How does the electric car perform under extreme weather conditions? Ford has published some very interesting images of its Mustang Mach-E.
Today’s electric car is very different from what was produced 10 years ago. In just a decade, manufacturers such as Ford or Volkswagen, among others, have managed to carve out a niche in the electric segment. What it seemed like a utopia a while ago has ended up being a serious alternative to conventional internal combustion mechanics. Now, is the technology ready?
Much has been said about the viability of electrical innovation due to the many variables behind the consumption figures. Contrary to what happens with a traditional variant based on fossil fuels, the outside temperature can have a significant influence in the behavior of the electric car. In fact, these cars have unique solutions.
Ford is one of the manufacturers that is betting the most on the electric car
The most prominent of all is the presence of heat pumps for the passenger compartment. This allows to reduce consumption so as not to have to allocate a part of the electricity of the air conditioner to warm the interior. In addition, the presence of cold outside affects consumption due, in addition, to the difficulties that the battery has to perform at higher temperatures.
In fact, setting up battery preheating systems makes perfect sense to streamline the process. In this way, when a movement is required, the battery has been able to reach the optimum heat to perform with lower consumption figures. Well, how is it possible to improve these types of questions? Ford puts its electrical division to a test bench.
Let’s see, from the point of view of the North American firm, to what extent these tests can define the future of the electric car, why it is a work of special relevance to be a benchmark in the market and, of course, why we are facing a very important solution in certain geographic areas. Is the electric car an alternative thanks to these proposals?
Ford and its test bed to improve the Mustang Mach-E
The Mustang Mach-E is possibly the model that Ford sells with the greatest relevance in business plans. At the end of the day, it is a technology that stands out, above all, for have a purely electric motorization and batteries. In fact, we are facing the first model that has a structural battery pack, an innovation that Tesla intends to implement soon.
Well, why is the use of this test bench so important? The introduction of the weather element has become something that has acquired special relevance. This is so because variables such as the strength of the battery pack, its performance at extreme temperatures and, of course, how security measures respond to these situations.
Ford tests its electric cars in exceptional situations to analyze performance
As can be read in the specialized portal ElectrekAt Ford-owned facilities, tests can be conducted to see how the Mustang Mach-E performs at temperatures ranging from -56 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees Celsius. In this way, it is possible to analyze at what level can it become dangerous the use of these electric cars.
For this, the American company makes use of 2 robots that have a special mission, to circulate the vehicle between the rollers as if it were a person. Under these circumstances, incorporating an operator into this equation would be impossible, since the human being is not conceived to spend determined time under these drastic temperatures.
State-of-the-art technology to enable testing
As can be seen in the previous images, the robots are specially designed to combine the appropriate pressure on the pedals. This solution requires a very elaborate artificial intelligence system, which it is possible to check it by remote control. If there is one person in charge, it would require multiple solutions at the security level.
These facilities are located in Cologne, Germany. At this test center, Ford nonetheless runs innovation programs on a global scale. Even so, it is a unit that Ford also uses to try present solutions, exclusively, in its division to serve the American market. It is a benchmark that, in special situations, yields to other companies.
We will have to wait a while to see if the Mustang Mach-E becomes one of the best cars of this new era of automotive. Even so, it can already be seen how the American firm has been fully involved to the creation of a unique product capable of competing against other options with more names, such as the Tesla Model Y.