Ford’s first foray into electric cars in over a decade is the Focus Electric, a car that has been met with underwhelming demand. Indeed, the promise of electric cars seems to have fallen short again, although automakers like Ford still see a future in EV’s…eventually.
But does that mean Ford is secretly working on an all-electric Shelby GT500? That’s the question posed by a member of the audience at a recent Ford press event reports Forbe’s Todd Woody, and it gave even us pause; might Ford actually build an electric Shelby supercar?
Right now, no, that ain’t happening. As Bill Ford Jr. put it, “A 600-horsepower electric vehicle might be able to get from here to the end of the room.” Apparently, Mr. Ford has never heard of the Tesla Roadster, an all-electric supercar that has a 245-mile EPA-rated range and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds.
Ford went on to say “Never say never,” implying that perhaps one day Ford might indeed build an all-electric supercar. The more likely scenario though would be to equip future Shelby’s with a flywheel hybrid system that would provide a power boost through electric motors mounted at the front wheels, much like the KERS hybrid systems many Formula One cars already use. Indeed, there have been rumors stating that Ford might bring the GT supercar back at a performance hybrid. Green doesn’t have to be boring, though the idea of a whisper-quiet Shelby supercar seems to fly in the face of what muscle cars have always represented.
But if it went crazy fast and didn’t need to be recharged every 100 mph, would that make a difference to you?