Ford’s first mass produced electric car is expected to enter production later this year. The Mustang Mach E has been on both ends of the spectrum with some calling it the Tesla Model Y killer and others passing it off as another failed EV attempt. In reality, the two compare nicely in the electric crossover segment.
The legacy automaker has clearly been looking at Tesla for some guidance in this new world of electric cars. As expected, Ford has torn down a few Tesla’s in their Mustang Mach E development process. It’s typical for manufacturers to check out the competition in depth but we now have some new information on their findings.
An electrical engineer on the project took to Reddit for a quick Q&A. The original post has been taken down, most likely thanks to Ford’s legal team, but the kind folks over at the Mach E Club managed to snag the entire interview.
We learned a few things never before mentioned. Most notably, Ford took apart a Tesla Model 3 and didn’t like what they saw. He states that their battery tech certainly surpasses the rest of the industry by at least five years but quality control is horrendous. He mentions lose screws, panel gaps, and the chance that it wouldn’t even meet regulations if tested. It’s worth noting however this was when the Model 3 was first released, there’s no word on how a Tesla today compares.
In my personal opinion, I don’t think Tesla is as good at building cars, both from a design/user experience perspective and from a manufacturing/logistics/process perspective, as almost all other OEMs. Does that mean they shouldn’t make cars? Hell no. That platform is something that you can ride to the bank, but at the same time I think you can see in how the Mach-E stacks up the to Model Y that it’s not that hard to make a car that has a soulful identity that resonates with customers that has a great powertrain as well. Cars are emotional creatures and that’s something that Tesla could do better IMO.
The engineer is also very fond of the infotainment system and specs. He states that this with the attached OTA updates will make it future proof. Tesla currently leads the industry in regards to this aspect but the Ford employee states their system is ready to surpass that of Tesla.
He states that the company is working heavily in autonomy and expects to see hands-free features introduced with the Mustang Mach E. Like Tesla, these features will improve through over-the-air updates.
The interior of Ford’s new electric car is also expected to surpass anything the company has previously had available. He states that it’s on par with what Lincoln has to offer in their higher end of the lineup.
As always, take everything given with a grain of salt. While it might not be what you want to hear, we’ve been able to verify a lot of the statements made. There’s still no confirmation on any of this but based on internal memos backing some of these claims, it seems the Reddit user does have some Ford insider knowledge.
You can check out the full deleted and re-uploaded Q&A here.
