Ford Mustang Lithium EV
Ford Mustang Lithium EV
Posted on November 11, 2019
A one-off from Ford has been showing at SEMA to gauge interest in a new approach to electric vehicles. The Ford Mustang Lithium EV, has an electric powertrain and unique looks and is being used as a litmus test for our appetite for electric performance cars.
The Ford Mustang Lithium EV has an electric motor paired with a manual transmission. This is an unusual setup as EVs doesn’t need six gears, or even a gearbox at all. This concept is designed to appeal to performance car fans while delivering on its green promise in the hope to combine the two.
If the looks don’t work to attract performance traditionalists, the 900 hp under the hood surely will!
This is a standalone tester and not related to any other Ford EV in the works. The automaker partnered with Webasto to deliver a 900 hp electric motor, shoehorn it into a Mustang and connect it to a standard six speed manual transmission. That motor is also capable of delivering in excess of 1000 lb-ft of torque too. All with zero emissions.
The Ford Mustang Lithium EV also has an 800v battery system that can deliver enough energy to power the monster motor. There was no mention of range. The motor and batteries do have a weight penalty though. The car is said to weigh 270kg more than a standard Mustang.
Demonstration purposes only
Don’t get too excited just yet. Ford said there is currently no plan to bring the Ford Mustang Lithium EV to production and it’s purely a tester to prove that anything is possible and to gauge interest in such a car at some point in the future.
Both Ford and Webasto are treating the Ford Mustang Lithium EV as a proof of concept only and are not currently planning on taking this particular project any further. Ford has said it was more for bragging rights and to show what is possible in terms of performance and using a traditional transmission.
Webasto said they are using it to showcase electric motoring technology and won’t be offering kits anytime soon.
The liquid cooled electric motor is expensive to produce and not really practical for everyday use. Liquid cooling is necessary to maintain a safe operating temperature under stress and it seems air cooling just wasn’t enough. While range was not discussed, it cannot be much if the batteries have to deliver enough energy for up to 900 hp.
It’s not all bad news. We have the Mach 1 and other upcoming Ford EVs to look forward to and it won’t be long until they are in a dealership near you, including Northway Ford Lincoln, 388 King George Road Brantford ON N3S 3N2.