Photo: Ford
When the expression ‘Built Ford Tough’ gets thrown around, it’s usually while discussing the carmaker’s F-Series pickup trucks. Nowadays though, the Blue Oval is looking into electrified toughness in a bid to prove that its zero-emission Mustang Mach-E model also happens to be extremely durable.
Before getting green-lit, the Mustang Mach-E must also be put through similar torture tests to those carried out for the F-Series models. This means having to take on extreme car washes and power sprayers, as well as sharp gravel roads and heavy loads for the seats. Even the infotainment screen is rigorously tested in order to make sure that it can withstand getting hit by various objects – more on that later.
Starting with the washing aspect, it’s troubling to learn that nearly 27% of Americans feel hesitant about getting their EVs wet, which includes driving in the rain as well as going through a full car wash. Therefore, Ford’s engineers use an on-site automatic car wash which subjects the Mach-E to 60 passes through a rough, suds-free automatic conveyor wash with sprayers, brushers and dryers. This is the equivalent of washing your car every two weeks for more than two years.
Since we’re discussing the exterior, rest assured that your Mach-E is perfectly able to handle gravel roads without damaging its paint job. Prototypes were subjected to 300 miles (482 km) to stone-chip testing, using two different grades of gravel stones. Nearly 200 passes were completed at 60 mph (97 kph), which is a more than reasonable speed for when you run out of pavement.
Moving on to the interior, Ford wanted to see just how much weight the seats of the Mach-E can take. To do this, they basically programmed a robotic “butt” to simulate a person getting in and out of the car at least 25,000 times. The seating material was also tested for daily usage, being flexed roughly 100,000 times to make sure it’s resistant to cracking.
As for the 15.5-inch touchscreen display, you’d hate to accidentally put a crack in it or even a scratch. The screen uses a special application of Dragontrail glass, while also sitting on top of a high-strength magnesium mounting that can withstand being pulled or bumped into.
“We knew we had to go above and beyond to make sure it [the screen] is durable enough to withstand daily customer interactions – think purses and bags hitting it, pets bumping into it, children playing with it and so on,” said Donna Dickson, chief program engineer for the Mustang Mach-E.
So then, while you certainly can’t use this EV the same way you would an F-Series truck in terms of utility, Ford clearly wants you to not worry about the overall toughness and durability of the Mach-E. That being said, we still wouldn’t look to abuse it too much, since it’s just a compact crossover and not a genuine off-roader.
Starting with the washing aspect, it’s troubling to learn that nearly 27% of Americans feel hesitant about getting their EVs wet, which includes driving in the rain as well as going through a full car wash. Therefore, Ford’s engineers use an on-site automatic car wash which subjects the Mach-E to 60 passes through a rough, suds-free automatic conveyor wash with sprayers, brushers and dryers. This is the equivalent of washing your car every two weeks for more than two years.
Since we’re discussing the exterior, rest assured that your Mach-E is perfectly able to handle gravel roads without damaging its paint job. Prototypes were subjected to 300 miles (482 km) to stone-chip testing, using two different grades of gravel stones. Nearly 200 passes were completed at 60 mph (97 kph), which is a more than reasonable speed for when you run out of pavement.
Moving on to the interior, Ford wanted to see just how much weight the seats of the Mach-E can take. To do this, they basically programmed a robotic “butt” to simulate a person getting in and out of the car at least 25,000 times. The seating material was also tested for daily usage, being flexed roughly 100,000 times to make sure it’s resistant to cracking.
As for the 15.5-inch touchscreen display, you’d hate to accidentally put a crack in it or even a scratch. The screen uses a special application of Dragontrail glass, while also sitting on top of a high-strength magnesium mounting that can withstand being pulled or bumped into.
“We knew we had to go above and beyond to make sure it [the screen] is durable enough to withstand daily customer interactions – think purses and bags hitting it, pets bumping into it, children playing with it and so on,” said Donna Dickson, chief program engineer for the Mustang Mach-E.
So then, while you certainly can’t use this EV the same way you would an F-Series truck in terms of utility, Ford clearly wants you to not worry about the overall toughness and durability of the Mach-E. That being said, we still wouldn’t look to abuse it too much, since it’s just a compact crossover and not a genuine off-roader.
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