Ford Helps Mustang Mach-E Owners Reduce Range Anxiety with Intelligent Range
Electric vehicle owners traditionally suffer from range anxiety, for the relatively limited number of charging stations combined with prolonged charging time limits their mobility and requires more planning than it is with internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
Ford helps owners of its all-electric Mustang Mach-E address range anxiety with Intelligent Range, a predictive software that improves range predictions.
How Does It Work?
Intelligent Range calculates range based on past driver behavior and weather forecasts as well as crowdsourced data from other Mustang Mach-E vehicles on the cloud.
The vehicle's battery system reports the energy available, while the powertrain module tracks the rate of energy drain. Crowdsourced data (with the owners' permission) helps the cloud-based system learning more about how energy is used in different circumstances, including driving style, terrain, and climate conditions.
If a Mustang Mach-E runs out of charge, the Ford Roadside Assistance program (for subscribers) will tow the vehicles for free to the customer's designated destination within 35 miles.
Update Plans
Ford plans to upgrade Intelligent Range through over-the-air updates to leverage its cloud-connected capabilities further. Ideas include the inclusion of real-time traffic conditions, road slop, and elevation, etc. as factors in the calculation.
