Ford Mach-E has been winter tested
Ford Mach-E has been winter tested
Posted on March 27, 2020
As many Canadians know, electric vehicles are fine and all but when winter comes and the landscape turns white, EV range takes a hit. This is one of the downsides of current battery technology and something automakers have been working on steadily over the past few years. Ford has been testing the new Mach-E in the snow and it looks like good news.
Why batteries lose power in the cold
First the science bit. Batteries use a chemical reaction to generate energy. That energy is discharged when you make a connection between the positive and negative terminals, which provides the power.
When things get cold, the chemical reaction that generates those electrons that give us power is much slower. Therefore, the energy that reaction creates is much lower and will run out much faster.
“As all drivers in cold countries know, a warm battery cranks the car engine better than a cold one. Cold temperature increases the internal resistance and lowers the capacity. A battery that provides 100 percent capacity at 27°C (80°F) will typically deliver only 50 percent at –18°C (0°F). The momentary capacity-decrease differs with battery chemistry.” (Source)
The answer is to either insulate the batteries, which has a knock-on effective in warmer weather or use a battery heater.
Ford Mach-E winter testing
Lots of automakers test to make sure their vehicles work in the cold and Ford isn’t unique in that. However, as one of the most hotly anticipated new cars this year, Ford had to go to great lengths to prove their new vehicle is capable of handling anything. So they sent it to the Smithers Winter Test Center in Michigan.
The area is said to be so cold, it could be in Canada. It’s the ideal place to test a vehicle to ensure it can cope with our winters. Fortunately, the Ford Mach-E stood up well. While most of the video talks about handling and acceleration in the snow, there is mention that throughout testing, the batteries held up well in all conditions.
Ford says 80% of Ford Mach-E orders so far have been AWD and that’s no surprise. I imagine most, if not all, Canadian orders for the electric SUV will be for AWD too.
The Ford Mach-E is the automaker’s first all-electric crossover. If that wasn’t enough, they went and gave it a Mustang name and put the pony on the front. As if the car didn’t have to contend with enough, they had to add extra pressure.
So far, it looks like the Ford Mach-E will deliver on every promise it makes. It looks great, performs well in the cold, performs well on the road and delivers in terms of range, 300 miles in Premium form. The AWD version should have a range of around 270 miles which is plenty enough for most commutes.
The Ford Mach-E should be with us towards the end of 2020. Visit Northway Ford Lincoln, 388 King George Road Brantford ON N3S 3N2 to register your interest.