Electric Vehicle Review

Group Marketing Manager, Anna-Marie Camp, reviews her recent 5-day driving experience in the All-Electric Mustang Mach-E

My initial thoughts prior to driving an Electric Vehicle

Prior to my Mustang Mach-E experience, I was very apprehensive about driving one. Like many people, I had the perception that the vehicle would be very complicated and confusing. I’d read a lot about some of the features and technology and if you are not a technical person, this can be quite overwhelming. I just wasn’t convinced that I’d simply be able to get in the car and drive, like I would in any other. I also had the perception that charging would be an arduous process in addition to the common concerns over range. I was very pleased that I had taken the opportunity to have a drive in the All-Electric Mustang Mach-E; I can honestly say that it took me a matter of minutes before I felt comfortable behind the wheel and I asked myself, why had I been so apprehensive? Over the course of the 5-day EV driving experience, there were a number of other preconceived ideas that were subsequently addressed too. Read on to find out more!

First impressions and getting to know the All-Electric Mustang Mach-E

When I first got into the vehicle, the substantial touchscreen looked quite overwhelming – there are so many different controls for different elements of the vehicle. In reality, there are some features of the touchscreen that are not going to be used that much – and you soon get used to the basics such as controlling the vehicle temperature, heated seats/steering wheel and audio system. It is also straightforward to access the screen where you can switch between drive modes and revert to “one-pedal drive” should you wish to.

Connecting my phone to Apple Car Play was seamless; the same as on my Ford Puma. This will provide you connectivity and access to apps whilst on the go. I use WhatsApp, Spotify and BBC Sounds quite regularly, all of which work exactly the same as if I were using my phone but with the added benefit of voice control!

FordPass and Electric Vehicle apps

Connecting the Mustang Mach-E to the FordPass App was also very easy. I would strongly recommend doing this as the app will really become your best friend when it comes to driving an Electric Vehicle! In particular, you can instantly see the percentage of charge and the range in miles on the vehicle in real time. This is particularly useful when you are charging the vehicle because you can keep an eye on progress remotely – this actually becomes quite addictive! There is also a trip planner which is really useful. It will allow you to enter your journey details and will provide estimated range at each stage of your journey. You can also search for charging points on the app on the navigation system on the vehicle touchscreen.

The other app I would recommend is ZapMap. This can also be used to locate charging points – including private ones which can be booked through JustPark.

I downloaded the PodPoint app too as this was the provider at the public charging point that I chose to use. It was easy to download, create an account and add payment details. It made life more straightforward when I was physically at the charging point too, because it was just a case of plugging in and confirming the charge on the app. The charging points also have unique names to help identify them which I found to be quirky! Once charging, the app also showed that “Lara-Dean” was indeed, in use!

Relaxing Driving Experience

The lack of noise is a bit strange when you first switch the vehicle on however, I did not notice a great deal of difference in noise compared to my Ford Puma Mild Hybrid. The Mustang Mach-E definitely provides a relaxing driving experience but for me, this was less about noise and more about the intelligent adaptive cruise control and some of the driver-assistance features such as lane-centring. The adaptive cruise control is really easy to use and can be set easily on the left-hand side of the steering wheel controls – it allows you to set a gap between you and the vehicle in front and will maintain this by gradually slowing itself down as appropriate depending on other road users. It’s also really easy to set your preferred speed and then you can take your foot off of the accelerator and just cruise. I was surprised at how relaxed I felt with this system – I always felt that it was in control and felt safe which is really re-assuring when driving such a powerful car.

On some occasions, I didn’t realise how fast the vehicle was going and so I thought I’d test the speed-limiter when I was driving in more rural locations. I really liked this feature it ensured that it kept within the speed limit – the car even adjusted the speed limiter as you go in and out of different zones thanks to the clever traffic sign recognition system.

Whilst using the vehicle, I did switch between drive modes (Whisper, Active and Untamed) a little but to be honest, I was happy just to keep it in “Whisper” mode for the majority of my experience.

I was quite concerned by the size of the vehicle as the Ford Mustang Mach-E is bigger than the Ford Puma that I am used to driving. During the first few hours of having the vehicle, I was quite nervous when it came to parking but as time went on, I found the 360-degree camera to be a really useful feature. It took me a little while to work out the different camera angles but once I did, I don’t think I did a bad job of parking!

Charging and range

I don’t go anywhere without a significant amount of planning – and when driving an EV, you really need to plan. This is especially true if you do not have a home charging point. Whilst the charging infrastructure is much better than I had thought, most charging points are 7kW fast chargers and my experience of these are that they actually take several hours for any significant amount of charge. For example, I started charging at approximately 30% charge; it took approximately 6.5 hours to charge up to 75%. They would be fine to top up charge when out shopping for example (as these types of chargers are readily available at supermarkets, shopping centres and retail parks), but not really an option if you needed to add several miles of range to the car quickly.

There are rapid chargers around and although I didn’t use one, they’d probably be the best solution if you were on a long journey and needed some additional charge quickly.

The range on the Mustang Mach-E is excellent however and exceeded my expectations. Based on my lifestyle, if I owned one, I would probably only need to charge it once or twice a week. I would also ensure that I had a home wallbox so that the vehicle could be charged overnight making the process so much more convenient and most likely, more cost effective. During the five days in which I drove the Mustang Mach-E, I did not experience range anxiety. However, had I have planned any longer journeys, then I think range anxiety may have been more of a factor without the use of a home wallbox.

Prior to this experience, my perception of the physical process of charging the vehicle was that it would be quite complicated. By using the FordPass and/or ZapMap apps, you can find out about the devices available in relevant locations, including network providers and payment information. I found this to be useful so that I could download apps before got to the charge point (in my case, I used PodPoint). So then, when I was actually arrived, it was just a case of plugging in the type 2 connector cable (that is included with the car) and confirm your charge on the app.

Interior and exterior styling

For the first couple of days, I could not stop looking at the car - it does look stunning! This seemed to be an opinion shared by many of my neighbours who complimented the car whilst I had it. The car I drove was “Iconic Silver” which I really like – in my opinion, it is understated. Even so, the Mustang Mach-E attracted admiring glances wherever it went! The interior of the vehicle felt really luxurious and I loved the panoramic roof which filled the cabin with light. This car definitely has a real premium feel to it and is really comfortable to drive.

In conclusion

Overall, I though that the Mustang Mach-E as an absolute joy to drive; I would not describe myself as a car enthusiast but driving this car was a pleasure and put a smile on my face. Although this vehicle is very well-equipped, there is far more to it than just the technology. I would really recommend taking a test drive in the All-Electric Mustang Mach-E; particularly if, like me, you are somewhat apprehensive about Electric Vehicles. They are really not as confusing as you might think and you'll discover so many benefits that may not have previously considered!