Ford Performance is apparently still testing its prototype 1,400 horsepower, 1,100 lb-ft, all-electric Ford Mustang CobraJet 1400 drag car before it hits the drag strip later this year, but the high-performance division of FoMoCo has given the world a sneak peek. Behold the silent Ford Mustang electric drag car.
“The 2018 Ford Mustang Cobra Jet Costs $130,000 and Is Loud As Hell” we wrote back in the year 2 B.C. (before coronavirus), and indeed, as someone who attended the launch event, I can confirm that the 2018 Cobra Jet’s 5.2-liter supercharged V8 was uncomfortably loud. This video from that reveal doesn’t do it justice:
But now Ford Performance has gone the opposite direction with the Cobra Jet, the storied factory drag car that’s been around since the 1960s. The Blue Oval worked with inverter and motor supplier Cascadia, software and motor calibration/controls team at AEM EV, the chassis development team at Watson Engineering, and the vehicle builder/integrator/tuner MLe Racecars to come up with this Mustang Cobra Jet 1400. Here’s a teaser from Ford:
Details are scarce and even the performance figures are only “projected” right now. Those include a quarter mile time in the “low-8-second range” at over 170 mph, and output of 1,400 HP and 1,100 lb-ft of torque.
Sadly, unlike Cobra Jets of yore, which could be purchased in super low volumes, this Cobra Jet 1400 is a “one-off” meant largely as a marketing opportunity for the electric Mustang Mach-E (presumably to show that Mustang+electric=good). Ford isn’t hiding that, writing in its press release:
[Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Icons, said:] “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.
The Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 will debut later this year at a drag racing event, and on April 26, it will show up on MotorTrend On Demand’s “Hard Cell.”
Unfortunately, Ford won’t provide me with any further technical details on this car. We do have an under-hood shot with a giant electric motor mounted longitudinally, likely bolted to some sort of gear reduction, which moves power to the rear wheels via a ridiculously strong driveshaft. On each side of that motor are two machined aluminum cases, which look quite a bit like Cascadia PM250 inverters.
I’m still trying to understand why there are four of them. I asked a few EV engineers and, based on their input, I bet Ford is using more than three phases with this motor to improve power density. The company could be using an inverter for each of the three phases rather than a custom single inverter to handle more. My best guess right now is that the setup involves mating two six-phase motors in series, with an inverter for every three phases.
Those inverters have high voltage cables connecting them to the motor (I can’t seem to identify this particular motor setup) and hoses that almost certainly connect to some sort of heat exchanger. Outboard of the inverters are cases that I assume house some kind of power electronics. I’m unsure where the batteries are stored, but to put out this kind of output, I assume the pack voltage is fairly high, but we won’t know the exact number until later this year.
I’m looking forward to it.
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