Mustang Mach-E, The Real Deal?

Ford has revealed the 2021 Mustang Mach-E and it is generating a ton of interest. Unfortunately much of the interest has to do with the name "Mustang". So I'll address that first.

I think calling an SUV "Mustang" is a mistake. I understand that Ford might want to bask in the glow of its Mustang. The Mustang is a hell of a halo car. But the Mustang is not a SUV, it has never been and it never should be. The Mustang is the original "Pony Car". So to name a SUV "Mustang" seems sacrilegious to me.

Since the F-150 is Ford's best selling (most popular) model perhaps Ford should name an EV sedan F-150 E. Just kidding, that would be ridiculous too. 

None of this should take anything away from the vehicle. Ford should be commended for entering the electric vehicle market. I hope the vehicle is a huge success.

Ford is making a big deal about the vehicle's performance. I guess this is one reason for calling it a Mustang. Frankly I am more concerned about its operating range than its zero-to-sixty time. Ford claims it will have a range of between 210 and 300 miles depending on the model (different kWh batteries). That's good.

Pricing is expected to run between $43,895 to $60,500 but we'll see what the price is when it is on sale.

Those of you who read my posts know I have concerns about electric vehicles or rather the electric infrastructure required to power them. Here in California we are now experiencing power grid shutdowns. This affects specific areas at specific times. No electricity means you cannot recharge your electric vehicle.

California has an aggressive plan to provide electricity from renewable sources. Next year - 2020 (just around the corner) - California is required to obtain 33% of its electricity from renewable resources. That leaves 66%+ to come from non-renewable sources. 

There are approximately 570,000 electric vehicles in California at this date. Each one requires electricity from the grid to recharge their batteries. According to data I found a 60 mile drive requires between 15-60 kWh (kilo-Watt-hour) to recharge. To put this into perspective the average household uses 28.9 kWh per day. I think you get my point.

It seems to me that with electric vehicles we may be putting the cart before the horse. We (and I am referring not only to California but to the world) need to have more clean electricity. There are times when there are "brown-outs" because there is an inadequate supply of electricity. There seems to be an exponential growth in our need for electric power as our housing needs (I'm speaking specifically about California now) increase. Gov. Newson has called for 3.5 million new homes.

More homes and more electric vehicles means more demand on our electric power generation; a demand that we as yet are not prepared to meet.

I welcome Ford into the electric vehicle market. I am not against the advance of technology, I welcome it. But let's figure out how we're going to power all those electric vehicles.