The Blue Oval’s national office will brief media tomorrow about its ongoing electrification strategy. Surely only one car is worth that effort?

 IMPROVEMENT to the useable battery capacity and driving range for Ford’s highest-profile pure electric car has been revealed ahead of an explanation of the Blue Oval’s electrification strategy for New Zealand.

The updates to the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV are relevant as there is growing expectation the model will be mentioned in tomorrow’s on-line media presentation, which involves not only Ford NZ management but also a high-up from Detroit deeply involved in the make’s global electrification plan.

While Ford NZ has become an early customer for some battery-involved but still fossil fuelled product – with Escape, Puma and Transit models specifically designated – it is the only big name brand here not to signal a fully battery-driven vehicle. 

Market leader Toyota has announced it will launch its first BEV, the bZ4X, here next year (while its premium marque, Lexus, will have the UX300e here in November). More mainstream brands – MG, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia in particular – also all have EVs in their respective model line-ups. 

The only candidate for local inclusion Ford has is Mach-E. However, even though it is now available in right-hand drive and selling in the United Kingdom, the five-door five-seater has so far not been signalled as being available to our country. 

Ford NZ is hesitant to say what will be unrolled tomorrow but has indicated product beyond that already signalled for this country will be discussed. 

The Auckland-domiciled operation has previously expressed desire to achieve Mustang Mach-E, but has always said strong demand in overseas markets has ruled it from achievable as a distributor-represented car here.

Mustang Mach-E is still the only fully electric Ford that has been signalled as a global product.  

There is possibility that cars it will develop from the Volkswagen MEB underpinnings will be right-hand drive. That platform is used by the NZ-bound ID models, Skoda Enyaq and Cupra Born. Ford has accessed MEB through a product-sharing arrangement. Its cars will source from Europe and the first will be a Puma-sized car, due out in 2023.

 The wholly battery-fed Lightning version of America’s best-selling F-150 traydeck is also rolling out now, but every sign is that it is only going to be built in left-hand drive.

Ute fans with Green intent will be satisfied by a plug-in hybrid version of the next Ranger, also to become the new Volkswagen Amarok. The diesel versions of the next Ranger are to unveil shortly though they will not be on sale until next year. 

Meantime, the news about the freshen for the Mach-E in its 2022 update come from an online source, the Mach-E Forum. 

It says the electric pony car will see an increase in usable battery capacity for both the Standard Range and Extended Range variants.

The Standard Range will increase from 60kWh to 70kWh, while the Extended Range is up from 88kWh to 91kWh. 

Calculations on the forum show that will increase the driving range of the Standard Range all-wheel drive from 340km to 349km, while the rear-wheel drive increases from 370km to 381km.

Extended Range AWD goes from 435km to 449km and rear drive from 483km to 499km. The California Route 1 variant gets a boost from 491km to 507km.

For comparison, the forthcoming Tesla Model Y SUV has a driving range of 480km for the Performance and 505km for the Long Range AWD, and Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 can drive for 430km (AWD) or 451km (2WD) before requiring a charge.

Other additions to the 2022 Mustang Mach-E include standard heated front seats and steering wheel for the California Route 1 and a new Ice White appearance package with white flourishes inside and out.

 An electric version of the current generation Transit was revealed late last year, with Ford Australia ruling out a local launch at the time.

In addition to its vehicle roll-out, Ford has also partnered with a South Korean maker of batteries, SK Innovation Co, to spend $US11.4 billion on three electric-car battery plants across the US, making it the most sizeable investment in Ford’s 118-year history.  

The deal to build the biggest battery plant ever in America would catapult the South Korean firm to the status of a leading battery maker in the US and is also its largest single outlay.

The plan is to produce one million power packs for sport utility vehicles and trucks.

In respect to Ford NZ’s briefing, it has invited national media to “hear more about Ford New Zealand’s electrification strategy.  

“Henry Ford and Thomas Edison first imagined a capable and practicable electric vehicle at the beginning of the 1900s. That visionary ambition is now being realised by the Blue Oval as it goes back to the future with a comprehensive rollout of electric vehicles across the globe and in New Zealand.”