Ford Motor Co's (NYSE:F) electric supertruck, based on its F-150 Lightning, is gearing up to take part in the 102nd running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb presented by Gran Turismo over the weekend.
What Happened: By running the test supertruck on a 12.5-mile uphill excursion, Ford aims to test the boundaries of its EV powertrains. The learning will then be adapted to the company's production vehicles, it said.
The truck, resplendent in shades of blue, red, and white and with Romain Dumas behind the wheels, will climb the hill on June 23.
"In testing, the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck has surpassed my expectations, so we are hoping for some good weather to try and do something very special," Dumas said about the truck.
America's Mountain, meet the @Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck. A full week of action begins today at @PPIHC, and with @RomainDumas behind the wheel of this machine, all eyes are on the summit. ️ pic.twitter.com/A9arxzTUhf
— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) June 17, 2024
Vehicle Enhancements: The truck was designed by Ford Design together with STARD Advanced Research and Development with design changes aimed at advancing aerodynamics, Ultra-High Performance Li-Polymer NMC cells, carbon ceramic brakes, and Pirelli P-Zero tires on magnesium forged wheels among other enhancements.
The vehicle can generate 6,000 pounds of downforce at 150 mph and 1,400 plus horsepower output, a whopping advancement from the 580 hp available on the Lightning.
EVs To The Summit: This is the second consecutive year that Ford is taking an electric test vehicle to the competition at Pikes Peak, also known as The Race to the Clouds. Last year, Ford took a super van based on its E-Transit Custom van.
Ford's popular Model T claimed Pikes Peak in 1916, completing the climb to the 14,115 ft summit in 28 minutes 03 seconds. Ford brought this time to 8 minutes and 47.682 seconds with SuperVan 4.2 last year.
Why It Matters: The F-150 Lightning is the second best-selling EV from Ford in 2024 as of the end of May.
The company sold 13,093 Lightnings in the first five months of 2024, marking a 78.5% jump from the corresponding period last year. The position of Ford's best-selling vehicle, however, is occupied by its Mustang Mach-E SUV of which the company sold 18,737 units.
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