by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is totally electric. That means it doesn’t take gas. If you run out of charge with the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, then you’re out of luck. I saw the charge hit zero but survived this tale because there is an extensive charging network you can use. 

The Mustang Mach-E conquered range anxiety  

I have a week with the 2021 Mustang Mach-E First Edition. It has an 88 kWh extended battery and provides a range between 211 to 305 miles. This model is all-wheel drive, so the range is around 270 miles. The standard range battery gets an EPA-estimated 230 miles of range. 

This is a pretty good range. According to Edmunds, most electric vehicles have a range between 230 to 350 miles. The Telsa Model 3 Long Range model has an EPA-estimated range of 353 miles while the Chevy Bolt has an EPA-estimated range of 259 miles.

I unplugged the 120-volt charger in Rock Hill, South Carolina, with about 160 miles of range. I traveled 65 miles to Columbia, SC, and had about 100 miles left. But I needed to go from a family reunion in Columbia to Asheville, North Carolina later. 

So, I had a family member follow me to the closest charging station, so I could leave the Mach-E charging during the family event. But, to my dismay, the EV charging station was out of order. 

Then I plugged in the Mach-E in their garage to gain a whole three miles of charge and decided I’d find a charger with the FordPass network on my way. I had a 100-mile charge and needed to go about 160 miles. 

I made it to a charging station about 100 miles away in Greenville, SC, with three miles left. However, the DC fast chargers were down, so I was stuck getting about three miles per hour with a 120-volt unit. It’d take all night to gain enough juice to make it home with my dog. 

So, with an 11-mile charge, I decided to try another DC charging station nine miles away. It was a risky move, and off the exit ramp on the way, the Mustang Mach-E said it had a 0 percent charge and would shut down. 

This was terrifying, but the Mach-E held on through two stoplights and a left turn to make it to the charging station. Plus, it was WORKING! I was able to plug it in and sit back and relax in the car with the AC on watch miles instantly kicked up on the screen. 

I was also delighted to see another Mustang Mach-E there! After sitting for about 20 minutes, I had an 80-mile charge and needed to go up some curvy mountain roads for 60 more miles. I made it home with eight miles left. 

The range for the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E feels accurate, but I’m not sure which driving mode saves more battery power. I think going up in elevation may have burned through the range a little faster, but at the end of the day, I could depend on the Mach-E. I didn’t get stranded, and my issues were caused by charger problems, not the car. 

People can run out of gas just like you can run out of charge. But gas stations are a little easier to find at every exit. Also, you can get a lift to a gas station to fill a plastic jug to give your gas-powered vehicle more juice. With an EV that’s out of charge, you would need to be towed to an electric power source.

When the Colonial Pipeline was hacked, and there was a major gas shortage, I was happy to have the Lincoln Aviator PHEV. The hybrid charge was able to get me where I needed to be after passing multiple empty gas stations.

How do you charge the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E? 

There are a few different ways to charge the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, and yes. You can charge the Mustang Mach-E at home. But the first thing I was told to do is get the FordPass app to find local fast-charging stations because charging it at home can take forever. 

I received the 2021 Mustang Mach-E with a 120-Volt mobile charging connector. It plugs into a regular home outlet. You plug it into the Mach-E charging port, which is located on the front of the driver’s side. 

All Mach-E models come with this charger. But it takes 95 hours to charge this way with a wall outlet. You can gain about three miles of charge per hour. 

If you upgrade to a more powerful 240-volt mobile charger, you can gain about 20 miles of charger per hour. A 240 plug is a larger outlet at home that your dryer or refrigerator plugs into. You can get a splitter, allowing your dryer and the car to be plugged in at the same time. 

If you go to a DC fast charging station with an extended-range battery, you can gain about 80 percent of the charge in 45 minutes. With the smaller standard range battery, charging takes about 38 minutes. 

You can use Tesla chargers to replenish the battery, as long as you have the proper adaptor. The FordPass app will show you where the nearest chargers are via the Electrify America network. You can use the app on the center console in the Mach-E or on your smartphone. 

You can purchase a Ford Connected Charge Station for $799.00 or a NEMA 14-50 outlets installed for about $250 or more. 

Does the Mustang Mach-E have regenerative driving modes? 

There are four different driving modes for the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. 

• Engage mode sets the ambient lighting to a soft blue to enjoy a balance of excitement and comfort. There are in-vehicle sounds to enhance the experience. 
• Whisper mode creates a calm experience with gradual acceleration and a lighter coasting declaration response. Interior sounds are muted, and the ambient lighting is blue. The digital gauge cluster will react to your acceleration, braking, and handling. 
• Unbridled mode is like a horse without a halter. You can feel the downshifting, increased throttle response, and enhanced sporty handling. There is orange ambient lighting and enhanced driving sounds for an exhilarating experience. The digital cluster display reacts to acceleration, braking, and handling. 
• With the one-pedal driving mode, you can control the Mustang Mach-E with only the accelerator pedal. You can control its speed with a reduced need for the brake pedal. The vehicle automatically slows down as you take your foot off the accelerator. Also, the brake pedal still works if needed. 

Note: The 2021 Mustang Mach-E does feature regenerative braking to help supplement the charge. 

RELATED: How Safe Is the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E?

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by Gabrielle DeSantis

Christian von Koenigsegg is a genius. Now, his hypercar firm has applied that genius to the Koenigsegg Jesko, the brand’s ultra track-focused hypercar. And it’s not just the Jesko. Recently, the brand has made leaps and bounds in both sustainability and performance that it has applied to a range of models, from the Jesko to the Regera, to the Gemera. In many ways, a tiny factory in Angelholm, Sweden is pushing the envelope more than a litany of larger, better-funded brands.

The Koenigsegg Jesko’s Lightspeed Transmission is insane

Let’s start with one of the most universally used aspects of any car: the transmission. It’s an old principle that functions just like that bike your kids don’t ride. A shaft moves gears, creating different ratios, propelling a vehicle forward. However, founder Christian von Koenigsegg sought to fix something that wasn’t broken. Koenigsegg (the company, not the cheerful Swede) call it the Lightspeed Transmission (LST).

Usually, a standard automatic transmission uses one, maybe two clutches to mate the gears to the motor. Clearly, Christian von Koenigsegg thought this wasn’t enough. The LST uses seven multidisk clutches to move through the gears. Moreover, the company pioneered predictive software that pre-selects gears for you, virtually eliminating shift times. Basically, should you be rich enough to be in the driver’s seat, you’ll never feel the transmission make a gear change. All that is done in “virtually zero time” according to Koenigsegg.

Koenigsegg continues to push the envelope

The Koenigsegg Jesko and its transmission are a showcase of the brand’s technological capabilities, but Koenigsegg’s progress moves far beyond just that. It’s a given that hypercars are made with carbon fiber. It’s light, strong, and light. Also, it’s very light. Once again, von Koenigsegg sought to improve on something that wasn’t broken. Here, the company has applied Formula1 technology to their cars. It’s an old trick, but boy do these Swedes make it work.

In addition to the Koenigsegg Jesko, all of the company’s cars use advanced pre-impregnated carbon fiber monocoque chassis (see image above) to help them be more rigid. Now, I could throw a bunch of math I’m too dumb to understand in here, but let’s just leave it at this: The brand’s carbon fiber technology helps make their cars lighter and more rigid than pretty much anything out there. Additionally, you can take the roof off, a classic weak point as far as rigidity goes. Pretty impressive, right?

The brand is pushing for sustainability too

However, Koenigsegg isn’t just making toys for playboys. The company has an eye on sustainability as well. Their factory is incredibly green in its production methods, and they’ve even created a new kind of catalytic converter to cut down on emissions. The Koenigsegg Jesko is known for its power output, however, a catalytic converter restricts that. That’s why the brand created a totally new “Rocket” catalytic converter to increase power output while leaving emissions unchanged. These forward-thinking methods have pushed Koenigsegg into the spotlight of both performance and sustainability, and if you ask me, they deserve to be there.

RELATED: The Hyper-Ritch Rent Cars Differently Than the Rest of Us

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