MANILA: A high-performance, fully-electric “supertruck” is scheduled to take on the legendary 19.7-kilometer-long Pikes Peak hill climb route in Colorado, USA. 

The vehicle in question is a hill-climb rig based on the Ford F-150 Lightning. Ford Performance, in partnership with the hit Playstation 5 video game Gran Turismo, will field the said vehicle at the upcoming 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event scheduled for June 2024. 

Ford Performance has not revealed the technical specifications of the F-150 Lighting hill climb truck at the moment, and all that has been shown of the truck so far is a series of teaser pictures. Nevertheless, Blue Oval’s high-performance division hinted at the supertruck’s improved power output and aerodynamics. 

For those unaware, Pikes Peak is a steep and challenging hill climb track that rises to 14,115 feet above sea level. Internal combustion hill climb cars have challenged this route to get the fastest times since the 1910s, with some having to resort to forced induction to remain competitive. Meanwhile, electric vehicles (EVs) have only begun to take on this hill climb course.

Regarding Ford Performance, the company stated that Pikes Peak is a well-suited test bed for EV powertrains. The Michigan-based carmaker further shared that an EV being pushed to the limits in conditions such as the Pikes Peak hill climb run might just provide data helpful in improving its lineup of production EV models. 

On that note, Ford is treating the F-150 Lighting, which is set to compete in the American hill climb race, as a “rolling laboratory.” At the event, the brand will gather relevant data to facilitate the development of EV components such as motors, inverters, battery packs, battery cell chemistry, and even software. 

Ford previously ran the 1,400-horsepower Electric SuperVan 4.2 at Pikes Peak in 2023. Last year, the powerful fully electric race vehicle based on the E-Transit even set a blisteringly fast class record of 8 minutes, 47.682 seconds. 

Photos from Ford

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