Whether hauling snowmobiles to the cabin in the dead of winter or the pontoon to the lake in the dog days of summer, the 2022 F-150® Lightning™ is tested to have customers covered. To help prove it, Ford engineers took the first all-electric F-Series to two of America’s toughest real-world towing routes during development – Davis Dam in the summer and TFLTruck’s Ike Gauntlet™ in the winter.
Ford Takes on Toughest Towing Test
Last month, Ford engineers took preproduction F-150 Lightning to what some call the world’s toughest towing test. The TFLtruck’s Ike Gauntlet™ towing test — with windchills registering below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The Ike Gauntlet is an 8-mile stretch of I-70 in Colorado. It ascends at a 7% incline to a maximum elevation of 11,158-ft. above sea level around the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel.
Towing in wintery conditions, however, is only one part of the equation. To prove the truck’s muster towing in extreme heat, Ford took the F-150 Lightning to the extreme grades of Davis Dam. Ground temperatures were reaching a high of 118-degrees Fahrenheit during testing. The F-150 Lightning preproduction units towed the same 10,000-pound trailers for multiple loops across the dam. Davis Dam is located on State Route 68 between Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam. It ascends from 550 feet elevation to 3,500 feet in 11.4-grueling miles.
Between the two locations, their steep continuous inclines, expressway speeds, and trailers in tow – in this case the truck’s targeted maximum 10,000-pound trailers – make them extremely grueling for EV and gas trucks alike. The two testing trips are examples of the hundreds of hours of rigorous towing testing the F-150 Lightning has endured during development.
Deliveries of the 2022 F-150 Lightning pickup are scheduled to begin this spring.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company’s commitment is to help build a better world. Moreover, every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities, and always-on relationships with customers. Ford wants to enrich experiences and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford designs, manufactures, markets, and services a full line of connected, increasingly electrified passenger and commercial vehicles: Ford trucks, utility vehicles, vans and cars, and Lincoln luxury vehicles. The company is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, connected vehicle services, and mobility solutions. Not to mention, self-driving technology, and providing financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 183,000 people worldwide. More information about the company, its products, and Ford Motor Credit Company is available at corporate.ford.com.
