I occasionally run into people in parking lots asking about one of my EVs. This write-up is to provide more details on my cars so a link to my blog can fill in more details than a brief, impromptu conversation in a parking lot.

Here’s a quick table of the “green” cars I’ve had:

Year Make    Model     HP     Torque    0-60 time    MPG/MPGe  Still Own
2009 Toyota  Prius     110    82        9.9 seconds  46        No
2011 Toyota  Prius     134    105       9.7          50        No
2015 Chevy   Volt      149    273       8.9          37/98     No
2015 Chevy   Volt      149    273       8.9          37/98     No
2017 Chevy   Bolt      200    266       6.4          --/119    No
2018 Chevy   Volt      149    294       7.3          42/106    No
2020 Chevy   Bolt      200    266       6.4          --/119    Yes
2021 Ford    Mach-E    346    428       4.8          --/90     Yes

There is a nice trend of better acceleration while generally increasing the fuel economy! EVs have a way of doing that. The Mach-E breaks that trend somewhat, but has significantly more HP than my previous vehicles, and is significantly larger as well. It was a reasonable trade-off for me.

2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV

This was our fifth EV and second BEV, or battery only EV, replacing the 2017 Bolt we had leased. With 259 miles of range on a full charge, and rather quick 0-60 acceleration of 6.4 seconds thanks to 200 HP and 266 ft-lbs of instant torque, it’s a fun car to drive. The improved chemistry in the battery packs adds about 20 miles of range to the car as compared to the 2017 we had previously.

The car has seating for 5, but is comfortable for 4. Our 68 pound English Springer Spaniel fits comfortably in the back hatchback area. He can standup, and turn-around.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E

What I considered before getting the Mach-E: I had actually put a pre-order in for a 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV back in February and was pretty excited about it. I was disappointed that it still had the same relatively slow DC fast-charging rate as the previous Chevy Bolts, but was looking forward to the upgraded interior, adaptive cruise control (finally), and Super Cruise.

A coworker told me they had put in an order for a Mach-E and I had read a little about them, but not given it too much thought. I started to do more research and was impressed by the specs and what I was reading about build quality and performance. I considered the Tesla Model Y as well, which is in the same price range. For me, the Mach-E seemed like the better car. Ford still qualifies for the federal tax credit in the US, effectively reducing the net price after my anticipated refund to be a few thousand dollars less than a comparable Model Y. Some real word driving comparisons showed that despite the higher 300 mile+ EPA rating on the Model Y, the Mach-E actually went further on a full charge at highway speeds. I’ve had concerns about build quality with Tesla, as well as making changes to their cars in which new owners effectively become beta testers. The most recent example is Tesla eliminating radar on their cars and going with cameras only. This resulted in them loosing their “plus” rating for crash avoidance and seemed to be a compromise due to the recent chip shortages and supply chain issues. My personal feeling is that Tesla is an amazing technology company and a mediocre car company. I’ll do a more thorough comparison in a future post.

I test drove the Mach-E in April, and despite long lead times and low availability, was able to snag someone else’s cancelled order with the specs I wanted in May.

The Mach-E I purchased is the Premium trim, all wheel drive with extended battery. It’s rated for 270 miles, but I’ve found even driving at highway speeds with the A/C on I can get 280-290 for the estimated range. I’ve now had the car for about 2 months and recently returned from an out of state trip that required fast charging a number of times. It was generally a good experience, and charges more than 2x faster than our Chevy Bolt does. I never spent more than 25 minutes at a charger, which was a nice change. I’ll share more on the car as I gain more time and experience with it.