Early Testing Shows Mustang Mach-E Charges Slower Than Expected

There are multiple reasons why electric vehicles aren't being adopted heavily by mainstream buyers. One of those issues is driving range; many people fear being stranded or not being able to go where they want to go because their EV lacks the range. Another of the major challenges is charge speed.

While you can refill a normal vehicle tank in minutes, it can take hours to charge an electric vehicle completely. One of the most exciting electric vehicles announced in 2020 was the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Part of the announcement of that vehicle was also an announcement from the automaker that buyers of the vehicle would be able to use the ChargePoint and Electrify America public charging network. That network was claimed to be the nation's largest, with 13,500 charging stations and a total of 35,000 charging plugs.

However, it turns out that only a fraction of those available chargers support DC fast charging. By comparison, a huge number of Tesla superchargers support the fastest charging speeds possible. Most chargers on the network Mach-E owners can easily access are 240 volt Level 2 chargers, which are more suited to overnight charging at home.

They could add a slight bit of range if you plug them in while you shop, but not much. They certainly aren't ideal for charging if you are attempting a longer trip. The upside for those near a 150 kW charger is that it claims to add 47 miles of range in only 10 minutes of charging. The catch is those are scarce for now.

An early Mach-E tester was close to one of those powerful charging stations and tried it out. He found it charged much slower than the claims. After ten minutes of charging, only nine miles of driving range were added to the car. Remember that Ford promised 47 miles of range in that same time. That doesn't bode well for those excited about the Mach-E.