Webasto and Ford Collaborate on Mustang Lithium
Ford and Webasto recently revealed Mustang Lithium, a battery electric Mustang fastback prototype. The prototype has more than 1,000 ft.-lbs. of torque and more than 900 horsepower that claims to take car performance to a new level.
According to the company, Mustang Lithium build is not only a one-off prototype to showcase electrification on the sports car but also a testbed for battery and thermal management technologies Webasto and Ford are creating for the growing e-mobility automotive segment.
“Ford has made no secret of the fact that we are electrifying our most popular nameplates,” said 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.”
The electrified Mustang Lithium is powered by an 800-volt Webasto battery system with EVDrive Technology that can discharge a mega-watt of electrical energy. At 800 volts, that’s twice the voltage of most electric cars on the road today. This allows the system to be lighter, more powerful and generate less heat, and more electric force than most battery-electric systems on the road today.
The car features a manual transmission and uses Calimer-version of the Getrag MT82 6-speed transmission with billet internals to handle the 1,000 ft.-lbs. of torque. Additional features include Ford Performance’s Track Handling Pack and strut tower brace, Brembo six-piston front brakes from the Shelby GT350R, Sankuer Composite Technologies side splitters and rear diffuser, plus Webasto hood with see-through polycarbonate windows, TurboDX charging solution and TurboCord portable charger.
Ford plans to invest more than $11.5 billion in electrified vehicles by 2022, including an all-new Mustang-inspired fully electric SUV in 2020 with range of 300 miles and an all-electric F-150 in a few years.
As Ford actively refreshes its lineup, the all-new 2020 Ford Explorer and Escape hybrid SUVs feature the company’s fourth-generation lithium-ion battery technology, similar to the energy storage system used on the Mustang Lithium. An F-150 Hybrid also arrives next year. More than the instantaneous torque of these electric drive powertrains provide, greater levels of torque management and driver control can be enabled, plus zero emissions.
Source: Press Release