Pros and Cons of my all-electric Mustang Mach-E

“It was a fun ride while it lasted but very impractical”

By Bryan “Bootcamp” O’Connor

Exactly one year after purchasing the electric Mustang Mach-E, I’d like to share my thoughts, pros and cons of driving an all electric car.

Pros:

1. Driving is like nothing I’ve experienced! The acceleration and power is so smooth and luxurious. What a ride!

2. Don’t have to buy gas.

3. Low maintenance!!! No oil changes! Fewer moving parts equals less parts breaking down.

4. City driving is amazing! The car battery excels in slow, stop and go conditions.

Cons:

1. Winter driving is very stressful. The battery drains very quickly in the cold. Heating your cabin in extremely cold temperatures is sometimes impossible! At minus 35 degrees Celsius, your windshield will freeze over as NO HEAT will be provided! That’s right…only cold air in very cold climate!

3. Charging your car takes much longer in the winter. Traveling to Ottawa once, it took 90 minutes to charge my car from 20% to 80% at a level 3 Charging spot.

4. The anger and frustration when you pull up to a fast charger off the highway and it is “out of order” is out of this world! It happens too often!

5. Everywhere you travel to, extensive careful planning is needed because fast chargers (level 3) are not easy to find in working order.

6. Highway driving drains your battery very fast at speeds greater than 100kms per hour.

In Summary:

1. My Mustang Mach-E is not a practical car for my job. I put 30,000kms in one year. If we have a colder Winter next year I’ll be miserable!

2. The infrastructure is a joke for non- tesla cars. I cannot imagine doubling the electric cars on the road with the current available fast chargers. The wait lines and times to charge will increase arrival times on long trips by many hours!

3. Electric cars are not very efficient on the highway if you like to drive fast.

In my opinion, a plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) car would be ideal. PHEV cars can drive electric in the city, saving you on gas. Then choose gas to drive efficiently on the highway. Win-win!

I sold my Mustang Mach-E and I am on a waiting list to buy a PHEV. It was a fun ride while it lasted but very impractical for my line of work. Our cold Quebec winters and the very poor infrastructure adds to my obvious decision.

Our governments want to put a hold on the production of internal combustion engines by 2035. Good luck with that! The current infrastructure is a joke. I do not have any faith it can be improved to meet the future demand.

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Bryan “Bootcamp” O’Connor is a personal trainer based in Quebec.