At Ford’s big party in Charlotte to kick off the 2024 racing season, company CEO Jim Farley revealed that a new “electric vehicle demonstrator” would be tackling Pikes Peak. Details about this vehicle weren’t mentioned, and for the most part, they still aren’t. However, we at least know it will be an F-150 Lightning. But it won’t be something you see at the local Ford dealership.
Ford shared a single teaser image on social media on Friday, showing the front of a vehicle hidden under blankets. It’s low, wide and there’s a wild wing at the back like the one on the crazy electric SuperVan. In fact, if Ford didn’t specifically say it was an F-150 Lightning, our minds would jump straight to an iteration of the SuperVan beyond the current 4.2 model. But this is a truck, and clearly Ford is applying some of the lessons learned from its extremely fast minivan.
21 Pictures
This hill climb vehicle could be a variation of the Lightning Switchgear, a unique prototype designed to explore the on- and off-road performance envelopes of the electric truck. We got up close and personal with the Switchgear in January, taking a spin in the off-road version with Vaughn Gittin Jr. behind the wheel. It’s called Switchgear because the same truck – with small changes to the suspension and tires – is designed to tackle paved corners the same way it tackles dirt jumps.
Ford didn’t make two versions of the Switchgear, however. The same prototype fulfills both roles, meaning we’ve only seen the off-road version in person. At the event, a Ford representative told us it would be converted at a later date, which would be an opportune time for Pikes Peak.
The rendering above comes from Ford’s Switchgear press kit, showing what the road-going version should look like. Obviously, there are quite a few differences between this one and the teaser, including that large wing and what could be cabin strakes at the rear, much like what we see on the SuperVan. If this new Lightning demonstrator is based on Switchgear, Ford is certainly going to the extreme.
Whether it’s Switchgear or something completely different, we think this F-150 will be damn fast going up the hill. This year’s Pikes Peak hillclimb takes place on June 23, so expect to hear more about this amped-up Lightning between now and then.
