HOW THE MUSTANG’S HYBRID V8 WILL WORK

According to Ford’s patent, an EV motor will drive each front wheel through its own reduction gearbox, forming part of a four-wheel drive system that will “increase wheel traction with a ground surface on which the vehicle sits to increase acceleration and decrease wheel slippage”.

The ‘pancake’ motors in this scenario will not be “rotationally coupled to the engine”. Their power will be supplied by an integrated starter-generator (similar to a conventional mild-hybrid drivetrain), which would itself be powered by the V8’s crankshaft, doing away with the need for a weighty and space-consuming traction battery.

Mounting the EV motors directly to opposing sides of the engine’s oil pan would save space, according to the patent filing, and allow for each to operate independently, thereby offering torque vectoring across the front axle.

However, it is unlikely that such a set-up would allow for extended periods of electric-only running.