Ford releases the Mustang Mach-E, electric version of an American classic
Can you still call it a "muscle car" if it runs on electricity?
Check out the new all-electric Mustang Mach-EGT Performance Edition.
Obviously it's not the first electric vehicle to come to market, but it's Ford's first dedicated EV platform, from a dedicated in-house group called "Edison." They wanted to make sure the specs are there, specifically in the driving range of up to 300 miles.
And of course since it's branded as a Mustang, the plan was to make it perform. It accelerates well, but so does pretty much every electric car. To demonstrate its prowess at taking corners, Ford let journalists take some laps on an autocross course.
Buyers of EVs want tech, and it's here. Big touchscreen control, over-the-air updates, unlock the car with your phone, and so on.
When the Mach-E was first announced, some Mustang enthusiasts pushed back a bit and said "Fine, build an electric car, but don't call it a Mustang." Ford likes to point out that the original Mustang of 1965 was an innovative car that proved to be very popular.
The idea actually came from Jim Farley, Ford's new CEO. When he was in his previous job as COO, he was shown some early ideas for an EV by the Edison group. And he supposedly told the team "make it a Mustang." And they did.
But does this mean the end of the conventional Mustang? Quite the opposite, says Ford.
So here we have it, the Mustang of electric cars, arriving into a world that's becoming more electric-friendly each year. It also needs to exist a world where people don't necessarily equate the name Mustang with electric cars.
MORE: New electric vehicles on target for 2021 and beyond
