You can’t be a Tesla killer without an AV dashboard. From the looks of it, Ford gets that and pretty much straight up much copied the Tesla Model 3 with the Ford Mach-E touchscreen. Ford also added an optional B&O sound system. The infotainment system software is version 4 of Ford’s long-standing SYNC system (since 2007), but there’s no mistaking the Tesla resemblance.
Look inside the cabin courtesy of Ford’s promo video:
https://youtu.be/Rt_Mzo6F1Zw
The Ford Mach-E touchscreen is 15.5-inch portrait, the biggest size that SYNC 4 supports. The biggest difference from the Tesla touchscreen is the physical volume dial puncturing it at the bottom.
In another departure from Tesla, The main Ford Mach-E touchscreen is paired with a second, smaller display. Ford says that drivers it surveyed said they still wanted metrics like speed and range in their line of sight, so the Mustang Mach-E gets a 10.2-inch digital cluster as well. It supports several different skins, depending on the chosen drive mode, but always shows things like speed, battery percentage, and range remaining. There’s typically some sort of graphical representation of how aggressively or economically you’re driving, too.
The center console holds a wireless smartphone charge. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included as standard, too. Ford also adds USB ports – both Type A and Type C. All Mustang Mach-E cars will get embedded 4G LTE connectivity. That’ll allow for things like online point-of-interest search, as well as WiFi hotspot. Pricing hasn’t been set for those LTE features yet. There is medial speculation that they’ll all come enabled when the EV is first purchased, and then eventually some will remain free of charge while others – like shared hotspot data – will incur a subscription fee.
SYNC 4 doesn’t have a home button and it doesn’t have a back button. If you need them, Ford argues, your interface is too convoluted. Instead, the portrait-aspect touchscreen is split up into sections. Alongside it, there’s a button for the app launcher–both Ford and third-party apps and services; exactly what the Mustang Mach-E will offer remains to be seen, but Ford’s demos showed apps like PlugShare.
The rest of the space is taken up by cards for navigation, multimedia, and vehicle status. You can have one of those cards expand to occupy the whole of the remaining space, or collapse down to fit a gallery of secondary cards underneath. For example, you might have navigation at the top with a large map, with music controls in a smaller card underneath. Or, you could flip that around and have Apple CarPlay expanded, while a smaller card shows the upcoming navigation instruction underneath it.
As with Tesla the Ford SYNC 4 connectivity will be used to update the car’s operating software as needed.
An available B&O Sound System by Bang & Olufsen comes with 10 speakers (including a specially designed subwoofer), a unique sound bar with surround sound and more. Licensed by Harman Becker Automotive Systems Manufacturing Kft. All rights reserved.
Ford’s SYNC 4 will integrate with the FordPass Charging Network, an umbrella covering multiple different public charging services – including DC fast charging from Electrify America – and allowing drivers to access and pay for them with a single account.
In-station chargers will be able to show current use and other live metrics on the Mustang Mach-E’s touchscreen. As you set a destination into the navigation, a route will reportedly auto-program to take into account any necessary stops at chargers for a top-up. SYNC 4 will calculate how long each stop needs to be, based on the rate of charging that station supports.
Some stations will allow drivers to initiate charging through the touchscreen. Others will support Plug & Charge, which authenticates automatically when the charge cable is plugged in. Ford’s database does include stations that are out-of-network too, and it’ll also have details on what facilities may be around stations so you can eat, shop, or get haircut while you wait.
Ford’s mobile app for iOS and Android will support monitoring the Mustang Mach-E’s charging status, locking and unlocking the EV, and other remote control features, as well as route planning in advance that will auto-sync with the car with the car.
