Here’s What Happens When It Hits 250,000 Miles

• Battery degradation is one of the main causes of concern for new EV owners.
• However, as several studies have shown, it’s actually quite easy to maintain a healthy battery over time.
• One particular Ford Mustang Mach-E, for instance, can still offer over 90% of its original range after driving 250,000 miles.

We’ve featured many owner stories about their electric cars’ battery life over the years, and they’re usually Teslas or some sort of Hyundai. Now, though, it’s time for another American fan favourite to get into the spotlight.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E wasn’t particularly to every brand enthusiast’s taste when it debuted in 2021, mainly because of its Mustang name, but that sentiment seems to have rescinded recently. However, this being Ford’s first proper purpose-built mass-produced EV, questions remain over its reliability in the long run, especially when it comes to the high-voltage battery.

Generally speaking, the Mustang Mach-E has proved to be a solid vehicle, and now there’s one out there that’s bound to smash any misconception about the long-term reliability of EV batteries.

David Blenkle bought his 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium a little over three years ago, and during his ownership, he racked up over 250,000 miles on the odometer. That’s really impressive, but even more impressive is the battery’s ability to still deliver plenty of range.

Photo by: Ford

When it was new, the 2022 Mustang Mach-E Premium with rear-wheel drive had an EPA range rating of 303 miles on a full charge. Now, Blenkle says he consistently gets around 290 miles of range out of the original battery, which means a degradation rate of just 4%. In other words, the battery still has 96% of its original capacity, which is practically the same as getting behind the wheel of a brand-new EV and driving it for around a year.

“The biggest misconception I encounter is about battery life and range, and then I show them my odometer,” David Blenkle said.

So, how does one manage to keep an EV’s main battery so healthy after so many miles? It’s rather simple, actually. In Blenkle’s case, just setting the charge limit to 90% seems to have done the trick, together with mainly using a home charger during the night. DC fast charging was very rarely used on this particular Mustang Mach-E, and some research shows that limiting the number of fast charging sessions may improve battery life.

A couple of dings and scratches have made their way onto David’s car over time, but other than that, nothing major has happened during his ownership. He has a consistent maintenance schedule where he gets regular tire rotations, routine multipoint inspections and new cabin air filters, but that’s about it. In fact, his original brake pads still have life left after a quarter of a million miles.