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Ford and Me


Mustang MachE // #GoElectric

“Finally!” you exclaim, “She’s going to talk about the car!”

But of course!

As much as I immersed myself in the #GoElectric experience, there’s no doubting that the headline event was the opportunity to get up close and personal with the new Mustang MachE.

As well as the Rapid Red model at the #GoElectric experience, and the silver-grey (I’m going to say Carbonised Grey) at the gallery event, the car we spent some time with on passenger drives was a LHD blue-wrapped model, close but not quite at production spec, with the majority of key features available to explore.

Inside, the detail is stunning, as you’d expect from a vehicle evincing the passion of the iconic Mustang. Outside, the details from the wheels up are exactly the quality you’d hope to see.

You know I’m not a petrol/electric-head, and I was surrounded by others from our Product Development team who have that well and truly covered, but I liked what I saw and as you can see, so did everyone who saw it on the streets.

Rather than a test drive, we had a test passenger experience, which meant I could sit back and take in what is actually the first electric car I’ve ever sat in, I think.

To be honest, it felt… normal. Certainly while we drove through Central London the handling and suspension felt comfortable, and almost nothing to notice.

Of course it’s quiet, and if you watch the video further down you get a better idea of noise both inside and outside the vehicle. But it was simply comfortable, and as an SUV felt roomy in the rear as well.

This video from Ford Norway sums up the space pretty well, I think!

There have been some interesting suggestions for use of the ‘frunk’ of the car, which has apparently been built to function as a cooler – but we didn’t do any picnicking on this trip!

Buttons replace door handles, there’s a keypad in the B pillar, and the Mustang expression is reflected not just in the badge, but in the styling of lights and many of the bodywork lines.

I mentioned yesterday that performance is one of those question marks for some people about EVs and certainly we got the message that the car has some serious oomph in a couple of 0-60 sprints.

Talking to the designers and engineers who have worked on this car it’s impossible not to be infected by their pride and delight in their innovations, and the excitement of this journey to a new level of electrification with this flagship model.

As always, it was spending time with those people and hearing how keen they are to continuously improve as we realise this electrification journey that inspires confidence and a little bit of passion particularly.

If you’d like more info on the spec, I really enjoyed this Fully Charged episode (just 10 minutes), and not just because I was craning to see if I’d snuck into shot!

The MachE certainly sets the Mustangs amongst the pigeons…

 


I’ve been taking part in a really special @forduk event this week, sharing all the excitement with you on Social Media. Be Social with me using the icons below #GoElectric


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Hoverboards // #GoElectric

If, like me, you’re of a *certain* age, you’ll remember a time when roads filled with electric vehicles seemed as likely as the mass-production of Marty McFly’s hoverboard.

Image result for marty mcfly hoverboard

That’s despite electric vehicles being among the very first cars designed, prototyped and built over a hundred years ago (some with a very familiar nameplate), including ranks upon ranks of taxis in New York as far back as the 19th Century… it’s starting to look a bit more like ‘Forward to The Past’ instead, isn’t it?

But I’m not driving an electric car. Chances are, you aren’t either. Even though we hear more and more on the news about climate change, government regulation, and the whole ‘diesel’ question, we haven’t changed over yet. Why not?

For me, the answer comes in two main parts – availability and mythology.

Regular readers will remember, last April I was lucky enough to join the team covering our Go Further event in Amsterdam, bringing to life our first conversations and concepts around electrification with the passenger and commercial vehicle consumer in mind.

Exciting times, and a gauntlet thrown down to every auto manufacturer to meet the appetite for electrification!

So where are we now? Well, we’re committed to bringing out 14 electrified vehicles in 2020, and when that line up includes the best-selling Transit, established favourites like the Mondeo and Kuga, and the What Car? Car of the Year, our new Puma, you can see that availability is becoming a moot point – truth be told, even if your favoured vehicle doesn’t bear a Blue Oval, there’s a chance there’s a version of whatever you already drive either out there now, or due on the market very soon. I drive an S-Max, and while my wait is just a teensy bit longer, there will be a hybrid with my name on it in 2021.

Ford has taken it a step further though, and is thinking all-electric, not just hybrids. As a company it’s clear that the commitment goes deep – and there’s no greater expression of that than creating an all-electric vehicle bearing our Mustang credentials.

Enter: the Mustang MachE.

I was so pleased to once again represent the Company at the recent UK media launch in Marble Arch in London, kicking off the week-long public exhibition of our electrification technology, #GoElectric

And as a definite added perk, I met this beauty in the metal…

… but we’ll come back to that later!


I’ve been taking part in a really special @forduk event this week, sharing all the excitement with you on Social Media. Be Social with me using the icons below #GoElectric