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Get ready to witness pure automotive excellence! 🚗🔥 In this video, we showcase one of the most stunning cars spotted on the streets of the USA. From its sleek design to its powerful engine, this ride is a true head-turner. Whether you're a car enthusiast or just love beautiful machines, you don't want to miss this!  📍 Location: [Add City/State if applicable] 🎥 Captured in stunning HD 🎶 Background Music: [Mention if you used music or leave it blank]  ✨ Don’t forget to Like, Share, and Subscribe for more amazing car content from across the United States! 👇 Tell us in the comments: Would you drive this beast?  #CarSpotting #USAStreetCars #Supercar #CarLovers #AutomotiveVibes #DreamCar #CarVideoUSA

Transcript

00:00You swore you'd never do another EV, I said, helpfully reminding him.

00:05We've had many conversations about it.

00:08To that, Jonathan Ward, the founder, CEO, and head designer of Icon, just smiles.

00:14If there's one thing I know about Ward, it's that he's always looking for the next project,

00:19the next challenge, so never doesn't necessarily mean never.

00:23Even when he's adamant about it at the time, we've been chatting about past and future

00:27projects in his office not just for old time's sake, but as a lead-in to discussing his latest

00:33creation, the Icon EV Bronco.

00:36Based on Icon's BR series of first-generation Ford Bronco restomods, it marks the brand's

00:42second, and far more ambitious, foray into building an electrified version of a classic.

00:48All this won't come cheap, at roughly $450,000 a pop to start.

00:54Is it worth the renewed EV effort?

00:55We had a go and a prototype version to find out.

01:00Seven years ago, Ward and Icon revealed the 1949 electric Mercury Coupe Derelict and 1966

01:07Fiat Jardiniera EV Derelict.

01:10Even amongst other high-dollar, one-of-one specials, the Mercury and Fiat stood out for their

01:16fully electric drivetrains.

01:18They were, to paraphrase Ward, an engineering nightmare.

01:22Why the change of heart, then?

01:24The Advancement of Technology

01:26In less than a decade, the suppliers of aftermarket EV powertrain hardware and their wares have

01:32improved greatly.

01:34Back in 2018, getting the Tesla-sourced battery to play nicely with the Bosch motor via Reinhardt

01:40Motion Systems' standalone controllers proved to be a massive headache.

01:44Managing charging, electric power steering and brakes, air conditioning, and more from different

01:51suppliers required untold hours of R&D.

01:55A decidedly modern and out-of-place LCD screen with vintage-aping graphics was the only way

02:00to do the gauges in the Mercury.

02:03Today, things are different.

02:04Bosch now offers an OEM-level full-vehicle controller, which made integrating the Icon-specific battery

02:11pack, re-engineered Tesla motor, Volvo electric steering rack, Riger electronically-controlled

02:18dampers, Dakota gauges, vintage Air AC, electrically-boosted Brembo brakes, and more a comparative breeze.

02:27Fully up to the minute, the system offers full OBD-II access and monitoring, and even over-the-air

02:34software updates and diagnostics.

02:37The other thing to know about Ward and his Icons is there's always a tell.

02:41No matter how subtle, something gives it away as more than a restoration, even if it takes

02:47an expert to spot it.

02:49EV Broncos will be offered in both old-school and new-school design themes, with varying

02:54differences from stock that make Icons' Ford Broncos relatively easy to spot.

02:59The EV Bronco has its own special tell that gives it away as special, no-tailpipe.

03:05It's so subtle, even experts will miss it.

03:09A tailpipe, of course, can be tucked up under the body for a clean look.

03:13You'll only notice it if you stick your head under the truck, and even there it's the only

03:18giveaway.

03:18The Curry-Live axles aren't any different than those on Ford Coyote V8.

03:24Powered Icon Broncos and the Driva shafts disappear behind skid plates, so you can't

03:29see they aren't connected to a transfer case.

03:32Some orange high-voltage cabling was visible on this prototype, but the team is working to

03:37fully hide it on production models.

03:40This is all by design.

03:42Ward doesn't want anyone to know it's an EV until they turn the key.

03:45No special badges, no period-incorrect independent suspension or skateboard platform.

03:52It should look and drive like every other Icon Bronco, just quieter and quicker.

03:58Back up a minute no-transfer case?

04:00That's right, the EV Bronco doesn't need one.

04:04Icon decided to reduce weight, complexity, and potential failure points and put the motor

04:09where the transfer case used to be, eliminating it along with the engine and transmission.

04:14The heavily modified, rewound, and re-geared Tesla motor sends power directly fore and

04:21aft from the center differential.

04:24With more than 500 horsepower and at least 440 lb-ft of torque available at all rpm, serious

04:32rock crawling is handled by software as much as it is mechanically.

04:37An off-road mode alters power flow to the motor while a limited-slip rear differential,

04:43a full manual ARB locker is available, and ARB locking front differential handle torque

04:49distribution and traction.

04:51This means the EV Bronco is all-wheel drive all the time.

04:55We generally use a two-speed transfer case as the delineator between all-wheel drive and

05:00four-wheel drive.

05:02With no way to disconnect the front axle at the output shaft or differential and no manual

05:07locking hubs on the front axle, all four wheels get power all the time.

05:13Yes, disconnecting an axle when not needed would probably increase range, but reducing

05:18complexity and managing traction were deemed higher priorities.

05:23As it stands, Icon estimates the EV Bronco will travel somewhere between 175 to 200 miles

05:30on a charge. Power comes from a custom-built 105-kilowatt-hour battery pack running the same

05:37lithium-ion chemistry as major automakers such as Volkswagen. Cells are split between front and

05:44rear packs, one where the engine and transmission used to be and another where the gas tank used to

05:49be. Doing so gives the truck an ideal 50 to 50 front-rear weight distribution while keeping

05:55everything tucked up and away from trail obstacles. Icon says the curb weight increases by about 400

06:02pounds over a similar gas-powered model. Electricity is fed from a CCS plug hidden behind the fuel door,

06:10which was its own headache. The prototype plug shown here is temporarily mounted in the cargo area

06:15as R&D continues. Icon went through five suppliers before it found one with the right combination of

06:22size, shape, and cooling to facilitate 100 kilowatts of fast charging, enough to get it from 20% to 80%

06:30in under an hour. The size and the shape of the charge port were critical to fitting it behind the

06:35factory fuel door, which is the other tell even fewer people will spot. The left rear fender is from a

06:4277 Bronco, which had a larger fuel door than the earlier models Icon uses for its builds. Power also comes

06:49from regenerative braking, naturally, which is only offered at one level. Ward decided how he wanted

06:56his EV Broncos to feel under braking, and that's what the customer will get. They can turn it off

07:02entirely, but there's no adjustments or one-pedal mode. Managing things like the Reagan and drive

07:08modes is handled from an upgraded touchscreen hidden in the standard Icon-designed center console,

07:14so it doesn't look out of place either. There are clues inside, though. No transfer case shifters

07:20on the floor are one, and the lack of a parking brake pedal is the other. It's electric on EV Broncos.

07:27Look closely, and you'll notice the column shifter only has places for park, reverse, neutral,

07:33and drive since there are no gears to change. Ward's explicit goal for the EV Bronco was for it to look

07:39and drive like every other BR Series Icon truck, except electric. To test this claim, he arranged

07:46for me to drive a regular V8 Icon Bronco with a 5-speed manual before letting me at the EV Bronco.

07:53Oh, the things we do for our readers. Leaving the rumbling truck behind and dropping the EV in drive,

08:00the only differences that matter were immediately obvious. It's quieter and quicker. That is,

08:06Ward's team achieved his goal. The EV Bronco rides, handles, and stops like the gas-powered model.

08:14The quieter part was easy. Not having a 5.0-liter V8 under the hood makes anything quieter. Much as we

08:22enjoy a Coyote exhaust note, the EV Bronco's electric motor does make it a lot easier to carry on a

08:29conversation. Icon lines every truck it makes with sound-deadening material, but you can only do so

08:35much with vehicles designed before automakers cared about the way aerodynamics affect fuel economy.

08:42Wind noise is a given, though Icon has spent many hours working to reduce it with more to come before

08:47production trucks are built. The quicker part is less obvious, if you only go by the spec sheet.

08:54The Coyote crate engine's Icon uses are good for 460 horsepower and 420 LBFT of torque,

09:02which isn't all that much less than the electric motor's 500 plus HP and 440 LBFT,

09:10especially in a truck that's 400 pounds heavier and clocks in at 5,420 pounds.

09:17Instantaneous torque, though, is a hell of a drug. Set to its least powerful drive mode,

09:23the EV Bronco feels appropriately quick for an old truck with some upgrades.

09:28In its mid-range mode, it feels modern quick, much like gas-powered Icon Broncos.

09:35Unleash all the electrons, though, and it's eye-wideningly, jaw-clenchingly quick.

09:41Icon claims 4.9 seconds to 60 miles per hour, and it's the quickest 4.9 seconds we've ever felt.

09:48Big body-on-frame trucks were simply never supposed to move like this.

09:53Anything this tall with a wheelbase this short is going to be a wild ride when it's overpowered,

09:59regardless of what powers it.

10:01Throwing in a live front axle makes for torque steer as pronounced as that of a same vintage

10:06Mazda Speed 3 or Mini Cooper JCW. Combined with its slow, old truck steering that takes some 30 degrees

10:14of input to counter said torque steer, you have a unique experience, to be sure.

10:19You'd better have quick hands when you get off the accelerator, too, because you need to get all

10:24that steering out immediately or you'll be making an unplanned lane change.

10:28If you don't find EVs exciting, you will after driving this one.

10:32Despite the downsides, I wouldn't give up the EV Bronco's old truck steering.

10:37One of the best things about Icon vehicles is the way they drive.

10:40The team has mastered the art of enhancing the acceleration, braking, and handling of

10:46vintage cars and trucks without losing their essence and making them feel modern.

10:51Slow, loose steering is one part of retaining that analog feel.

10:56Nor do I find the extra battery weight to be any sort of detriment.

11:00New, Icon spec Riger shocks in their default setting.

11:04The adjustable settings weren't finished yet on this prototype.

11:07Managed the weight so well, I genuinely couldn't detect any difference in ride quality or handling

11:13compared to the lighter, gas-powered Bronco.

11:17It really does drive like the same truck, just electric.

11:21With a new car, I'd be inclined to complain about the EV Bronco's slow, fast-charging speed,

11:27but this is a small, independent shop.

11:29More than that, these aren't the kinds of vehicles you take on hours-long,

11:33200-plus-mile road trips.

11:36And really, you still could if you wanted to.

11:39Time your charging stop with a meal, and it's easy to burn an hour while the battery fills.

11:44Otherwise, it'll be full and ready on account of the level 2 charger in your garage.

11:49Because let's be honest, if you can afford an Icon, you own a home with a place to charge it.

11:55Icon will build an exclusive first run of just 10 EV Broncos to test the market.

12:02Buyers can choose either the new or old-school style in whatever paint job they desire.

12:07Customization and personalization are always on the table for those willing to build on the $450,000 starting price,

12:15especially because Ward says there will be no repeats in those first 10.

12:20If the demand is there, and the EV Bronco is clearly engineered in a manner that anticipates many more future builds,

12:28Icon will do more and could potentially expand the option to its FJ Cruiser and Chevrolet Thrift Masterlines.

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