The Electric Mustang
Charge Cars is a British Electric Vehicle start-up company located in London and focused on re-defining classic, iconic cars. The team boasts years of experience having contributed to numerous projects from super cars and race cars to military vehicles.
Charge Cars is creating brand-new bespoke electric vehicles by fusing classic car design with cutting-edge technology. Safety, performance and quality are the key deliverables. Their vehicles are built in collaboration with technology partners Arrival, who develop all the EV hardware and software, as well as with industry leader Michelin, who provide the best tyre technology. Arrival delivers the most advanced technologies and components including wheel motors, power electronics, battery systems, intelligent software and stunning interfaces all contributing to giving customers a real drivers experience with superb dynamic performance, and zero emissions.
The company was founded in 2016 after its CEO, Vadim Shagaleev, found a place for the company’s headquarters in London, having hired key members of the team and beginning to work on XP01 (Experimental Prototype), the proof-of-concept car. “Sally” as XP01 was affectionately called, is the only car built by Charge Cars that started off as an internal combustion powered vehicle. Soon after that Charge Cars found a company based in the United States that has a license with Ford to produce brand-new Mustang bodyshells.
Charge Cars’ technology partner Arrival provided their in-house designedadvanced EV technologies to be implemented into the bodyshells which is when the project started moving at break-neck speed. After a year of construction and 6 dedicated people, XP01 was road ready. The first time the prototype was shown to the public was in 2019 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK where it received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
“I BELIEVE OUR PASSION, UNWAVERING FAITH AND THE DEDICATED TEAMS IS WHAT HELPED US BRING HOME TWO PRIZES FROM THE EVENT, MICHELIN SPONSORED SUPERCAR SHOWSTOPPER OF THE DAY AND SHOW STOPPER OF THE EVENT. THE PUBLIC LOVED OUR CAR.”
Vadim Shagaleev, CEO.
In early 2020, the company began expanding and started to bring industry heavyweights to the Charge Cars team. People with extensive expertise in luxury, high performance vehicles were hired to ensure the project kept going at full speed. This meant the company had to move into a larger space, and the headquarters relocated to West London.
In January of 2020, Charge Cars hired Mark Roberts, ex-McLaren, as CCO. This signified the movement from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of the project. Mark’s main focus was building the design team from the ground up, including colour and materials (CMF) and user experience(UI/UX). The company’s main objective was now to take the Electric Mustang from proof-of-concept through to the production stage. The design, mechanical and electrical teams began working hand-in-hand to achieve the main goal.
Designing the Dream:
The production plan is to build 499 bespoke Electric Mustangs. Each car will be completely personalised and custommade specific to the customers’ requirements. The all-new interior is designed by our in-house team and delivers a truly connected car with our own UI/UX interface. All of the interiors are bespoke, made with the highest quality materials. The customer journey is a key part of creating and owning the vehicle. After a customer reserves their Electric Mustang, they are invited to visit the West London HQ where they meet the team and discuss the details of their purchase. The customer will be walked through the curated themes as well as asked about their passions, interests, hobbies to begin working on the bespoke elements of their car. Next we select the materials, stitching and brightwork to truly make the customer’s Mustang a one-of-a-kind. A design icon with cutting-edge technology and real heart and soul. Charge Cars customers are perceived as part of the company’s family and they are always welcome to visit the West London HQ in-person or online, whenever the opportunity arises.
Stay tuned for more updates, as Charge Cars are beginning to deliver their first customer vehicles in Q3 of 2022.
Read More Articles
