Keisha didn’t plan on going electric. A car accident in February 2022 totaled her Ford Fusion Sport, and she needed something fast. Gas prices were climbing. Pandemic inventory was wiped out. There was exactly one EV sitting on a SoCal dealer lot at that moment — a silver Ford Mustang Mach-E — and that’s how she ended up in it.
Four years later, she hand-stitched the entire interior herself.
I caught up with her at a Rove meet and greet, and everything about this car is exactly what the EV Confessions series is about: real ownership, real mods, real opinions.
Ford Isn’t a Brand to Her, It’s a Default Setting
Before the Mach-E came the 2012 Ford Fusion Sport. Before that, a 1968 Mustang. Keisha is a Ford person the way some people are just Ford people. It’s not a decision, it’s a default.
When the accident happened, Tesla wasn’t even in the running. “I didn’t feel like a Tesla girl,” she told me. The Mach-E made sense before she even looked at specs — the interior matched her Fusion’s layout almost exactly. Same feel, same controls placement. It was familiar before she even turned the key.
Her dad had already owned two EVs: a 2017 BMW i3 and a 2013 Ford Focus Electric. She came into EV ownership knowing how charging worked, knowing what degradation felt like, knowing the lifestyle. No learning curve.
What Two Weeks of Hand-Stitching Looks Like
Ask Keisha what she loves most about her car and she’ll say the interior without hesitation.
She and her mom spent two weeks hand-stitching the seats. You notice it the second you open the door — the contrast stitching pops, the purple accents tie into the wheels, and it all feels intentional rather than aftermarket. Her friend EV Vida handled the 3D printed trim pieces customized in purple because, as she puts it, if she can’t find something in purple, someone’s wrapping it for her.
The exterior tells the same story. She upgraded from the stock 18-inch wheels to 20-inch Shift wheels that light up — calipers too. It’s not subtle. It’s not trying to be.
The One Thing She’d Change
Range. She’ll tell you straight.
The stock 68 kWh battery got her around 240 miles when she first took delivery. Now she’s pulling about 185 at 80% charge. Some of that is degradation, but she’ll also be honest that jumping from 18-inch to 20-inch wheels cost her real range. Bigger contact patch, heavier rotation — it shows up in the numbers.
Her efficiency runs around 230 Wh/mi, which actually holds up pretty well for the class. At 80%, she’s working with roughly 190 miles of real-world range. She charges at work twice a week on a Level 2 — lets it go to 100% since it’s got all day — and on the road she’ll target 80 to 95% depending on the destination.
She’s driving a 2021 Select — the base trim of the first-model-year Mach-E. No panoramic roof, which she’s fine with. “I don’t need glass,” she said. “More things to have to replace.” It’s a dual motor AWD setup, which is actually how Ford configured even the entry-level Mach-E — the opposite of how Tesla builds their base models. The Select trim has straighter headlight lines; the Premium and GT get the segmented sequential units front and rear. She has sequential rears only.
The Mach-E Community Runs Deep
Keisha is in the Mach-E Girls Club, Mustang Mach-E Club SoCal, and Mustang Mach-E Club of America. She shows up at SoCal EVs events and, as she put it, you’ll usually see three or four Mustangs hanging around a parking lot full of Teslas.
I’ve seen her car in a couple of my earlier videos from the Vegas run. I finally caught her stationary long enough to get the full story.
If you want to see more Mach-E builds, the Electrify Expo Mach-E rally build from last year is worth watching — completely different direction with the build, but same energy.
Dream Car: A Shelby GT, in Purple
Unlimited budget, any car, EV or not. She didn’t hesitate.
“A Shelby GT.” Ford, again. Purple, obviously. “If I can’t find it in purple, someone’s wrapping it for me.”
This is what Rove events consistently deliver — people who are genuinely enthusiastic about their cars, not just their charging infrastructure. Find Keisha on Instagram at @goose_mache to follow the build.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
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