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Ford unveils one-off 1,400-HP Mach-E, a driftable SUV with 7 electric motors

What’s better than an EV with 2 motors? 7 motors. Duh. That’s how many motors that Ford packed into a one-off Mustang Mach-E – yielding an SUV with 1,400 horsepower. The vehicle was produced in collaboration with RTR, the Ford-based motorsports aftermarket outfit, and Ford Performance. Head below for the details and some intense RPM video…

Three of the Mustang Mach-E 1400’s 7 motors are attached to the front differential, and four are attached to the rear in pancake style. There’s a single driveshaft connecting them to the differentials. Ford says this setup maximized “adjustability,” allowing the car to transform from a high-speed track racer to a drift machine.

The aerodynamics were optimized, focusing on cooling ducts, front splitter, dive planes, and rear wing. The project took 10,000 hours of work. Mark Rushbrook, motorsports director of Ford Performance, said:

The challenge was controlling the extreme levels of power provided by the seven motors. Mustang Mach-E 1400 is a showcase of the art of the possible with an electric vehicle.

Ron Heiser, chief program engineer, Mustang Mach-E, said:

The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is completely insane.

Ford is making a point. Electric vehicles can go fast. Really fast. The company made the same point with the Electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 in April and with the 900-hp Mustang Lithium last November at SEMA. Don’t worry, we get it. But maybe it will take more examples of outrageous EV performance to convince long-time gearheads.

Vaughn Gittin Jr., RTR Vehicles founder and motorsports champ, said:

Getting behind the wheel of this car has completely changed my perspective on what power and torque can be.

In an official media release, Ford explained:

Drift and track setups have completely different front end configurations like control arms and steering changes to allow for extreme steering angles in drifting. Power delivery can be split evenly between front and rear, or completely to one or the other. Downforce is targeted at more than 2,300 lb. at 160 mph.

The 56.8-kilowatt-hour battery (installed) is made up of nickel manganese cobalt pouch cells for ultra-high performance and high discharge rate. The battery system is designed to be cooled during charging using a di-electric coolant, decreasing the time needed between runs.

An electronic brake booster is integrated to allow series regenerative braking combined with ABS and stability control to optimize the braking system. Mustang Mach-E 1400 features Brembo brakes, like the Mustang GT4 race car, and a hydraulic handbrake system designed for drifting that integrates with the powertrain controls to enable the ability to shut off power to the rear motors.

Ford promised that the Mustang Mach-E 1400 will debut in person at a NASCAR race soon, opening up electric new a new breed of customer.

Electrek’s Take

We don’t know if anybody really ever needs more motors than wheels, but there’s definitely stuff to love here. While this is the third one-off that Ford has shown, all of this great tech has to find its way into production vehicles.

I’d like to see a Ford GTE with 4 motors and Tesla Roadster-like specs. And an eBronco…And why not an eFlex and the whole Lincoln line while we’re at it?

As of now, we’re still really looking forward to getting our hands on the Mustang Mach-E and an Electric F-150.

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Avatar for Bradley Berman Bradley Berman

Bradley writes about electric cars, autonomous vehicles, smart homes, and other tech that’s transforming society. He contributes to The New York Times, SAE International, Via magazine, Popular Mechanics, MIT Technology Review, and others.