British EV Startup Charge Automotive is doing the unimaginable: equipping your favorite 1960s Ford Mustang with a pair of electric motors.
Charge Automotive’s team of experienced engineers assembled from all corners of the industry including Williams F1, McLaren, and Jaguar. They sought to recreate the most beloved classic muscle car for the modern world.
The electric version offers quite a different ride than the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 that it stole its looks from.
This electric Mustang is a true tire-slayer
We don’t know exactly how many motors are in it, but the total power is 470 hp and 885 lb-ft of torque. After going through the powertrain, a total of 5,532 lb-ft of torque is available to either the rear or all four wheels.
Performance-wise it’s impressive, but not overwhelming: 0-60 mph in 3.99 seconds. That’s much faster than it’s 50-year-old grandpa, but not faster than the new GT500, which Ford says will do mid-3 seconds.
Drivers benefit from instant torque application and intelligent power delivery to each wheel, no doubt incorporating a good amount of traction control and torque vectoring.
Don’t worry, there is a “Burnout mode”. You can shred tires all day, or at least until the 64 kWh battery dies. Charge says it’s good for 200 miles of normal road driving and comes with a 50 kW DC charging system.
A digital car under a classic body
Like most electric cars, the Mustang is controlled via the large digital touch screen interface. A few simple taps switch up the power modes, toggle RWD or AWD, adjust the suspension, turn on the lights and do pretty much anything else you need…
The menu looks minimalist and quick to get you on the road, but it still offers some cool features like the motion-activated gear selector.
The design is impeccable. Charge Automotive has taken styling cues from your favorite movie Mustangs.
The body is very similar to the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds minus some vents and headlights.
It has a Jet Black paint job and black 10-spoke wheels with polished outer rim, wrapped in Michelin tires. Though we haven’t seen the interior, it looks like black leather seats and steering wheel. A scent of John Wick maybe?
Either way, it looks absolutely stunning.
It’s the first production EV Mustang
It’s not the first electric Mustang either. It’s not even the fastest one. In 2015, Blood Shed Motors built the Zombi 222 that will do zero to sixty in 1.78 seconds and a quarter mile in 9.89 seconds.
However, it’s the first one that’s not a conversion. The Charge Mustang is a purpose-built production car with a brand new, Ford-licensed body.
Charge is working with EV technology companies Arrival and Roborace. Arrival develops its own electric powertrain components and builds smart electric vans. Roborace develops an AI-driven electric car and races it against professional drivers.
Charge Automotive is planning a limited production run of 499 units and each one will cost you just under $382,000. This is a significant sum, given that the Mustang has always been an affordable car.
Furthermore, it’s three times more expensive than all major electric competitors like Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT, who at the same time will outperform the electric Mustang with a decent margin.
That said, there is no other Mustang quite like this one, and there are plenty of wealthy men and women who wouldn’t mind paying extra for a car as audacious as this one.
Charge Automotive is bringing one of their prototypes to the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed which begins next week.