Marques Brownlee aka @MKBHD takes a Mach-E 1000 mile road trip … subtitle "how first time EV owners will struggle with the Lightning"

[F-150 Prius]

This simple drive started with a flawed premise, struggled through a failed experiment and concluded with no conclusion … gas fills up quicker then volts …
So the only purpose was to advertise Tesla (but Tesla doesn't pay for advertising they say … : ) and to book serious revenue from a video for @mkbhd …
Not that they purported to start out on a scientific proof, but they could have at lest chosen a realistic route with parameters to illustrate some sort of real world scenario.
What they chose was a route that would exemplify how the new $130K+ Tesla Model S Plaid can travel well on the first leg of a 100% charge and finish one day of driving with a quick top up charging session.
If anything they showed the version 1.0 Ford at less than half the sticker of the version 5+ of the Tesla did well even with zero skills behind the steering wheel.
What they didn't do was allow the Tesla and the Ford to charge overnight to 100% … that would have been the real world choice of any driver and breaks the premise of the test which was more like "how would a driver cover 1000 miles in the least time." (something that an EV owner would know is not a smart way to drive an EV.)

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[astricklin]

Here's my thoughts without actually watching the video because I really don't want to support this guy.

From my understanding, the charging experience in the mme has improved significantly even over the past 6 months. We have another 12 months till people are really getting the lightning in any numbers and by then Ford should have learned even more from the mme data collected from the real world.
Additionally, very few people ever drive 2-3 day 1000+ mile road trips. And if they do, it's maybe once a year.
So in my opinion, the vast majority of people will not struggle or be disappointed with the lightning.

 

[smyph]

I’m a fan and I think they did a good job. It highlighted the problem with charging infrastructure which is well know. Ford has a long way to go to catch up with Tesla from and infrastructure and services stand point for EV.

 

[greenne]

As one who lives in upstate NY and has been to Lake Placid many times-- even under the best of conditions things get a bit dicey with services north of Albany(and esp Saratoga). Its always advisable to stop for food/fuel in Albany. The fact they put so much faith in the App and waited so long to charge is a lack of planning.

The Ford did much better when they used smartphone tools and EA charging stations. With a little planning the results would have been much closer than the video makes it appear. Yes, if you're traveling into the sticks the EV is going to require a bit more planning than just "hop in and go"-- at least for the next year or few years. But looking at the EA map..along heavily travelled corridors(i.e. i95) there are dozens if not hundreds of chargers already.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

I like that the way the MachE reported it’s range was much more accurate than the Tesla. With that in mind, the MachE’s range is much much closer to that of the Teslas, for a lot less money. As Brownlee alluded to, that bodes well for the Lightning.

But this charging network thing really does need to get better. I will be driving from Denver to Denton, TX and passing through Amarillo. The charging infrastructure along that route is questionable. I know it’s going to get better but Ford really does need to build a better partnership with charging providers so they can do a better job of reporting charge station status.

I guess it’s a good thing that Tesla will be opening their superchargers to everyone soon. That will certainly help.

 

[TRP]

I won't be holding my breath about Musk opening up the supercharger network anytime soon. His track record for making promises and then actually delivering on them has not been great.

I didn't watch the video.

My experience owning a Mach E is that the onboard nav and it's ability to find charging stations has been great. However, it's always best practice to double check with the available app of your choice to confirm. With an EV you don't have the option to just go to the next exit and fill up. My usage has been between Knoxville and Baltimore along major interstates, not backwoods or off the beaten path adventures so my experience will not match everyones expectations.

As for range on my MME extended range AWD Premium, EPA says 270mi. Interstate travel with cruise set at 70mph I am getting 270/280mi. If I stay home my city mileage creeps up to 300, I live pretty rural so there is still a mix of higher speeds even locally. So overall I'm pretty impressed with the mileage performance. If the Lightning performs even close to this I would expect it to exceed the EPA rating as well. I don't think a Tesla owner can say that.

The only DCFC network I've used has been Electrify America. I am typically the only car there, occasionally another vehicle will be there but rarely. I've never had to leave a station to charge elsewhere. I have had to switch machines but I have always been able to charge. I used the free 250kwh ford gave and am now using the EA Plus+ membership. $4mo, cancelable whenever I like and it gets me the discounted rate. The $4mo pays for itself at the first 10-80% charge.

I am looking forward to watching the charge networks grow in the future. Remember, today is the worst shape it will be in. Only up from here

 

[Vulnox]

Still appreciate the comparisons, even if they sometimes show their colors a bit in this stuff. I kind of appreciate when the Mach E gets a bit of a black eye on the charging, mainly because I am so frustrated with how Ford talks about the available charging infrastructure. I hear often, including in our company town halls, about how the Mach E and Lightning will have access to the "largest charging infrastructure", as a way of saying, we aren't actually behind the SuperCharger network.

But they are, they are countless miles behind it. Because the reality is over 80% of those chargers in the network are slow as hell AC chargers. Even many of the DC "fast" chargers are 50 KW cap.

Ford isn't responsible for those EVSEs (I shouldn't have used the term chargers above, since they aren't, but I don't feel like changing it now). But they are responsible for the messaging they send to prospective buyers. People really need to review what is available around them, especially if using the vehicle for a trip.

This isn't me coming down on EVs, I love EVs, we own an EV. It's a problem with how some companies are marketing them that is frustrating because when people come into it with a false sense of where some of the networks actually are, they may have a bad ownership experience and that hurts all EVs going forward.

 

[F150ROD]

I mean....you really can't argue that with a Tesla, it's easier to travel with less headaches and faster charging times. Ford is juts starting out, no shame in that.

 

[F-150 Prius]

I mean....you really can't argue that with a Tesla, it's easier to travel with less headaches and faster charging times. Ford is juts starting out, no shame in that.

True. I don't expect Ford/VW etc. and EA etc. to catch up to Tesla before I'm proudly washing the mud off a Lightning. I think the comparison could have been planned to illustrate a situation where driving 1000 miles can be done "best" in each vehicle rather than driving the Ford into a dead end and doubling back just for lack of knowing the software weaknesses.

 

[greenne]

True. I don't expect Ford/VW etc. and EA etc. to catch up to Tesla before I'm proudly washing the mud off a Lightning. I think the comparison could have been planned to illustrate a situation where driving 1000 miles can be done "best" in each vehicle rather than driving the Ford into a dead end and doubling back just for lack of knowing the software weaknesses.

I know they did that for dramatic effect....but with a little effort made to "plan" and check things on the web/via phone app they could have mitigated the impact somewhat.

With a little planning the non-Tesla EV road trip can be done without too much drama-- esp if you stick with EA charging stations.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

I own a Tesla MX and have a Lightning on order, also own a KR PB. I have been following the EA rollout closely. It is a hot mess, no question. As it stands, I can drive my Model X between my homes in FL and VA with no issues as fast as I can my truck. I could not do that in a Ford EV yet. And there are no EA chargers between my homes in VA and Maryland, a distance of 200 miles. None - Yet there are five Tesla Superchargers. Ford and EA still have a LONG way to go just to have equal coverage and an even further way to go for their existing and pending chargers to measure up to the reliability of Tesla's SC system. We are seeing 50% or less success in fast charging at EA locations - I cannot imagine what it would be like to roll up to an EA location and find that the charger is down, with only a few miles range left - or even just slow charging rates. I've never had that happen with any of my Teslas since 2012, over 225K miles, and it is a big concern as we await our Lightning. Ford knows it has an issue, but unlike Tesla, it has little control over the network, and therefore the outcome. Long distance charging and overall charging speed was the game changer that made EV's a thing when Tesla introduced the MS in 2012, and Tesla's competition must solve this for its fleets now. It has had ten years to do so, and so far the results are neither impressive nor competitive.

 

[TRP]

I own a Tesla MX and have a Lightning on order, also own a KR PB. I have been following the EA rollout closely. It is a hot mess, no question. As it stands, I can drive my Model X between my homes in FL and VA with no issues as fast as I can my truck. I could not do that in a Ford EV yet. And there are no EA chargers between my homes in VA and Maryland, a distance of 200 miles. None - Yet there are five Tesla Superchargers. Ford and EA still have a LONG way to go just to have equal coverage and an even further way to go for their existing and pending chargers to measure up to the reliability of Tesla's SC system. We are seeing 50% or less success in fast charging at EA locations - I cannot imagine what it would be like to roll up to an EA location and find that the charger is down, with only a few miles range left - or even just slow charging rates. I've never had that happen with any of my Teslas since 2012, over 225K miles, and it is a big concern as we await our Lightning. Ford knows it has an issue, but unlike Tesla, it has little control over the network, and therefore the outcome. Long distance charging and overall charging speed was the game changer that made EV's a thing when Tesla introduced the MS in 2012, and Tesla's competition must solve this for its fleets now. It has had ten years to do so, and so far the results are neither impressive nor competitive.

No idea where your home is in VA but from the EA app it appears near impossible to get into MD from there on any major route and not hit an EA station. Along the coast between Norfolk and Fredricksburg is sparse but not a charging desert. Tons of them if you get anywhere near DC. I drive from TN to Baltimore frequently in my Mach E and have zero issues on the route using EA exclusively right up I81 to Winchester and east into MD north of DC.

As to your 50% failure rate at EA charge locations, where are you getting that number? Not my experience at all. I have never had to leave an EA location without a charge to 80%. I have had to change machines on occasion but have always received a charge and at a good rate and never a slow machine.

Sounds like you really love your Tesla. They have had a huge head start in the EV world, no doubt. Everyone else is a late comer. I'm confident things will improve, and for clarity, I don't feel they are horrible now.

 

[F-150 Prius]

I own a Tesla MX and have a Lightning on order, also own a KR PB. I have been following the EA rollout closely. It is a hot mess, no question. As it stands, I can drive my Model X between my homes in FL and VA with no issues as fast as I can my truck. I could not do that in a Ford EV yet. And there are no EA chargers between my homes in VA and Maryland, a distance of 200 miles. None - Yet there are five Tesla Superchargers. Ford and EA still have a LONG way to go just to have equal coverage and an even further way to go for their existing and pending chargers to measure up to the reliability of Tesla's SC system. We are seeing 50% or less success in fast charging at EA locations - I cannot imagine what it would be like to roll up to an EA location and find that the charger is down, with only a few miles range left - or even just slow charging rates. I've never had that happen with any of my Teslas since 2012, over 225K miles, and it is a big concern as we await our Lightning. Ford knows it has an issue, but unlike Tesla, it has little control over the network, and therefore the outcome. Long distance charging and overall charging speed was the game changer that made EV's a thing when Tesla introduced the MS in 2012, and Tesla's competition must solve this for its fleets now. It has had ten years to do so, and so far the results are neither impressive nor competitive.

Well, it's impossible to drive any Tesla 800 miles in the same time as any gas-guzzler. If you have an overnight stop, it'll be close enough and that's about an ideal distance to cover … two EV tops of 30-45 minutes compared to one break in the gas vehicle.
I agree with the nightmare scenario of arriving at an inoperative charging location (Tesla or any brand.)

sidenote anedcote: For me, there's also been the horrible situation of driving west across Minnesota and South Dakota … 500 miles of a stiff headwind and cold temperatures … my Model 3 Performance was guzzling 500 to 700 (!) Wh/mi just to maintain 75 mph … so I ended up charging frequently (thankfully there are Superchargers, but at Sioux Falls, it's a long hike away from the freeway) … nightmare trip and one of those "straw that broke the camel's back" with me and trying to make road trips in a Tesla.) The F-150 Hybrid makes those trips a breeze and a joy to arrive feeling ready.​

I've had numerous occasions of getting stuck in lines waiting to use a Supercharger or just arriving as the 5th car at an 8 spot Supercharger … as you know, that means sharing an A-B pair of pedestals with another driver. The 3 is capable of 1000 miles per hour charging (for a few minutes) but once you're on a shared supply, 70 kW and a long wait to get enough to scurry to the next Supercharger and hope for a full powered charge. Done occasionally, it's sort of a fair enough compromise for a vehicle I normally delight in driving (not to mention it's sublimely comfortable seats for long distance driving.)​

​

When you've been in the saddle since daybreak and it's approaching midnight, wanting to start tomorrow with a full charge, it's all a bit too much to ask of myself, let alone the passengers (even if it's sometimes just doggo and me on a road trip with nothing to do and all day to do it.)

I hope that Ford spends the marketing budget on an information campaign to educate every new Lightning owner to be a happy camper and a vocal evangelist.

 

[F-150 Prius]

No idea where your home is in VA but from the EA app it appears near impossible to get into MD from there on any major route and not hit an EA station. Along the coast between Norfolk and Fredricksburg is sparse but not a charging desert. Tons of them if you get anywhere near DC. I drive from TN to Baltimore frequently in my Mach E and have zero issues on the route using EA exclusively right up I81 to Winchester and east into MD north of DC.

As to your 50% failure rate at EA charge locations, where are you getting that number? Not my experience at all. I have never had to leave an EA location without a charge to 80%. I have had to change machines on occasion but have always received a charge and at a good rate and never a slow machine.

Sounds like you really love your Tesla. They have had a huge head start in the EV world, no doubt. Everyone else is a late comer. I'm confident things will improve, and for clarity, I don't feel they are horrible now.

You'd have to filter that make for CCS (DC Fast) and then the locations thin out. Charging 1772 is not realistic for road trips.
There's been numerous reports over the last two years of various software and hardware issues making it hit-or-miss to get an EA charger to work with a given car. There's at least one post here of someone arriving at an EA and charging his Mach-E then a VW driver came over to see how he got it working because it wouldn't charge their ID.3 (or whatever it was.)
I'm optimistic that Ford/Rivian/VW and EA (and the various levels of government) are going to do a lot of network build out before the Lightning sells enough units (say 2023?) to overload the network.
The thing I'd like Ford to focus on is rate of charge – if the Lightning can suck down 80kWh at 350kW that's about 20 minutes at the "pump" and 80kWh is about 250-300 miles (optimal) … averaging 70 mph, that's 3+ hours in the seat and that's as long as I want between breaks … the F-150 Prius can do 500 miles between breaks at 80+ mph and I'm often very ready to get out of the cabin by the time the messages start popping up saying there's "only" 50 miles in the tank.

 

[shutterbug]

There's at least one post here of someone arriving at an EA and charging his Mach-E then a VW driver came over to see how he got it working because it wouldn't charge their ID.3 (or whatever it was.)

I think that was me. There were actually 2 different VW who tried the same plug that worked fine for me. Keep in mind that VW actually owns EA. A few minutes before I left, a BMW pulled up and used another plug. So all 4 plugs were in use at that location. The location is the last EA on I-10 from Phoenix area to CA/AZ border, so a bit over 100 miles. One suggestion I received was to leave the car on while connecting to the charger, and turn it off when charging starts. If that's made a difference, that's something Ford should be able to fix with S/W update in the future.

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