Photo: Ford
Despite the onslaught of electric vehicles seen in recent years, muscle cars (and pony cars, too) have so far avoided going down this path. Yet those who believe electric drivetrains will not eventually catch up with this segment are delusional. And here’s the first example of how such an amped version of one would feel like.
Ford has long ago committed to launching an army of electric cars, but so far the Blue Oval is more talk than action. To show it means business, the carmaker, together with supplier Webasto, has debuted at SEMA the Mustang Lithium.
Yes, an electric muscle car, meant to be not only a proof of concept, but also a testbed for battery and thermal management technologies that will go into future production EVs.
In its usual overkill style, Ford has fitted the Mustang with insane hardware for out-of-this world performance. Powering the Lithium are two electric motors and dual power inverters that draw electricity from a huge 800-volt battery. For reference, that’s double the size of most batteries available on the market today.
In this configuration, the Mustang develops 900 horsepower and 1000 ft.-lbs. of torque, numbers that are achieved almost instantly.
Built to impress, and for reasons that are not entirely clear, the Lithium comes with a “drag-strip proven Calimer-version of the Getrag MT82 6-speed transmission.” That’s right, a six-speed tranny on an electric car.
And there's event an official hint that a true electric Mustang (not a Mustang-styled electric SUV) could one day make its way onto the market.
“Ford has made no secret of the fact that we are electrifying our most popular nameplates,” said in a statement Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s Chief Product Development and Purchasing Officer.
“This one-off Mustang prototype is a great opportunity for us, together with Webasto, to showcase to our customers what a new electrified powertrains can do for performance in a car they already know and love.”
Ford did not say anything about the performance levels of the car, but its likely that as this testbed begins its career, we’ll learn more in the months ahead.
Full details on the Mustang Lithium can be found in the press release section below.
Yes, an electric muscle car, meant to be not only a proof of concept, but also a testbed for battery and thermal management technologies that will go into future production EVs.
In its usual overkill style, Ford has fitted the Mustang with insane hardware for out-of-this world performance. Powering the Lithium are two electric motors and dual power inverters that draw electricity from a huge 800-volt battery. For reference, that’s double the size of most batteries available on the market today.
In this configuration, the Mustang develops 900 horsepower and 1000 ft.-lbs. of torque, numbers that are achieved almost instantly.
Built to impress, and for reasons that are not entirely clear, the Lithium comes with a “drag-strip proven Calimer-version of the Getrag MT82 6-speed transmission.” That’s right, a six-speed tranny on an electric car.
And there's event an official hint that a true electric Mustang (not a Mustang-styled electric SUV) could one day make its way onto the market.
“Ford has made no secret of the fact that we are electrifying our most popular nameplates,” said in a statement Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s Chief Product Development and Purchasing Officer.
“This one-off Mustang prototype is a great opportunity for us, together with Webasto, to showcase to our customers what a new electrified powertrains can do for performance in a car they already know and love.”
Ford did not say anything about the performance levels of the car, but its likely that as this testbed begins its career, we’ll learn more in the months ahead.
Full details on the Mustang Lithium can be found in the press release section below.
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