Ford Made an Electric Mustang with a Manual Transmission
Fans
of sports cars usually do not take electric vehicles (EV) seriously due to
their usual lack of manual transmissions (in fact, EVs do not need this
component at all), but Ford has come up with an interesting idea to change this
attitude. The automaker has collaborated with Webasto on a Mustang Lithium
project car that combines a powerful e-motor with a six-speed manual
transmission from Getrag. But there is one caveat: the automaker does
not plan to launch this model in series production in the near future, but
rather to exhibit this unique car at the SEMA show and to show how the
electrified powertrain can affect operational characteristics of a well-known
car.
Mustang Lithium
Named as “Mustang Lithium”, this remarkable car can generate the right amount of energy from the 800-volt battery to produce more than 900 hp. Sadly, Ford didn’t unveil many technical characteristics of the car, as this is just a pilot model. However, Ford lays special emphasis on this project, as it is an efficient test model for products that Webasto and Ford are creating for future electrification of the auto industry.
Take a look inside of
this amazing vehicle
The car is equipped with Phi-Power dual-core e-motor
and dual power inverters fed by an 800-volt Webasto battery unit. This powerful
system generates 900 hp and 1,355 Nm, proving its performance-oriented
character.
A manual EV seems like nothing more than an advertising tool aimed at drawing as much attention as possible. The thing is that almost all EV come with a single-speed gearbox, meaning that there is no need for multiple-speed solutions in EVs (the only exception is a recently released Porsche Taycan that comes with a 2-speed electric gearbox from ZF). But who says that it is impossible to construct a car that combines the instant torque of EVs with the joy of manually going through gears?
Learn more about Mustang Lithium project
Ford has always been keen on hybrid technologies. And now when major car manufacturers invest heavily in implementation of their electrification strategies, Ford also doesn’t want to waste any time. Last year, the company said it will invest $11 bln to add 16 EVs in its global product range of 40 environmentally-friendly models through 2022.
