Just the other day we saw Lucid Motors put its EV on the drag strip, and now Ford has released video of its purpose-built electric Mustang. It claims that the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype raced down the quarter-mile in just 8.27 seconds at 168 miles per hour. The company plans to run the car in public this weekend at the U.S. Nationals, going head to head in a demo against a gas-powered Mustang Cobra Jet.

According to Ford Performance Motorsports global director Mark Rushbrook, “Since revealing the car, we’ve continued to fine-tune it and now know we’re just scratching the surface of what we may be able to achieve with this much electric horsepower in a drag racing setting.” In a statement, the team claimed this Mustang hit a peak 1,502HP at the wheels during private testing.

Ford’s upcoming 2021 Mustang Mach-E is one step closer to making its way to consumers. On Tuesday, the automaker said anyone who has already reserved the EV in the US can convert their reservation into an order starting today.

In the same post, Ford also confirmed the leaked specs that came out in April. All four versions of the EV will feature improved power and torque than initially expected. To start, Ford says the standard range RWD model will output the equivalent of 266 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, up from its previous estimate of 255 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, the standard range AWD variant has 11 more horsepower. Similarly, the extended range RWD version will deliver 290 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, up from 282 horsepower and 306 pound-feet of torque.

A new feature in Ford vehicles, hands-free driving on divided highways will be available as Active Drive Assist, which includes a driver-facing camera that makes sure you’re paying attention as the car maneuvers itself. Producing the package hardware-first and saying customers will be able to get the rest in a future software update resembles Tesla’s Autopilot / Full Self-Driving promises, and while Ford doesn’t go that far, it does claim there’s “the potential for more enhancements in the future.”

As long as your trip on the 100,000 miles or so of mapped highways supported across the US and Canada, then drivers can sit back with their hands off the wheel, instead of needing to keep them there as is the case with lane-keeping technology and adaptive cruise control. GM Super Cruise tech brought a similar feature to Cadillacs a few years ago and the company is now working on an “Ultra Cruise” that supports city streets. Ford’s drive assist can respond to obstacles by stopping, or change lanes and continue on to evade a potential collision.

Ford

According to Ford’s chief product development and purchasing officer Hau Thai-Tang, “By introducing driver assist technologies like Active Drive Assist, Ford’s version of hands-free driving, we’re allowing our customers to feel more confident whenever they’re behind the wheel.” The company said it tested the system with “the mother of all road trips,” covering all kinds of traffic and weather conditions to make sure its sensors would operate consistently no matter what you’re driving through.

Other vehicles will also get Active Drive Assist features and upgraded Co-Pilot360 tech in the 2021 model year, although those packages may vary by model. In the Mach-E, the Co-Pilot360 2.0 standard package’s lane-keeping system will include Road Edge Detection that can alert a driver if their car is drifting over a line or onto the dirt and Blind-Spot assist. Its adaptive cruise control can get the car moving again after coming to a complete stop for as long as thirty seconds — the previous system needed to be reactivated manually if the car stopped for over three seconds. It’s also adding an intersection assist that will apply the brakes if it detects an oncoming vehicle when you’re making a left turn across traffic.

Ford

That’s even more power than the Mustang Lithium electric project car that appeared last year, and more than Chevrolet’s eCOPO Camaro prototype.

There aren’t many specifics listed on the components, but we’ll probably learn more before it appears at drag racing events later this year (hopefully) and makes a sneak peek appearance this weekend on Motor Trend On Demand’s “Hard Cell” series.

Don’t despair too much if you want the electric Mustang relatively quickly. The not-quite-entry-level Premium model is still due to arrive in late 2020 (not far behind the First Edition) as of this writing. It’s the Select, California Route 1 and GT variants that won’t arrive until early 2021. You can still impress all the kids on your block, but you can’t be too picky about how you do it.

The Mach-E’s early sales performance won’t make Tesla too nervous (at least, not right away) when that company just delivered 97,000 EVs in a single quarter. Ford’s vehicle is generally priced above the Model 3, mind you, and it’s also Ford’s first from-scratch mainstream EV. The brand doesn’t have Tesla’s experience with EVs, let alone giant factories to keep up with demand. The greater challenge is sustaining and expanding on that momentum. Ford is a titan in the automotive world, but it still has a lot of work to do if it wants to compete with Tesla in terms of sheer numbers.

It’s a bold move that could help the automaker catch up with those that already have electric vehicles on the road. An EV SUV is always a smart move in the US. Calling it a Mustang just a bit of icing on the cake. There will always be a purist backlash, but for the average person looking for an EV that’s from an automaker they trust, it’ll pique their interest.

Ford seems to want to have a version of the Mach-E available for all types of drivers. It’ll be available in five trim models starting at $43,895 and will start rolling into showrooms in late 2020. The First Edition (270 miles at $59,900), Premium (300 miles at $50,600) and GT (235 miles at $60,500) showing up on the road first. The California Route (300 miles at $52,400) and Select (230 at $43,895) landing in early 2021.

The cars will be available all-wheel or rear-wheel drive depending on the trim level and options available. Rear-wheel-drive versions will have a single electric motor while the all-wheel-drive versions will shop with two power plants. The torque and horsepower will also vary from 255 horsepower and 306 pounds-foot of torque all the way up to 459 horsepower and 612 pounds-foot on the quick GT level that’ll do zero to 60 in under four seconds.

The battery packs available on the regular models will be 75.7kWh pack with the extended range getting a 98.8kWh pack. The vehicle will support charging up to 150kW.

In addition to all the tech under the hood, the interior will sport the next-generation Sync infotainment system which looks way better than previous generations that the automaker unveiled a few weeks ago. It’ll include the FordPass charging network feature that shows available chargers in the nav and along a route.

In the car is a large portrait display. Sort of like a Model S. At the bottom of the display is a single knob for control. Of course, it also supports touch and it can answer conversational requests via “OK Ford.” The company took a quick swipe at Tesla when it noted that it also has a dash cluster display.

The Mach-E supports over-the-air updates and has a phone as a key feature that works via Bluetooth.

Ford announced that eventually there will an update that’ll bring hands-free driving to the Mach-E.

An electric vehicle that’s an SUV and also a Mustang is a no brainer for the company.

Ford famously announced it would stop selling cars in the United States except for the Mustang which continues to be a hit for the automaker. Instead, it’s decided to focus on SUVs and trucks. It’s a business decision that mirrors the country’s desire to drive larger vehicles. The result of that is the company introducing it’s first big EV as an SUV with a Mustang badge.

According to the site, the Mach-E is scheduled to debut in late 2020, but you may have to wait until 2021 for the GT version. A base Select model starts at about $43k, before jumping to Premium, then California Route 1, then the $59,900 limited First Edition, and finally the top of the line GT model that costs about $60k.

For that you get up to an EPA-estimated 300 miles of range with an extended battery, while the GT model drops down to 235 miles with its performance tweaks and 20-inch rims. The base select model makes do with RWD and an estimated 230 mile range. The fastest versions are expected to lay down a “mid 3-second” 0-60 MPH time, while the battery is capable of adding 47 miles of charge in about 10 minutes. If you want more details, then tune into the livestreamed unveiling on Sunday night at 9:30 PM ET.

We know that the Mach-E will have a 370-mile range and support fast-charging. Ford has bragged about its acceleration, handling and all-weather ability. The company is clearly hoping this will appeal to both EV enthusiasts and diehard Mustang fans. The fact that this will exist under the Mustang name speaks to the confidence Ford has in the vehicle.

We’ve seen Ford pack a 900-plus horsepower electric motor and six-speed manual transmission into an EV project car, but we’ll have to wait for the reveal event for more details on the Mach-E motor. That event begins Sunday, November 17th, at 9:30PM ET, and the livestream will be hosted by actor Idris Elba. The EV is expected to arrive in 2020.

Ford has also announced the 2020 Ford Escape and Explorer, both of which will come in plug-in hybrid variants. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to invest $850 million in its Flat Rock, Michigan, assembly plant, in hopes of making the plant home to its EV production. It’s also developing a fully electric F-series pickup truck, and it may partner with Volkswagen on commercial vans and pickups.

It’s heavier, but balanced

Webasto used a 2019 Ford Mustang EcoBoost as the base for its electric conversion. Stock, that car weighs in at 3,542 pounds. According to the Webasto rep, the complete Lithium Mustang weighs about the same as a GT500, which tips the scales at 4,171 pounds. But most of that weight is in the batteries, which can be spread out. Webasto put about a third of the batteries under the hood with the motor, and the rest over the rear axle, which resulted in a perfect 50/50 front/rear weight balance. With the weight sitting over the rear axle, the Webasto representative explained that they felt it was unnecessary to have some sort of wing or spoiler to provide downforce for grip at the back.

The battery and motor system is advanced, but has an odd limitation

As we’ve mentioned, the Lithium Mustang EV has an 800-volt battery system that can rapidly discharge power, which is necessary for the beastly motor under the hood. Part of what makes that possible is the liquid cooling and heating system that can keep the batteries an an optimum temperature. The potent motors are of the axial flux design, which places magnets on the faces of the rotors, rather than on the periphery, allowing for a compact and power-dense package. One odd feature absent from the Lithium Mustang is DC fast-charging capability. It only supports Level 2 AC charging, but the Webasto representative said the company is working on DC charging support.

The power is possible in part due to some cutting-edge tech. Like the Porsche Taycan, the Mustang Lithium has an 800-volt battery system that delivers more performance (up to a megawatt of electrical discharge) even as it reduces weight and heat. You can even fine-tune the output on a 10.4-inch touchscreen, choosing between torque settings that range from a modest “valet” through to “beast.”

Don’t get your hopes too high. Ford stressed hat this is a “one-off” that’s designed both for bragging rights as well as a test mule for battery and heat control technologies that will reach production cars. You probably won’t roll out of a dealership with a toned-down Mustang EV any time soon.

With that said, it won’t be long before Ford shifts its attention to more practical designs. It’s revealing its Mustang-inspired electric SUV on November 17th ahead of a 2020 debut, and there will be a production electric F-150 within a few years. The Mustang Lithium is really just an early taste of an electrification push that could dramatically change Ford’s lineup over time.