I have my expectations set really low on this-I hope they can pull it off.
IMO for it to be successful, it needs to hit the following:
Starting price around 30K
300 mile range no more then 40K
Offer the same usability as the Escape/Maverick and look good
Even with that I wonder how strong the demand will be with all the changes with EV credits etc recently.
Maybe the Cybertruck has eased the thoughts of radical design, anything after that angled paradox
is going to look respectable. I’m changing my POV to cautious but wonder if America is now ready…
Not a model T moment, I’d call it more like a Taurus moment, different enough to swat the competition.
Or both, depending on who you ask. The problem with radical designs is that they can be polarizing, so some may love it while others hate it. The fact that Farley can’t predict reaction suggests to me it’s quite unusual. Let’s hope majority like it.
They should provide much faster charging speeds, at least in the 100~150 kW charging power range. Original Bolts were known for very slow charging. That’s probably no longer acceptable to many buyers IMO.
The battery packs for Mach E are all made offsite. I don't remember the supplier name, and it may have changed since the 2021 model year, so, yes, the same as bringing the engines in from offsite.
Batteries are a tricky proposition in general, because, what's the "battery"? The cells are one thing, then they're bundled into larger packs, and those packs are packed into a stamped box and filled with thermal interface goop, sealed, and topped off.
Some architectures promoted at professional conferences actually propose the battery pack as the floor, literally the top of the battery as the floor. This enables some cool proposed features like, say, putting the seats on the battery before loading it to the rest of the vehicle.
I have one advise for Farley... don't make the same mistake you did in Europe with Focus and Fiesta nameplates.
Introduce the new CE1 EV and call it Escape and Maverick. Don't flush your brand loyalty down the toilet. Those nameplates can be both ICE and EV... customers don't care. Just let them buy the one they want.
Yea, that's a risk Ford needs to take. The article you shared stated:
Ford's EV efforts have struggled lately. It only has three EVs in its portfolio: the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning and the E-Transit van. At the same time, General Motors has scaled up its EV lineup to nearly a dozen models, with Chevrolet now becoming America's second-best-selling EV brand this year, only behind Tesla.
With Tesla also strugglin' lately, Ford has a golden opportunity to turn things around and maybe even become the #1 EV brand in America in a few years if CE1 products are as revolutionary as the head honcho claims.