Will the Mustang become an electric-only model?

[Ludachris]

Rumors about Ford dropping all the gasoline engines for the Mustang come 2028 are abound:

Next Ford Mustang delayed to plug in electric power in radical shift, report says

According to a forecasting firm, Ford will turn its iconic pony car into an EV at the end of this decade.

www.cnet.com

(image from CarScoops)

Hopefully that isn't the case, and the electric version is only one of the options, not the only option.

 

[PatrickStapler]

Please God let’s hope not.

 

[PatrickStapler]

I just don’t see how the United States is anywhere near the needed infrastructure capacity for all EV’s. Think about all the gas stations we currently have. Huntsville has maybe a handful of charging stations...compared to hundreds and hundreds of gasoline stations.

 

[Fat Boss]

I think it's inevitable. But, I'm guessing it's closer to 20 years from now. AFAIK, the grid is set up to handle the peak demands of summer afternoons/evenings. As long as the bulk of the charging is done in the middle of the night I think the risks are overblown. Plus, it's not like all the cars are going to convert to electric overnight, there's a lot of time to build infrastructure. And you don't need anywhere near the same proportion of charging stations as you do gas stations. 95% of EV buyers probably will charge at their homes, vs 100% of ICE buyers who fill at gas stations.

 

[JDee]

I won't be a customer of this or any other pure electric car. I might try a hybrid, but not until the cost is more realistic. Where I live and travel there are not any of the fast charging things and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

[mwjscn]

I think Ford may have controversially sold the Mach-E as a 'Mustang' due to the fact that emissions controls are continuing to become even more strict. If they call it just a trim of the Mustang, the Mustang 'model' therefore has less emissions combined. Ford may be using EV offerings as a method to meet the 'fleet MPG' restrictions, so keep that in mind. I get the faint sense in interviews that they're doing this to extend the life of their performance gasoline offerings. That being said, I'd rather see them move to a technology like Freevalve (if they had the opportunity) rather than pure EV since that seems to be a viable upgrade both for performance and for economy. Gotta say, though, their pure EV Cobra Jet was really cool to watch go down the strip!

 

[LS291]

Jim Farley said that having the electric version would enable Ford to sell the V8 version (referring to the SUV). So I have to believe that we will have both.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Until battery life, range increases, electric cars will be a city transport vehicle only. Not too concerned our dinosaur burners will become dinosaurs anytime soon.

 

[TymeSlayer]

By tyme this happens, I'll be getting around with my HurryCane. Pretty sure my 2012 Boss 302 may be the last performance Mustang I buy anyway. It's good enough for me and my skill level. But from a street perspective, I do like Mustang EV Ludachris put in the OP and might get one to tool around town.

 

[PaddyPrix]

I find that really, really, really hard to believe, and I'm going to tell you guys a secret, a full-time EV is my daily.

{pause)
TL;DR: Yeah, no.

So, while I live in Southern California with most of the hippies, yuppies, and tech enthusiasts, it's still somewhat of a challenge to plan out trips, like when I go up to Long Beach and back to pick up some used part, and have to get smart and find places to charge so I can get home. So yeah, now let's say I'm Joe Sixpack in Baton Rouge, Joliet, or even Schnectecady where charging stations are not as likely to be as available and plentiful. Cruising in traffic at 4mi/kwh is one thing, but any spirited driving will drop that sub 2, and put a severe damper in your canyon, hills, or mountain run with a quickness, killing club cruises, tracking, and all the other fun that we signed up for when we bought these things. I just don't see it, or, at least by 2028. I know things are moving fast, but as Ford has greatly scaled back their portfolio to pretty much their flagship icons, taking the muscle out of the most famous muscle car would pretty much kill it off. They're taking a chance on the Mustang Mach-E, but going full-time electric would kill it, and they know it. Not sure why they don't do that goofy stuff with the Thunderbird, or the equally legendary Taurus.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Battery technology is the key. Unless the tech folks "Find Something" Long range is not likely.
As long non-subsidized costs are reasonable, the market share will continue to grow. Replace IC engines totally? Not seeing it in the next 25 years.

 

[Dave_W]

Charging at night actually helps electricity generators balance their daytime load, especially from A/C draw on hot days. I know steel mills with electric furnaces used to get much lower rates at night, because it meant the utility didn't have to throttle down. Now that was with coal- and gas-fired plants. You're not going to be able to charge your car at night from solar - there are people pushing some schemes that wil draw from your EV battery into the grid at night if grid demand gets too high.

I haven't looked at it in a while, but fuel cells always seemed a smarter choice to me than battery-powered EVs. Use the solar & wind power as available to make hydrogen, reasonably fast refills of an in-car tank at a filling station just like gasoline, and no greenhouse emissions from the vehicle just like battery EV.

 

[JDee]

I always liked the fuel cell idea best, thought it made the most sense especially since where I live the hydro grid is often unstable. I see no way they're going to be able to support charging large numbers of cars with the creaky old infrastructure we've got. Outside my window is a pole carrying 3 phase power lines that has about a 15 degree list to starboard and no guy wires, been like that for 7 years. Keep waiting for nature to finish the job because they won't likely fix it pro-actively, they just fix shiznit once it's broken.
Hyundai had a fuel cell project going on but haven't heard anything about it lately. It seems to be a tough nut to crack.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Hyundai has the Nexo Hydrogen Fuel Cell small SUV, but not sure it is available everywhere in the US or if available at all in Canada?

 

[JDee]

Hyundai has the Nexo Hydrogen Fuel Cell small SUV, but not sure it is available everywhere in the US or if available at all in Canada?

There was a small group of the pre-Nexo cars being test driven in British Columbia a couple of years ago. The fueling is a problem obviously there's no hydrogen pumps that I've ever seen.

They show the 2019 Nexo on their Canadian website, MSRP $73,000 Cdn bucks.

Page not found | Hyundai Canada

They were never offered for sale to the public that I know of and there's no place to order one on their website. I really like this technology but $73K is a lot for a compact 'ute.

 

[ChrisM]

Forget all that, I want a nuclear-powered Mustang!

 

[Norm Peterson]

Charging at night actually helps electricity generators balance their daytime load, especially from A/C draw on hot days. I know steel mills with electric furnaces used to get much lower rates at night, because it meant the utility didn't have to throttle down. Now that was with coal- and gas-fired plants. You're not going to be able to charge your car at night from solar - there are people pushing some schemes that wil draw from your EV battery into the grid at night if grid demand gets too high.

On "load balancing" . . . be careful. There's consideration already that your car batteries could end up supplying the grid during periods of high demand if they're plugged in. As far as I know, this thinking is only getting much consideration over in Great Britain at the moment, but . . . let's just say that having your own off-the-grid solar might be what you really want. If you're allowed to do so at that point.


Norm

 

[Stangra]

I just don’t see how the United States is anywhere near the needed infrastructure capacity for all EV’s. Think about all the gas stations we currently have. Huntsville has maybe a handful of charging stations...compared to hundreds and hundreds of gasoline stations.

Charging stations will never be needed in the numbers that gas stations are now. The majority of the miles most of us drive are local miles and
EV owners will be charging their cars at home when feasible. Charging stations will be needed mainly for longer road trips, and those that drive a lot of local miles.

If I could plug into a gas pipeline at home I'd rarely need a gas station either.

 

[TMSBOSS]

For home owners, yes. Apartment dwellers?? That's a bunch of installations right there boy.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Charging stations will never be needed in the numbers that gas stations are now. The majority of the miles most of us drive are local miles and
EV owners will be charging their cars at home when feasible. Charging stations will be needed mainly for longer road trips, and those that drive a lot of local miles.

Counting the home rechargers, there will be far more "charging stations". With some chance of requiring upgrades to the power lines into more individual streets and neighborhoods rather than just in zones rated for business development.

Storms do tend to leave neighborhoods and individual homes without power, sometimes for extended lengths of time. Just sayin' . . .


Norm