Well this just happened...I now own a Mustang Mach-E

[Viper GTS]

Even with the quirks I noted, my overall energy level when I got done driving was significantly better than a non-assisted drive. Just the fact that I didn't have to modulate a brake/gas pedal helped. Not to mention the lower attention level required to keep lanes centered in gusty conditions. I'm totally spoiled now.

This is something, IMO, that really needs to be experienced to really 'get.' I used to avoid driving my Viper on days when I knew there was a risk I'd be stuck out late because the amount of attention it required (compared to my other cars) was punishing when tired. Autopilot in my 3 (which I use extensively due to my ~30 mile highway commute) puts a similar gap between the 3 and any normal daily driver. It just takes away so much of the low level stuff that you don't even notice in a normal car because you never had the option of taking it away. Once you have experienced it though driving a normal car is obnoxious and raises questions like 'Why do I have to manage brake and gas in stop and go traffic'?

Viper GTS

 

[ultimatebob]

Besides Elon gave it to me for free for buying his stocks last year during the stock crash.

Yeah... I think that Tesla fanboys and TSLA stockholders are going to be the primary early customers for Cybertruck. They want that photo of one in their driveway on Instagram!

Sadly, I did not buy enough TSLA stock at the dip to afford a Cybertruck. I put it in my IRA, so I couldn't take out those profits even if I wanted to without huge penalties.

I am curious how well it will work for actual "truck things" like hauling lumber and towing trailers. Like most modern day SUV's, I doubt that most of them will ever be used for off-roading.

 

[vi edit]

I'm actually down to one vehicle now for the first time since my wife were dating back in the late 90's. Carvana gave me over $25k for a 2016 Pacifica van I paid like 30k for. I love everything about the Lightning, except it's size. Which is also the reason I like it. There's like 30 days a year I want a truck. The rest it just sits there. So it's just not worth it. I've been following Rivian pretty closely. Their plant is actually the old Mitsubishi plant in Bloomington, IL. I had an uncle that worked at that plant for years and it's a pretty cool thing to be doing in middle of nowwhere flyover IL. The RT1 looks pretty cool with some truly innovative things with a "from scratch" design. The RS1 is probably what I really needed to replace my van. It will be the only 3 row EV out there. Wicked fast with good range. But there's just times I want to toss nasty/awkward stuff in a truck bed and not worry about it.

I'm kind of waiting to see if Ford does an EV ranger/maveric. That's closer to what I want in a second vehicle.

That said, I'm also looking at Niu electric mopeds as a second car around Portland to get my kid to school/practices when my wife needs a car . I've got an E-bike that does it "ok" for now, but having to lock up each time is a pain and it's getting a little more awkward to handle with my son getting heavier sitting on the back.

 

[vi edit]

Another quick update from experiences this weekend.

We flew to IL for Thanksgiving. Had to drive from Portland to Seattle and leave the car at SeaTac for about a week then drive back home. Set the charger to charge to 100% the night before driving up to Seattle.

It was about 35 degrees the morning we left. Car said we had 190 miles of range (far cry from the 270 it could get). We made it up to SeaTac with about 40 miles of range left. (It's 165 miles one way). Hit an EA charge station near the airport and topped up to 80% and it said we had 185 miles of range (batter was conditioned from drive). Parked at airport and headed back to IL.

When we got back the air temp was around 45 degrees. Car had dropped to 165 miles of range, not enough to get home. There was a super intense atmospheric river going on. It was like driving through a pressure washer. Stopped at an EA station and they had free charging (it's been a thing over holidays this year) but the first charger was only giving me about 40kWh of charging. It was going to take like 40 minues to get enough juice to get home. It was pouring rain. Got soaked hooking up (they aren't covered). Sat for about 5 minutes and said fuck this at the charge speeds and moved to a different station. That one was doing about 70kWh and took about 20 minutes to get us over 185 miles of range. We had about 150 to go.

Proceeded to drive home through some of the worst rain I've ever experienced. It was miserable. Had to turn off all assisted controls as the cameras couldn't see the lanes, cameras were blocked from so much rain. And I just watched the range drain. There was so much water on the road it was like we were plowing through it. The windshield wipers struggled to keep up. We managed to pull into our drive with 15 miles of range left and a lot of warnings about reduced climate and comfort controls.

This isn't so much of a complaint about the car but rather EV's in general and the dynamic range issues you man run into. There's a lot more planning you need to accommodate for and the charging network is pretty inconsistent in reliability and speeds. They also aren't covered often times like a normal gas station so you are more exposed to the elements.

Car wise, once I turned off all the driving assistance, it was really capable in that miserable weather. The weight and AWD really helped keep it firm and planted with so much water on the road. Sound insulation helped keep the rain at 60-70MPH to a dull roar and we could still talk at normal volumes. I couldn't do that in other cars. Handling and road feel is getting a lot more comfortable now that I've had time with it. Car feels much smaller than it did initially and I have a lot more trust in it. On new stretches of fresh blacktop/interstate it's sooooo quiet and smooth. Still really enjoy being behind the wheel.

 

[BoomerD]

Another quick update from experiences this weekend.

We flew to IL for Thanksgiving. Had to drive from Portland to Seattle and leave the car at SeaTac for about a week then drive back home. Set the charger to charge to 100% the night before driving up to Seattle.

It was about 35 degrees the morning we left. Car said we had 190 miles of range (far cry from the 270 it could get). We made it up to SeaTac with about 40 miles of range left. (It's 165 miles one way). Hit an EA charge station near the airport and topped up to 80% and it said we had 185 miles of range (batter was conditioned from drive). Parked at airport and headed back to IL.

When we got back the air temp was around 45 degrees. Car had dropped to 165 miles of range, not enough to get home. There was a super intense atmospheric river going on. It was like driving through a pressure washer. Stopped at an EA station and they had free charging (it's been a thing over holidays this year) but the first charger was only giving me about 40kWh of charging. It was going to take like 40 minues to get enough juice to get home. It was pouring rain. Got soaked hooking up (they aren't covered). Sat for about 5 minutes and said fuck this at the charge speeds and moved to a different station. That one was doing about 70kWh and took about 20 minutes to get us over 185 miles of range. We had about 150 to go.

Proceeded to drive home through some of the worst rain I've ever experienced. It was miserable. Had to turn off all assisted controls as the cameras couldn't see the lanes, cameras were blocked from so much rain. And I just watched the range drain. There was so much water on the road it was like we were plowing through it. The windshield wipers struggled to keep up. We managed to pull into our drive with 15 miles of range left and a lot of warnings about reduced climate and comfort controls.

This isn't so much of a complaint about the car but rather EV's in general and the dynamic range issues you man run into. There's a lot more planning you need to accommodate for and the charging network is pretty inconsistent in reliability and speeds. They also aren't covered often times like a normal gas station so you are more exposed to the elements.

Car wise, once I turned off all the driving assistance, it was really capable in that miserable weather. The weight and AWD really helped keep it firm and planted with so much water on the road. Sound insulation helped keep the rain at 60-70MPH to a dull roar and we could still talk at normal volumes. I couldn't do that in other cars. Handling and road feel is getting a lot more comfortable now that I've had time with it. Car feels much smaller than it did initially and I have a lot more trust in it. On new stretches of fresh blacktop/interstate it's sooooo quiet and smooth. Still really enjoy being behind the wheel.

We've been considering the F150 Lightning...but the range is sketchy...as you experienced. Their numbers are based on ideal conditions...not everyday (or atmospheric river) conditions. We live in Ocean Shores, WA. EV charging stations are few and far between here. I suspect we're going, instead, to get the F150 hybrid. Not only does it get an average of 24 mpg, it has the 7.2kW power center as an option. Nice built in generator for when our power goes out.

 

[drnickriviera]

The judge just needs to make VW start all over again with Electrify America.

 

[ultimatebob]

The judge just needs to make VW start all over again with Electrify America.

Wow... there are no Electrify America stations within 25 miles of me, and I live in suburban Connecticut near I-95. What kind of BS is that?

Tesla has several chargers nearby, on or near the highway where people would want them to be.

 

[Kaido]

This isn't so much of a complaint about the car but rather EV's in general and the dynamic range issues you man run into. There's a lot more planning you need to accommodate for and the charging network is pretty inconsistent in reliability and speeds. They also aren't covered often times like a normal gas station so you are more exposed to the elements.

That's one of the biggest reasons I don't own an EV yet. Tesla just shot me an email that they'll be cancelling my Y order fee unless I order next month, but I'm gonna have to hold out for the 500+ mile Cybertruck.

 

[Kaido]

Wow... there are no Electrify America stations within 25 miles of me, and I live in suburban Connecticut near I-95. What kind of BS is that?

Tesla has several chargers nearby, on or near the highway where people would want them to be.

Electrify America has one at a Walmart outside of Hartford. So drive all the way out to sit there for awhile, then burn it all up driving home again lol.

 

[vi edit]

EA has a pretty big presence on the west coast. They are just super inconsistent. When they work, they are great. But I'm batting about 25% on pain free experience with them.

 

[drnickriviera]

They are just super inconsistent. When they work, they are great. But I'm batting about 25% on pain free experience with them.

Same here. So frustrating. Connect to first charger, start charging with app. 25kwh charge rate. Disconnect. Go to second charger. Can't use app, still says you are connected to first charger even though you stopped the charger from the app. Try to use credit card, wont take it. Go to third charger. Oh the app says i'm not charging anymore. Bloop, charging at 50kwh (max for Bolt) The only thing that keeps you from ramming their chargers is that there is usually no one there so you can go from charger to charger till you find one that works right.

 

[RearAdmiral]

I'm kinda interested in a Mach E. I keep looking at them as an upgrade to my '19 WRX. My wife probably deserves an upgrade first with her '11 Rogue(bleh).

 

[Commodus]

I'm kinda interested in a Mach E. I keep looking at them as an upgrade to my '19 WRX. My wife probably deserves an upgrade first with her '11 Rogue(bleh).

Yeah, upgrade the Rogue first. I'm not sure how you'd take to the Mach-E — it's definitely fast, but it's not going to be as nimble as a WRX. I'd be tempted to have your wife drive the Mach-E while you drive it on occasion (or buy something like a Model 3/Polestar 2 for a WRX equivalent).

 

[RearAdmiral]

Yeah, upgrade the Rogue first. I'm not sure how you'd take to the Mach-E — it's definitely fast, but it's not going to be as nimble as a WRX. I'd be tempted to have your wife drive the Mach-E while you drive it on occasion (or buy something like a Model 3/Polestar 2 for a WRX equivalent).

I'm not hot rodding around or anything in the WRX. I just need something fast enough to do what I want to do. She wants a larger vehicle to accommodate more kids/stuff. We have our second due in May, our first will be two then. Not sure if the Mach-E would work for that. It looks slightly larger than her current Rogue, but she kinda wants a proper SUV sized vehicle.

 

[Ackmed]

The range does lessen with temp drops. Been in the 20's here a few days, and 90% charge shows about 170 miles for my GT. Lesson learned for me going to the beach with my First Edition was the mountains in NC killed the batter. But does the same thing to gas vehicles, but there are far more places to fuel up than charge up.

I charge 100% of the time at home though. Only time I did in public was the beach trip. There are more and more places, some even free, but LVL 2. The range on my GT isn't great, and if I couldn't charge every day at home I would be much more nervous about it. But everything I do is in a 20 mile bubble. Work, gym, kids school, etc. So I rarely even get below 70% in a day, starting at 90%.

As far as the vehicle goes, I REALLY like it. Looks, speed, features, etc. Few small things annoy me, but not too bad. Added rims on mine, and wider tires. Then just today added tinted tail lights. Only did the inside ones, ran out of time. I just dont like the white lights, darker looks better to me.

The GT looks many times better than the normal version imo. Front side vents, front grill is black, pony lights up, from and rear diffusers and interior is better. I would encourage anyone who can, try and test drive one. Really happy with the car. Favorite thing is that its an EV, that feels and looks like a normal car inside.

 

[vi edit]

I'm not hot rodding around or anything in the WRX. I just need something fast enough to do what I want to do. She wants a larger vehicle to accommodate more kids/stuff. We have our second due in May, our first will be two then. Not sure if the Mach-E would work for that. It looks slightly larger than her current Rogue, but she kinda wants a proper SUV sized vehicle.

You'll definitely want to check out the interior space. The Mach-E is more more along the compact SUV size. With the glass roof the headroom is great and it's a very open interior, but it's definitely not spacious. Coming from a minivan it's downright claustrophobic at times and I desperately miss the cargo space on occasion. I'd check how rear facing car seats sit and how much front leg room it leaves. It's not a very deep back seat and there's not a ton of knee room.