Charge Automotive pitches 400hp electric Mustang
Ford will sell you a hybrid Mustang soon; UK start up has already gone one step further...
Given the outcry at four-cylinder Mustangs, and the confirmation of hybrids coming at some point soon, it feels like news of the Ford icon being made without any pistons at all should come with a warning for enthusiasts. Sorry, bit late now. Still, if Chevy can dip a toe in the water with an electric COPO Camaro - a car specifically designed for drag strips, don't forget - then a roadgoing EV Mustang is far less sacrilegious. Probably.
This is not a Ford creation, instead it's the brainchild of London-based Charge Automotive. Its plan is to build 499 of these classic Mustangs (using officially licensed bodies) and charge around £200k for them. Top Gear says that the 64kWh battery pack/electric motor combo will make more than 400hp and in the region of 885lb ft, sufficient for 62mph in 3.1 seconds. Range is said to be around 124 miles. Note, too, in the video below a much more modern Mustang interior, plus the ability to choose between RWD and AWD drive modes.
And what makes this more viable than any other restomod or powertrain swap? Well Charge has already been involved in EV projects for McLaren, JLR and Williams F1, as well as the Roborace powertrain, so it has a good deal more credibility than many of its rivals.
Deposits of £5k are being invited now, with deliveries expected next September. Should the coupe not appeal, Charge will make an EV Mustang cabrio as well - which could be quite something. Finally, should this talk of an electric muscle car be a bit much, rest assured there are plenty of classic Mustangs still available with more traditional powertrains. They aren't £200k, either...
My choice, if my arm was up my back:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
I realise this is a new mustang rather than old, but If you're going to do an electric car do it properly and make it new and innovative rather than shoehorning it into an existing model. Especially something like the Mustang.
I can see the point in something like an MGB which has a gutless, thrashy, rev shy, unreliable boat anchor of an engine and the pleasure of the car is in everything else, but when the engine is the heart and soul of the car it seems daft.
I'm not even a major mustang fan, but I can't even convey the disappointment I felt as the car "started".
Here's how it's supposed to be done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwdL2ww_38w
Electronics are not for muscle and sports cars. It makes them "soulless"....
And then....
Wow... the car can roll out of a garage under it's own power and drive away at walking pace (or was it downhill?)
Marketing tip: if the product isn't ready, don't show it moving. At all
and converting old classics if you like, seen quite a few good ones.
but building a new old car like this and charging 200 grand for it?
Its not saving an old car or making it more useful, its not making a new modern car.
Its making a pointless new car that looks like an old car.
Other sources (and parent company Arrival's website) claim their engineers as having worked on such projects, i.e. they've employed people with those names on their CVs...
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