Ford’s Insane 2,000 Horsepower ‘SuperVan’ EV Is A Videogame Fantasy Made Very Real

The numbers don’t even sound real: 0 to 60 in under two seconds. Almost 2,000 horsepower. 1,300 pound-feet of torque. A top speed kissing 200mph. And it’s not even a supercar: It’s Ford’s almost-beyond-belief one-off all-electric… Transit van?

Indeed it is, and such a van can only really have one name: SuperVan. Or more specifically: SuperVan 4, since it’s the fourth custom “SuperVan” effort from Ford, which has been modding up the SuperVans since the early 1970s (below).

But while past efforts have been gas-powered design and performance exercises featuring race car engines and the loss of any utility, the all-electric SuperVan 4 gives us a peek at what’s possible not just for a crazy videogame-worthy vehicle, but what’s also sort of possible for the Transit vans of the future.

SuperVan 4 is completely custom of course, with carbon-fiber bodywork over a tubular space frame, all manner of aerodynamics including a top-mounted rear wing and Ford GT-style rear drag-reducing air passages, high-tech race-worthy suspension, all-wheel drive with four separate 500hp motors, and no room for a single Amazon package or envelope. Power comes from a 50kWh battery pack (close to what you get in the sold-out Mustang Mach E), and the van also features some interesting innovations not possible (or at least not easily integrated) into a van driven by a gas engine.

One such tech trick is a central “air tunnel” that takes air that would normally smash into an engine’s radiator and channels it to flow freely literally through the van and out the back end, reducing both frontal air resistance and rear drag. That’s important when you’re trying to push a high-profile van to the 200mph mark. This same idea has been integrated into an electric motorcycle land-speed record attempt prototype from White Motorcycle Concepts which claims a 70 percent reduction in drag from the “hollow frame” design. It’s an idea that is proven and worth pursuing. It could turn up in electric cars (and vans) in the near future.

MORE FROM FORBESThe Radical Concept Bike By White Motorcycles Is Another Sign Of Change For The Whole IndustryBy Bill Roberson

But the SuperVan 4 also features a spread of tech drivers are finding fairly common now, especially in electric vehicles. A large vertical touchscreen sourced from the Ford Mustang Mach E lets SuperVan drivers tweak performance and even navigate, since the SuperVan is street legal – in Europe at least, where it was designed and built. It also has drive modes, including setups for the dragstrip, race circuits, road, rally racing and yes, drifting. Additionally, there is a special “tire cleaning” mode that allows the front and rear wheels to be spun up for some epic burnouts as witnessed at the SuperVan’s high-profile appearance the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Take a look at 1:30:

Then of course there’s the look of the SuperVan, which looks like it was designed by someone who spends a lot of time behind the wheel of video games like Forza and other driving games. My teenage son, who essentially learned to drive playing Forza, took one look at the SuperVan and immediately declared it a videogame render, only to be shocked when seeing the van in action IRL. Very well played, Ford.

No, we’ll never see a production 2,000hp SuperVan 4, but of course some of the tech on display will likely trickle down into future Transit models. All wheel electric drive would be a nice option to tick, and how about four-wheel steering as well? The Ford SuperVan EV makes several things clear: Electric vehicles are capable of astonishing performance no matter the form factor, and electric vans, with their ability carry a large battery and a lot of stuff, could be a hot target for EV hot-rodding in the future, both from Ford and the aftermarket. Kudos to Ford for the time and effort to create SuperVan 4, and for giving us all a few smiles – and hope for a vantastic electrified future.