
Lane Change Assist can help drivers move thru traffic on the freeway with more confidence while using BlueCruise. The system will perform a hands-free lane change when requested by the driver tapping the turn signal. And it can even suggest if a lane change would be beneficial when following slow-moving traffic.
Predictive Speed Assist automatically and adjusts the speed as drivers approach a sharp curve and helps signal the driver ahead of time when a speed change is about to occur so they understand why the vehicle is slowing.
In-Lane Repositioning makes the hands-free driving experience feel more natural, keeping the vehicle in its lane while subtly shifting the vehicle's position away from the vehicles in adjacent lanes. This is especially welcome when driving next to a big semi.
On a round trip to Green Bay it handled a cluster of vehicles. Six passenger cars passing on the left, slowing for semi ahead followed by a lane change and return to speed.
Huge learning curve and taking some time to get used-to.....
After a long, long wait we got this home without a speeding ticket. A BEV - battery electric vehicle.
A Ford Mustang Mach E.
0 to 60 in about 3.8 seconds.....
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