The Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear has been unveiled as an off-road demonstration of Ford’s electric powertrains that promises to “push the boundaries” of electric pick-ups.
The one-off truck, set to make its debut at next week’s King of Hammers off-road racing event in California, follows the Supervan 4 and Mustang Mach-E 1400 EV projects.
It’s said to provide a “playground for engineers” to experiment with and optimise Ford’s future electric cars.
It has been developed by Ford’s Demonstrator Programme in collaboration with specialist tuner RTR Vehicles.
Over the standard F-150 (Ford’s long-time best-seller), it gains a “significant” increase in track width to improve off-road stability, better ground clearance, double-wishbone suspension at the front, a multi-link arrangement at the rear and beefier dampers.
It also gets bespoke front and rear bumpers and a stabiliser bar on the front axle for steeply undulating surfaces, as well as better approach and departure angles.
Its swollen wheel arches accommodate the wider tracks, 37in off-road tyres and more ventilation ducts to smooth airflow over its body and thus make it more stable off-road.
It also gets a Ford Performance livery, as seen on the Mustang GT3 race car.
