Ford Mustang Mach-E permanent shower

About 13 percent of Europeans are still not sure if fully electric cars can be transported in the rain, let alone they can be driven through a car wash. In order to increase confidence in the everyday convenience of electric vehicles and prove their longevity, Ford has subjected its first full-time Stromer Mustang Mach-E to demanding load tests. The requirements are in line with the specifications that powerful pickup trucks normally must pass.

For example, an electric SUV had to complete 60 consecutive rides at a car washer with spray nozzles, brushes, and dryers, which corresponds to a 14-day car wash over two years. To test for leaks and the damage that solid jets of water can cause from the nozzles, the Ford team also mistreated the door frames, hood, hood, headlights, taillights and external adhesive joints on the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The spray pressure was up to 117 bar at a temperature of 60 ° C and a distance of about 1 meter – in combination with chemical solvents, it could even remove stubborn oil stains from garage entrances.

The seats and control screens were less compact. When developing a new series, Ford is using a special test robot named “Robutt” (butt = butt), which simulates getting in and out of the car repeatedly and happening on the car seat up to 25,000 times. Mach-E had to perform the same “sessions”. The central and most sensitive component of the interior, the 15.5-inch touch screen, also had to pass extensive pressure tests. The screen is made of special Dragontrail glass on a magnesium frame, which is supposed to withstand tensile and shock loads in addition to ensuring maximum durability.

Finally, the Mustang Mach-E also had to prove itself on cobbled off-road with different track profiles in order to test paint quality. Two different sizes of gravel grains and speeds of up to 100 km/h were used. The coating was then checked for any damage caused by stone chips. “The range of applications for electric vehicles should not be limited to cleaning asphalt roads,” explains Donna Dixon, Senior Program Engineer at Mustang Mach-E.