Could the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Porsche Taycan be even better than advertised? In one key area, they just might be.
In range testing by online automotive information resource Edmunds, both Ford and Porsche got some very welcome news.
For the Detroit automaker, the all-wheel-drive Extended Range model of the Mach-E, the company’s first all-electric vehicle, out performed its EPA estimate. And not by a mile or two—by a more than 12 percent.
The AWD Extended Range model is the third longest-range Mach-E, according to EPA estimates, able to go 270 miles on a single charge. Edmunds, however, tested the EV under real-world driving conditions, which included a 60/40 mixture of city and highway driving. The publication found that the car actually had a range of 304 miles, 12.6 percent more than expected. It also found that the AWD Extended Range had an energy consumption rating of 33.1 kWh/100 miles, which is 10.5 percent better than the EPA estimate.
The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford
While there are differences between the AWD Extended Range and the longer-range RWD Extended Range and California Route 1 models, the findings suggest that those models may be able to travel further on a single charge as well. In fact, if the math carries over, the RWD Extended Range could reach 338 miles on a single charge and and the California Route 1’s could make 343 miles.
The Mach-E wasn’t the only big winner in Edmunds’s testing. In fact, the Porsche Taycan 4S fared even better. Since it was introduced early last year, the biggest criticism of Porsche’s first EV was its relatively paltry 203-mile range. But the publication found that the Taycan’s actual range was far better, coming in at a whopping 323 miles, more than a 59 percent increase over EPA estimates.
One brand sure be less pleased with Edmunds’s results is Tesla. Although the Elon Musk-fronted EV maker has some of the longest-range vehicles on the market, the publication found that the cars consistently failed to meet their EPA estimate. Each of the brand’s vehicles that were tested—the 2020 model year Model S Performance, Model 3 Performance, Model 3 Standard Range Plus, Model X Long Range and Model Y Performance—all came in short of their promised range by anywhere from 2.5 to 17.4 percent.
Performing closest to expectations was the Model S Performance, which Edmunds found to have a range of 318 miles, which was 2.5 percent worse than its EPA estimate of 326. Also not that far off the mark were the Model 3 Standard Range Plus, which performed 18 miles worse than its 250-mile estimate (for a drop of 7.2 percent); the Tesla Model Y Performance, which performed 28 miles worse than its 291-mile estimate (for a drop of 9.6 percent), and the Model X Long Range, which came in 34 miles worse than its 328-mile estimate (for a drop of 10.4 percent). The model that fared the worst, by far, was the Model 3 Performance, which the publication found to have a range of 256 miles, rather than its promised 310, missing its EPA estimate by 17.4 percent.
