If you’ve ever driven one of the newest Ford Mustangs, you’ll know that there is a mode that enables line lock, essentially a way of keeping the brakes on the front wheels while letting the rear wheels do a burnout to heat the tires for the optimum drag strip launch.
Now, Ford has patented a system for EVs that’ll allow a different sort of line lock, one that’ll work on all-wheel-drive models. It’ll brake the front wheels to spin the rear tires, and then it can brake the rear wheels to spin the front tires. The patent, published March 2, specifies it’s for track use only, of course, and for tire heating. It’s also said that this is achievable with current hardware, so it could be a software update that makes it function.
The patent drawing shows a Mustang Mach-E, so perhaps the GT model would be the first recipient of a mode like this.
Of course, Ford did make a drift-ready Mach-E, which had seven motors and 1400 horsepower, so it wouldn’t be the first tire-smoking electric crossover from the brand.
Editor-at-Large
Travis is an editor at Road & Track. He was previously the Editor-in-Chief of Jalopnik.com and is a little too fond of the Mazda Miata.