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.