This Mustang amps muscle car performance to a new level.
A year after Chevrolet did it with the eCOPO Camaro concept, Ford is giving the Mustang a jolt of power and torque. It’s an electric model with more than 900 hp that’s designed to be able to manage massive performance on the track as well as test out new battery and thermal management tech.
It’s a partnership between Ford and Webasto, a company you might better know for building pop-up sunroofs but has extensive experience developing components for automakers that now includes not just convertible tops but innovative heating and cooling solutions and, most relevant here, EV battery and charging solutions.
But that’s not what you care about here. What you care about is the 900 hp and more than 1,000 lb-ft of torque that the Mustang Lithium project can offer. It uses an 800V Webasto battery system and EVDrive tech. That’s double the voltage of most EVs, which means it’s lighter, can put out more power, and that it generates less heat. Making it ideal for a performance car (which is why Porsche’s Taycan is 800v).
Behind the electric motors, the Lithium has a bit of a surprise. There’s a six-speed manual transmission. This three-pedal EV uses a version modified by specialists Calimer Transmissions to help make sure it can handle all the torque. Further back are Ford Performance half shafts, and an 8.8 Torsen rear differential to make sure that both of the 20-inch Forgeline wheels are spinning when your foot is on… well, I guess we’ll have to call it the quiet pedal now.
Ford’s gone further than that with this Mustang, adding the Ford Performance Track Handling Pack and strut tower brace, plus six-piston Brembo front brakes from the Shelby GT350R. There’s a new side splitter and rear diffuser, and Webasto made the hood with see-through windows to give you a peek at what’s going on under it.
The Lithium gets new drive modes, too, for the new powertrain. Valet, Sport, Track, and the aptly-named Beast mode are selectable through the custom 10.4-inch display.
“Very similar to Ford’s push for vehicle electrification, this is an innovative way to further the technologies we’re developing to enable vehicle electrification while creating a vision of how cool the future of electric performance will be,”said Mark Denny, Webasto Customized Solutions North America President and CEO.
Ford says it’s spending US $11.5b on electrification by 2022, and that will include the new “Mustang-inspired” crossover and a handful of other models. Looking at the Lithium, unveiled at SEMA, the performance side of the company seems to be in good hands. Ford wants to tell you that “this Mustang amps muscle car performance to a new level,” but we think they can do a little better on the puns.
Keyword: Mustang Lithium is a 900 hp Electric Pony Car with a Manual Transmission