2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E confirmed with a higher range [Update]

The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT deliveries have only just begun, and given that it’s earlier than even Ford’s estimates, the company’s chief engineer, Donna Dickson has already confirmed of a new upgrade, this time to do with range.

In an interview with industry analyst Sandy Munro, Dickson spoke about Ford’s constantly looking to improve on the Mach-E’s range saying it is their number one concern. The interview posted on Muro’s YouTube channel Munro Live is where Dickson explained how the company is dedicated to continually improving on the Mustang Mach-E and how Ford views it as the foundation of their future EV models.

More range in future Mach-E model years

The Mustang Mach-E in its extended range form was the first non-Tesla EV to get an EPA range rating of 300 miles. Dickson, in the interview, confirmed, however, that Ford is still looking to improve on that saying that the next three model years will only see more improvements in the Mustang Mach-E with some of those changes involving physical changes such as weight saving. This would involve the elimination of one of two motor coolant pumps and just one reservoir instead of two as well as lighter hoses.

We have actions planned. It’s year-over-year improvement. We’ll go and get additional range improvements and actions coming in for 2022, we have more coming in for 2023 and more coming in for 2024. So, we are constantly working on that.

Donna Dickson, Chief Engineer, Mustang Mach-E, Ford

Another method, in terms of weight savings again, could be, the elimination of the automatic transmission parking pawl that holds the SUV in park. Dickson said that the pawl was used because of the familiarity, but can now be swapped out for an electronic parking brake.

Mustang Mach-E range

The Mustang Mach-E in standard range format is capable of 230 miles in the RWD form and 211 miles in the eAWD form. The Mach-E Extended range variant is capable of 300 miles in RWD and 270 miles in eAWD. The Mach-E California Route 1 variant gets an EPA estimated range of 305 miles while the Mach-E GT gets a 270-mile range.

Recently, the new Ice White edition was also revealed with bookings scheduled to begin in the fall and deliveries in early 2022.

Faster charging

According to a report by InsideEVs, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is all set to get an over-the-air software update, which will bump its capability of fast charging. In a podcast on InsideEVs, Darren Palmer, General Manager of Electric Vehicles at Ford, indicated that the company is working on increasing the SoC limit for fast charging.

Currently, like most electric vehicles, the fast-charging is limited to 80% SoC for protecting the Mustang Mach-E’s battery life. Even if the customer keeps the vehicle plugged into a fast-charger, the charging rate is reduced to 12 kW. Palmer said that this limit might be raised to 90% in the future. Expect the 2022 Mustang Mach-E to leave the factory gate with this update installed.

Sales

The Mach-E has undoubtedly left a good impression with EV buyers in the United States. Ford’s own sales report suggested that while December 2020 saw only three deliveries, the months following after saw an average of more than 2,000 sales per month. According to that report, 17,277 units of the Mach-E were sold in the period between January 2021 and August 2021. Ford is currently producing more electric Mustangs than gas-powered models at the Mexican plant. In July, James Farley, CEO of Ford revealed that a lot of the 60,000+ unit order bank were for the Mach-E and Bronco.

Ford, recently, also recently showcased the tests the Mustang went through to make sure the customers develop the same level of confidence in the durability of an electric Ford as they would in a gas-powered or hybrid Blue Oval. Things like seat integrity tests, interior toughness, the effects of washes on the paint as well as what gravel roads could to do to the paint have all been tested.

Featured image: Ford