The Ford Mustang Mach-E is expected to get a major over-the-air software update related to its fast charging capability as soon as this Winter.
Darren Palmer, Ford General Manager Electric Vehicles, revealed a few interesting details during today’s InsideEVs Podcast when he was asked by about the Mach-E issues and specific charging curve (see our analysis from March and April).
First of all, Ford intends to do something with the fast charging cap at 80% State of Charge (SOC), which limits the power to about 12 kW. Darren Palmer suggests that the fast charging will continue at a high speed up to around 90%.
Ford Mustang Mach-E’s example fast charging session:
Ford was conservative with fast charging to ensure that the battery will maintain 70% of its initial battery capacity after eight years (warranty).
The current specs are set for the best result within the first 15 minutes and a good overall charging rate up to 80% SOC. But there is a big potential for improvement.
In the coming update, the company will get into data and probably improve the charging curve, including the peak power. More updates might then be related to the actual battery temperature.
One of the most interesting things is that in the future, a Mach-E that uses DC fast chargers rarely (and has a high battery state-of-health) might be allowed to charge at a higher rate.
In other words, good things coming to the Mach-E cars as the manufacturer ensures that it is able to offer better performance and stay within its battery degradation target.
The Mach-E range is quite good at up to over 300 miles (EPA) and most of the customers (some 95%) rely almost entirely on home charging, but improvements to fast charging are always welcome.