The long wait for the debut of Ford’s much-discussed, oft-teased new Mustang-inspired electric SUV is finally coming to an end. What will probably get the name Mach E is a big deal indeed for Ford, and it’s no surprise nary a week goes by when we don’t hear something new about it. This time around, the news tidbit involves the drivetrain and the battery pack.
As part of a joint announcement made with the Electrify America group, Ford announced that the Mach E SUV will get a maximum range of 300 miles or 483 km – though that maximum will be attainable only with the largest-capacity battery, and only when the model is equipped with a rear-wheel-drive configuration. On a rapid charging station, 10 minutes will get owners a 47-mile (76-km) charge.
All-wheel-drive versions will thus offer a shorter range, which is unsurprising of course. In comparison, when Tesla offered a rear-wheel-drive version of its Model S, it delivered 10% more range. With all-wheel drive, the new Mach E will deliver somewhere around 400 km, which places the SUV right around where the models it will compete with sit.
Production of the new electric SYUV is set to begin sometime late in 2020… by coincidence or not, right around when Tesla will begin producing its Model Y.