Those who live in sunny climates—especially warm ones—see the shady spots in a parking lot as the hot commodity. But if more cars gain what the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has—a Solar Roof System that can actually boost all-electric miles and gas mileage—frugal drivers might instead start hunting down sun-drenched spots for...
Wireless charging for passenger cars has been slow to take off, but a recent demonstration shows the potential of the technology for commercial trucks. The United States Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) announced in a press release Tuesday that, in February, it had demonstrated a 20-kilowatt bi-directional wireless...
Just as widely expected, the Tesla Model Y battery pack is virtually identical to that of the Model 3. That's a top-level conclusion of Sandy Munro, of Munro & Associates, who has been conducting a teardown of the Model Y, with running commentary comparing the electric crossover to its sedan sibling. In a video comparing the Model Y and Model...
Almost a decade after the first modern, mainstream, electric cars went on sale, myths and misconceptions persist. A J.D. Power survey released Tuesday suggests that may be partly because most Americans still haven't driven an EV. The majority of Americans surveyed—70%—had never been in an electric car. That figure is a great reminder...
Which automaker eliminated its hydrogen fuel-cell program for passenger cars? And why are green-car deals so few and far between? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending April 24, 2020. Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. And while the current state of U.S...
Kia peeks at the next wave of electric cars from the brand. Land Rover downsizes engines and upsizes batteries. And Porsche says yes to a rear-wheel drive version of its Taycan. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Porsche has reportedly confirmed—through its R&D boss—that it is planning a rear-wheel-drive version of the...
With Kia’s Plan S, revealed in January, the South Korean brand became much more committed about going electric and committing to a significant volume of electric vehicles in the future. Under the plan, Kia will invest $25 billion by the end of 2025, with global aims to introduce 11 new Kia EVs by 2025 and sell 500,000 electric vehicles...
Land Rover is launching a new plug-in hybrid hybrid powertrain, based around a downsized 3-cylinder engine, that promises greater fuel economy and more electric range than the British automaker's current models. However, Land Rover told Green Car Reports that there are no plans to bring these latest plug-in hybrids to the United States. Like many...
A less-expensive, rear-wheel drive Porsche Taycan variant is on the way, slotting below the current all-wheel drive 4S, Turbo, and Turbo S models, according to a new report. The entry-level model will have a smaller battery pack, and will be "more accessible price-wise," Porsche R&D boss said in a phone interview with Car magazine. This puts...
It won’t hurt your ears and doesn’t use a drop of fuel, but it’s projected to crush the quarter-mile in the low-8-second range at more than 170 mph. For the first time ever, Ford Performance introduces a one-off Mustang Cobra Jet factory drag racer with all-electric propulsion.
The battery-powered Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype is purpose-built and projected to deliver over 1,400 horsepower and over 1,100 ft.-lbs. of instant torque to demonstrate the capabilities of an electric powertrain in one of the most demanding race environments.
“Ford has always used motorsport to demonstrate innovation,” said Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Icons. “Electric powertrains give us a completely new kind of performance and the all-electric Cobra Jet 1400 is one example of pushing new technology to the absolute limit. We’re excited to showcase what’s possible in an exciting year when we also have the all-electric Mustang Mach-E joining the Mustang family.”
Following the debut of the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV – the first-ever, all-electric Mustang, the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype represents another opportunity to advance Mustang heritage and performance while simultaneously incorporating some of the most advanced technology coming to Ford’s future powertrains.
Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 also honors the original Cobra Jet that first dominated drag strips in the late 1960s and still is a major force in sportsman drag racing today.
"This project was a challenge for all of us at Ford Performance, but a challenge we loved jumping into,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We saw the Cobra Jet 1400 project as an opportunity to start developing electric powertrains in a race car package that we already had a lot of experience with, so we had performance benchmarks we wanted to match and beat right now. This has been a fantastic project to work on, and we hope the first of many coming from our team at Ford Performance Motorsports."
Ford have yet to reveal any technical information about the electric Cobra Jet’s motors, batteries etc but we can have a few educated guesses:
Motors: 2x AM Racing Dual Stack 250 Motors. Most likely 2x of these motors are stacked vertically for a grand total of 4x HVH Remy 250 cores.
Transmission: The video sounds like a 2 speed Powerglide.
Rear-end: Most likely shortened Ford 9 inch diff - typical drag racing equipment.
*Note: RMS & AM Racing are now owned by Borg Warner under the new name Cascadia Motion. Remy is also owned by Borg Warner.
Ford Performance continues to test Cobra Jet 1400 ahead of its world debut later this year at a drag racing event where fans, media and competitors alike will get to meet the race car, as well as see exactly what it’s capable of up on the asphalt.
Before that, catch a sneak peek starting this Sunday, April 26 by watching MotorTrend On Demand’s “Hard Cell”, a showcase of electric vehicles pushing innovation boundaries.
To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the project, Ford Performance has teamed up with several capable and specialized suppliers:
MLe Racecars – Vehicle builder, designer, integrator and tuner
Watson Engineering – Chassis support and development, roll cage builder
AEM EV – Software and motor calibration and controls