If you’ve ever driven a new Ford Mustang, you know that it has a mode called “line lock,” which lets you keep the brakes on the front wheels while allowing the back reels to spin out to warm the tires for the best drag strip launch. Ford has now gotten a patent for an electric vehicle (EV) system that will let all-wheel-drive versions have a different line lock and function. When you put the brakes on the front wheels, the back tires spin, and when you put the brakes on the back wheels, the front tires spin. The patent, given on March 2, clarifies that heated tires are only meant to be used on racetracks. This is also possible with the hardware, meaning it may need a software update. The patent picture shows the Mustang Mach-E, so it’s likely that the GT model would be the first to get this mode. First, Ford did have a Mach-E with seven motors and 1400 horsepower that could drift, so this would not be the first electric crossover from the company to smoke its tires.
