Will the Mach E Be Able to Compete with Tesla?

Electric Invention

Courtesy Photos

Ford has unveiled the Mustang Mach-E.  The Mach-E is the first, factory-produced eclectic Mustang.  While companies like Charge, a British car manufacturing startup, have produced electric versions of classic Mustangs, Ford hasn’t been behind the Mustang crossover trend until now.  The Mach-E is likely an answer to Tesla’s dominance in the electric vehicle market and a response to drivers that want a car that goes fast but doesn’t fall in line with the reputation of a gas-guzzling, emission monster.  So, will the Mustang brand be tarnished by an entry that plugs into the wall like a toaster?  Regardless of the impact on the environment, electric cars come with a unique challenge.  We still live in a society where charging stations aren’t on every block.  Even if drivers could plug in at their convenience, bringing a vehicle to full charge takes approximately eight hours, that’s a really long pit stop.  With a range of 260 to 300 miles, driving to a concert in the big city or taking a road trip requires much more logistical planning.  It’s also kind of hard to wrap your brain around driving a Mustang that has storage space under the hood instead of a motor.  Despite your position on the Mach E claiming the Mustang heritage, at least we know that it goes fast.  Eclectic motors produce crazy amounts of torque and Ford has stated that the 2021 GT Mach-E will go from 0-60 mph in the mid-three-second mark. 

Will it be enough?

Tesla issued a challenge to Ford recently with a video of Tesla’s Cybertruck beating an F-150 in a tug of war.  It was a clear slap in the face for Ford fans to watch a silver tank that looks like it’s missing a flux capacitor drag a Ford pick-up down the street.  Although the truck was a V6 rear-wheel drive, not a supercharged V8 4x4, it still hurt to see Tesla win so easily.  So, will the Mach E redeem the Blue Oval?  We already know that the standard Mach E will roll out with 255 horsepower and 306-pound feet of torque and the GT version is rated at 459 horsepower and whopping 612-pound feet of torque.   

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Light Speed

The Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Performance is rated at 450 horsepower and 471-pound feet of torque.  Although the Mach E has a slight edge on horsepower, the GT gives the Tesla 3 a sound beating when it comes to torque.  The advantage in torque is a big deal for Ford in light of the aforementioned tug of war.  Despite the advantage in torque and horsepower, the Tesla 3 will give the Mach E a run for its money, clocking 0-60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds.  

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The Original Pony Car

Mustangs are the quintessential pony cars.  Even the name and logo are synonymous with the classification.  Since its first introduction in 1964, the Mustang has been an American classic.  The car was initially a sporty but slightly anemic vehicle geared toward younger generations of Ford owners.  With a small 289 cubic inch V8 motor with a two-barrel carburetor that produced 225 horsepower, the Mustang started out as an attractive vehicle that had some pep but it wasn’t the speed machine that some owners were looking for. When the Chevy Camaro hit the scene sporting a 396 CID engine and the first-generation Pontiac Trans Am was tearing up the asphalt with a 6.6-liter, 400 cubic inch motor, Ford realized that it had to meet the challenge.   

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A Faster Horse

Ford reinvented the Mustang as a true pony car through the automotive visionary, Carroll Shelby.  Building off of Shelby’s success with the Cobra, Daytona Coupe, and GT40, Shelby brought new design and engineering to the Mustang chassis.  Ford and Shelby American introduced the Shelby GT350 in 1965, followed by the more powerful GT500 in 1967. ­ The Shelby GT350 and GT500 made it clear that the Mustang was a force to be reckoned with but they were also expensive options.  Even in the late 60s, the price point was high for a consumer interested in a Shelby GT350 and GT500.  

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The Namesake

If the average Ford purchaser couldn’t afford the Shelby GT350 and GT500, then the Blue Oval had to offer a competitive option.  Thus, the Mach One was born.  With race car styling and a 302 cubic inch Windsor engine complete with a four-barrel carburetor, the Mach One was ready to toe the line with the Camaro and Firebird. A shaker hood, fast back, and a chrome-tipped, dual exhaust system gave the Mach One the looks to match the moniker.  Later generations of the Mach One beefed up the motor with a 351 Windsor engine.  Owners with enough cash in the bank could option up to a 429 cubic inch Super Cobra Jet engine.  

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Thoroughbreds

Carroll Shelby’s GT350 and GT500 and the subsequent generation of Mach One street machines put Mustangs on the map as the all-American pony car.  Over the years, Ford has improved on design and technology to make their vehicles drive faster and handle better.  A 2020 Mustang GT rolls off the lot with a 5.0-liter Ti-VCT V8 engine that produced 460 horsepower and 420-pound feet of torque.  If that isn’t fast enough to curl your hair, companies like Hennessy Performance of Sealy, TX and Brown Lee Performance of Morrison, TN offer special edition Mustangs with nearly double that horsepower.  Brown Lee Performance’s Gulf Heritage Mustang and Hennessy’s 808 GT both deliver a phenomenal 808 horsepower rating.  With a new, electric entry into the Mustang stable, Ford may just have the ammunition to go after Tesla and take on the electric performance car market.  Offering an SUV crossover version of the Mach E may be enough to cause some Mustang lovers to lose sleep but it also opens up doors for new audiences that normally wouldn't purchase a Mustang. 

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