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Ronaele Builds the Electric Mustang of the Future

Article by Joanne Kwan

In the opening scene of the 2007 post-apocalyptic thriller “I Am Legend” starring Will Smith, the hero roars on screen in a red Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 with signature white stripes. He’s hunting deer at top speeds in the overgrown, deserted streets of New York. What a statement! The last man on earth will be driving the quintessential muscle car. (“What else would he be driving?” asks classic performance car enthusiasts, with a puzzled look.)

In the world of this film it’s a deadly virus, not global warming, that did in the human race, but such bleak visions of the future have us all thinking about the welfare of both our species and our planet. But give up our fast performance cars? Isn’t that asking just a bit much, even in the name of preserving life as we know it?

Given the fact that there’s no more classic image of the American muscle car than the Ford Mustang, worried environmental-minded power enthusiasts have breathed a sigh of relief on the news that your new car dealer and three companies have joined together to create the dream electric muscle car of the future, a 600hp Mustang that is whisper quiet, has a plug where the gas cap should be, offers up the requisite agility under the hood, and puts out zero emissions.

The double electric motors of the Ronaele car are powered by lithium ion battery packs put together by K2 out of Henderson, Nevada. San Diego-based HST, a licensed manufacturer of modern Shelby Cobra bodies supplies the shell, and Ronaele of Tampa Bay customizes the whole package into a stunning, “green” Mustang EV. Specs are a little hard to nail down, but the 300 hp version reputedly does zero to 60 in 4 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph. That model goes for $80,000. The 600hp model is surely more, but there’s no confirmation yet on the sticker shock.

The rear-wheel drive vehicle’s proprietary DC electric motor system generates more than 2,000 lb-ft of torque drawing juice from battery packs located front and rear to achieve the best weight distribution. (Looks like dual packs for the 600hp model, single for the 300.) Described as a “pure” plug in compatible with 110v/220v hook-ups, the Ronaele recharges in 3.5 hours at 220v and 8 hours on 110. (According to the company site there’s a faster charging option available.)

In all fairness, we should also mention that Hybrid Technologies Inc. introduced a carbon fiber lithium super car, the 2007 L1X75 at the New York International Auto Show last year. Also an electric, generating 600hp and knocking off zero to 60 in 3.1 seconds, the L1X75 is not a car to be ignored by green speed nuts, but to put it bluntly – it’s not a Mustang. Whatever may be in the future for mankind and planet Earth, the classic muscle car lover won’t want to go there if this iconic car isn’t part of the equation. Ronaele’s Mustang EV delivers on the promise of clean power, allowing the driver to appreciate the thrum of those lovely 600 horses without so much as a pang of emissions guilt.

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