We’re no stranger to stories of high-mileage new cars around here (or used, scary ones, for that matter), but how often do you get to chat with somebody who casually racks up a quarter-million miles on a brand-new car in just three years? Last week, Ford reached out with just such an opportunity. The man’s name is David Blenkle, and he’s racked up 250,000 miles (and climbing) on his 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E. Yep—250k on an electric car.
Our curiosity piqued, we took Ford up on an offer to talk to Blenkle ourselves. And as it turns out, his routine is about as ordinary as it gets for a guy who spends all day behind the wheel of a car, and the Mach-E manages to dovetail nicely with his job—operating a private car service in Santa Cruz, California.
“Aha,” you’re probably thinking. “California.”
Sure, owning an EV is easier in the Golden State, and Blenkle had some experience with electric cars prior to the Mach-E. But the transition from his previous car was still pretty dramatic.
“I started driving an EV in 2017,” he recalled. “I purchased a Ford Focus EV and it’s one of those things where I was hooked from the moment I hit the accelerator,” he said.
“I had done some research on electric vehicles and it was going to be perfect for me,” Blenkle went on. “I was working about 35 miles from home and the Focus had 76 miles of range.”
OK, so the benefits of a reliable California climate (not to mention a reliable charging network) are obvious here; even with the ability to charge at both ends of that trip, that’s probably cutting it a bit close for most peoples’ comfort. But it worked well enough for Blenkle that he was game to stick with EV ownership.
“I drove [the Focus Electric] for 15,000 miles. I think I had it for five years, I believe. And so when it came time for my next car, I knew I wanted an EV.”
This time, though, a 76-mile range wasn’t going to cut it.
“I just got done with a 500 mile work day right now,” he said. “I started this morning. It’s just wrapped up.”
That’s a long day for Blenkle, but even on a typical shift he’s putting at least 350 road miles behind him. He did extensive research before settling on the 2022 Mach-E Premium (Extended Range, RWD) and its original 303-mile EPA rating. At the time, none of his options would guarantee a complete day of driving without having to top off, freeing him to make a decision based on more than range alone.
“My last couple of cars were Fords,” he told us. “I started doing my research and I was comparing with Tesla—whatever their sedan was at the time—and the Mustang Mach-E had everything that I wanted.”
But the Mach-E didn’t just look good on paper; Blenkle has an emotional attachment to Ford as well. His mother’s first car was a ’64 Mustang, and both his wife and son had recently purchased Fords.
“I had just great luck with Ford,” he said.
So great, in fact, that he took the plunge on the Mach-E sight-unseen during the height of the chip shortage. Ordering a car meant a nine-month wait. Instead, Blenkle called dealerships all over the western United States, letting them know he’d be willing to step in should a buyer back out of an order with the specific options he wanted.
“One showed up just about 30 miles from home,” he recalls “Two other families came in trying to buy it while I was doing the paperwork.”
“I finished all the paperwork and then I asked the the salesperson if I could go sit in my car,” he said, chuckling. “I hadn’t even seen it yet.”
“It was a bit of a leap of faith,” he admitted.
And so far, it has paid off, both literally and figuratively. Even with all the packed days and frequent fast charges, his battery is still holding more than 90% of its original capacity. Oh, and it’s still rocking its original set of brake pads. But EV’s aren’t entirely maintenance-free, especially after 250,000 miles. And they do still have wear items.
“I just put on my fifth set of tires,” Blenkle told us.
He managed to get 55,000 miles out of the Mach-E’s original rubber, and has now burned through three replacement sets, netting approximately 61,000 miles each—OEM replacements every time.
But apart from normal wear-and-tear (it has some battle damage as visible here), Blenkle’s experience has been virtually flawless. So of course, we had to ask: Does Blenkle have any advice for people looking to get the most out of their EVs? Any tips or tricks? He seemed almost surprised by the inquiry.
“It’s a great question,” he said after a pause. “I’m not tearing it up out there and driving very carefully, and I think obviously that’s added to the longevity of the vehicle,” he said.
He does follow some conventional best practices, such as limiting the Mach-E’s fast-charging to just 90% of its capacity, but apart from that, he does nothing apart from following Ford’s maintenance schedule.
That said, Blenkle still likes to flex the Mach-E’s muscles on occasion.
“It is fun in those moments when you can open it up. Um, and take it out. It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “And I would just say to people just in general, just give it a shot. If somebody hasn’t driven an EV before, like forget about all the nonsense you’ve read and get out there and put your foot on the accelerator.”
Racked up major miles in an electric car? Drop us a line at [email protected].
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