When Ford debuted the Mustang Mach-E, I couldn’t help but wonder why they steered away into a radically new design aesthetic. The original gasoline-guzzling Mustang was an icon in itself, and Ford’s choice to steer away from that very iconic aesthetic seemed odd at first, but the company justified its choice by rightfully pointing out that the Mach-E wasn’t the same as the original muscle car. It was entirely different on the inside, hence the difference on the outside. The justification made sense, but it didn’t provide any closure. However, this electric Mustang by Charge Cars is rather wonderfully filling that void. Debuted at the beginning of 2022 but only unveiled officially to the public at this year’s Salon Privé Concours, the Charge Mustang is everything you want an electric Mustang to be. It retains the original car’s raw, muscular persona, albeit with a ‘new drivetrain who dis’ appeal.

Designer: Charge Cars

Easily one of the most visually impressive electric cars that money can buy, the Charge Mustang bases its design off the iconic 1967 Fastback. If its body looks almost too similar to Ford’s own ’67 Mustang, it’s because Charge Cars uses a bodyshell that’s officially licensed by Ford. Underneath this shell, however, sits Charge’s electric platform, with floor-mounted batteries that make the Mustang an electric little pony.

The electric platform that the Mustang sits on is the result of a strategic partnership with Arrival, the UK-based automotive startup that’s working with Uber to create their bespoke electric taxi-cabs. The one sitting under the Charge Mustang has permanent magnet e-motors on all four wheels, and a 63 kWh battery between them under the rider, giving the car a range of 200 miles on a full charge. This revised electric Mustang has a few other impressive specs, like the ability to go from 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds, and a motor torque of 1520Nm.

The Charge Mustang’s design, however, remains its most beloved feature. With an aesthetic that has major The Batman energy (after all the Batmobile used in the 2022 film is a muscle car too), the Charge Mustang comes in a black exterior, with carbon fiber paneling and a radiator grille on the front, even though the car has an electric powertrain on the inside. Notably, the Mustang’s iconic horse symbol on the radiator gets replaced with Charge’s logo, a strange minimalist crucifix. The headlights and taillights have an unmistakable beauty to them too, opting for a lighter, more minimal outline design rather than solid lights.

The electric Mustang also has a few other tricks up its sleeve, in the form of Traffic Sign Detection and an Automatic Emergency Brake. It also has Level 1 autonomy in the form of Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning (we’re still ways off from an autonomous Mustang).

The electric platform under the Charge Mustang was thanks to a hardware and software partnership with Arrival. The car’s dashboard and interiors get an overhaul too, with a more modern design and the presence of dynamic screens behind the steering wheel as well as the center of the car’s dashboard.

A UK-based startup, Charge only plans to make 499 units of this electric Mustang. Clearly designed as a premium limited-edition vehicle, the Charge Mustang starts at £350,000, with extra modifications to the car’s performance or its interiors adding to its overall cost. While it obviously means a majority of us will never really get to own this beauty, I guess there’s vicarious pleasure to be had in seeing someone actually revive the classic muscular car as an electric beast!

The post Behold the electric Mustang that Ford should have built first appeared on Yanko Design.