All-Electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, Ford’s First Factory Fully Electric Dragster Prototype

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ChasingCoral

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Here's the scoop:



ALL-ELECTRIC MUSTANG COBRA JET 1400 PROTOTYPE EXCEEDS TESTING TARGET, MAKES PUBLIC DEBUT AT NHRA U.S. NATIONALS
SEP 3, 2020 | INDIANAPOLIS, IND.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Sept. 3, 2020 – Engineered to shatter towering performance goals without using a drop of fuel, the all-electric Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype has blazed through a quarter-mile in 8.27 seconds at 168 miles per hour and reached 1,502 peak wheel horsepower in recent private development testing.

That’s equivalent to the combined output of more than three 2021 Mustang GT V8 engines. Developed by Ford Performance in parallel to the recently unveiled Mustang Mach-E 1400 prototype, both cars were built to demonstrate Ford’s technological capabilities and innovation skillset in EV technologies.

"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,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.

Ford Performance collaborated with Cascadia Motion to power the Cobra Jet 1400. With four PN-250-DZR inverters coupled to a pair of DS-250-115s, giving four motors total and spinning at up to 10,000 revolutions per minute. These motor-inverter packages run at 800 volts and up to 700 amps, with maximum output of 350kW per motor.

To manage such a potent propulsion package, AEM-EV and Ford Performance jointly developed an advanced data and control system that features a control algorithm unique to the Cobra Jet 1400.

The sheer amount of power has also required a different approach with chassis tuning strategies, which MLe, Ford’s build and integration collaborator for the project, has delivered with input from Ford Performance’s longtime Cobra Jet build collaborators at Watson.

"It's been a great but challenging project for all of us at Ford Performance,” said Rushbrook. “The opportunities to learn with the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400, as well as the Mustang Mach-E 1400 we recently introduced, gives us great insight into what may be possible in high-performance all-electric vehicles for Ford going forward. We are very interested in continuing to work with NHRA to determine how electrification can be part of the sport and to show off the Cobra Jet 1400 at max power in due course as regulations develop.”

The U.S. Nationals provide the perfect venue to showcase the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 where the car will first run in public this weekend. Ford NHRA Funny Car Driver Bob Tasca III will pilot the prototype in showcase runs against two-time Funny Car champion and FOX broadcaster Tony Pedregon, who will drive one of Ford’s internal combustion engine Mustang Cobra Jets, proven winners in the NHRA sportsman ranks.

"Drag racing has always been where Detroit proves its most advanced powertrains,” said Brad Gerber, V.P. sales and chief development officer, NHRA. “The U.S. Nationals is the sport’s quintessential stage for reaching enthusiasts wanting a glimpse at the future technology of performance vehicles. Our fans are fascinated by horsepower in all forms, and the electrification of an iconic vehicle like the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 shows that innovation at Ford Motor Company never rests. We look forward to seeing the Cobra Jet 1400 and continuing discussions with Ford about the future of electrification in drag racing."

See the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 in action this weekend at the NHRA U.S. Nationals on both FS1 and FOX TV, as well as nhra.tv livestream.
 
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NHRA smackdown: V-8 Mustang Cobra Jet dragster vs. electric Cobra

The Kentucky Derby wasn’t the only place high-performance horses were racing last weekend.
Ford’s 1,400-horsepower electric Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 drag racer squared off against its sister 1,000-horsepower V-8 Mustang Cobra Jet on Sunday at the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis.
It was the gas-powered car by a nose.
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The Indy appearance was the battery-powered Mustang Cobra Jet’s first at a drag strip. Ford sees an electric future. And just as with fossil fuel-powered sports cars, Ford is using the race track to test the limits of electric power. Ford has also developed a racing version of its Mustang Mach E — also packing 1,400 horsepower like the dragster — to push the envelope on road race tracks.
"It was was pretty cool to see the response from all the fans," said Ford Performance Chief Mark Rushbrook, who was on hand in Indy. "People were around (the electric car) all weekend — coming up to the car looking at it, taking selfies, excited to see the technology there and especially the performance capability."
Capitalizing on the Mustang’s storied reputation for performance, Ford is launching a Mustang sub-brand headlined by the Mach E, the first electric Mustang SUV. It will go on sale later this year.

Indianapolis featured the first exhibition match-race for the two Cobra Jet dragsters in front of a national TV audience (and socially distanced grandstands) at the Super Bowl of drag racing, the NHRA Mello Yello Series Denso U.S. Nationals. The electric dragster’s battery powers four electric motors that make 1,100 pound feet of torque. The conventional Cobra Jet is motivated by a 5.2-liter supercharged V-8.

Dressed in matching white livery with gold cobras painted on the doors, the two cars lit up the Lucas Oil Raceway strip. NHRA Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III was behind the controls of the all-electric Cobra Jet 1400, while former NHRA Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon piloted the V-8 Cobra Jet.
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Tasca popped a wheelie in the EV pony off the line, and Pedregon crossed the quarter-mile line first in 8.797 seconds at 158.26 mph. Tasca was just behind him at 8.826 seconds and 156.81 mph.
The e-dragster’s time was just off tests that clocked the car at 8.27 seconds at 168 mph. The gas-powered Cobra Jet has competed in NHRA for years against competition from Chevy and Dodge and holds the NHRA Factory stock quarter-mile record of 7.7 seconds at 176 mph.

Rushbrook said Ford and NHRA are in talks about bringing electric drag-racing to the sport. "NHRA is open to discussing the right classes," he said. "We will include other manufacturers in those discussions... so that we can compete against Chevy or Dodge or Toyota. We'd love to have Tesla come and race with us, too."
Rushbrook said there is lots more to learn about the electric monster’s capabilities.
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"It's been a great but challenging project for all of us at Ford Performance,” said Rushbrook. “We are very interested in continuing to work with NHRA to determine how electrification can be part of the sport and to show off the Cobra Jet 1400 at max power in due course as regulations develop.”
Instant electric torque off the line has already made Tesla a legend among amateur drag racers. YouTube is full of videos of Model S sedans disappearing from V-8 production muscle cars like the Mustang and Dodge Hellcat.

But the Cobra Jet face-off was the first chance to see the professionals go at it in cars made exclusively for the dragstrip. The silent launch of the Cobra Jet 1400 was in striking contrast to the earth-shaking supercharged V-8 Cobra Jet.
At the top end of the sport, nitro-guzzling Top Fuel dragsters make spectator eyes water as they rocket down the strip at 320 mph.

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"Drag racing has always been where Detroit proves its most advanced powertrains,” said NHRA chief development officer Brad Gerber. “The U.S. Nationals is the sport’s quintessential stage for reaching enthusiasts wanting a glimpse at the future technology of performance vehicles."
Look for the Mustang Cobra Jets to square off again at NHRA's Gainesville, Florida event the weekend of Sept. 25-27.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/b...ng-cobra-jet-dragster-vs-electric/5750375002/
 
 




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