Green Car

Ford Mustang Mach-E first drive, Mirai 845-mile range claim, social cost of Uber and Lyft: Today’s Car News

Toyota claims its Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan can cover 845 miles—in a special use case. Researchers see a lot of social costs of “deadhead miles” from Uber and Lyft. We get some time behind the wheel of the performance version of the Mach-E electric SUV. And Ford is deploying “charge angels” to spot-check charging infrastructure. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. 

The quickest version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E yet, called the 2021 Mach-E GT Performance, is very satisfying, with its quicker 3.5-second 0-60 mph acceleration, although serious performance enthusiasts will see some room for growth in handling and dynamics.

And as Ford ramps up not just for the launch of the Mach-E GT but also, next year, the F-150 Lightning electric pickup, the automaker is taking the charging infrastructure seriously. According to a report last week, citing one of Ford’s top executives for electric vehicles, it has its own network of “charge angels” that travel around the country to test problematic charging stations and give networks a nudge. 

A study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University has found some even more damning effects about the effects of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. Their extra “deadhead miles” that drivers cover on the way to and from rides don’t just increase fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; they also bring more social costs, in the form of traffic congestion, crashes, and noise. 

And over the weekend we mulled over the caveats behind Toyota’s claims of a Guinness World Record for the longest distance driven by a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. While 845 miles is an extraordinary amount for just 12.4 pounds of hydrogen, like most results achieved from hypermiling, it only serves to show how much efficiency you’re sacrificing in the name of normal travel times and driving patterns.

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