F-150 Lightning Lowdown: Built Ford Tough™ Capability | Ford

(upbeat music) - Hello, I'm Linda Zhang and I'm the chief engineer for the all-electric F-150 Lightning. And I love my role. This is the real deal. We know our customers demand capacity and durability, whether it's gasoline or electric. Every F-150 Lightning goes through the same Built Ford Tough engineering and testing regimen as every other F-Series truck and doors. This is a test for the 95th percentile customer use case. Those who push the hardest every day our trucks. It starts with engineering the components and systems so that they are robust and durable. For example, our internal motor design was selected for its efficiency and durability over other types of designs.

The inboard engine design means less unsprung mass, allowing for not only better braking and handling but also greater durability. F-150 trucks travel 7.4 million customer-equivalent miles before being placed in service. That includes endurance testing plus strength testing to establish load capacity. We drive our trucks on roads with surfaces so hard that we use robots to drive them. The all-electric trucks are put to the test with multiple routes like Silver Creek, which includes a quarter-mile of metal-edged laughs and a power jump hill that applies significant twists and turns to test the truck's suspension and structure. Vehicles run in salt baths and deep water, through rocks and stones, through mud baths and in high slopes and desert heat with trailers attached with temperatures from -40 Fahrenheit to 120 Fahrenheit.

Batteries are tested, charged and recharged hundreds of times. Each cell is tested for charging capacity and safety. And for added robustness, we enclose the battery in a metal exostructure with additional metal skid plates to protect the bass. This generation of F-150 is the

tough

est F-150 ever created. I guess the secret to doing this is to really listen to our customer, understand what they use the vehicle for, and make sure they are there to help them get the job done. Only when the F-150 Lightning passed all the tests did it earn the 100% Built Ford Tough seal of approval.

So let's talk about Lightning designed for rugged

capability

. It is as powerful as series should be enough with 563 specific horsepower with the extended range battery. Target: 775 foot-pounds of instant torque. The most of any F-150 ever. Acceleration from zero to 60 in mid-4 seconds with the extended battery life. Very unique in the industry and a first for Ford F-Series trucks. The F-150 Lightning has an independent rear suspension. This means that one side of the suspension can move separately from the other side, unlike a solid rear axle. This was done to take advantage of the front and rear engine configuration to provide four-wheel drive on all models.

This also improves isolation from different road surfaces and, when combined with the aluminum rear control arms, significantly reduces unsprung mass for even greater handling and ride comfort. The independent rear suspension was designed to be capable of traditional towing and payload. It carries up to 2000 pounds of payload whether in the bed, cab or mega power frank and supports up to 10,000 pounds, perfect for our trailer or powerboat. Our trip planning feature will also help you factor in towing and payload to give you the best idea of ​​when and where to load. The F-150 Lightning is full-time 4x4 and controlling all that power is the terrain management system with four available driving modes: Normal, Sport, Off-Road and Tow/Haul with a single pedal selected on the SYNC screen.

Normal for daily driving Sport like a sprinter when you want to methodically step up the off-roading level and deliberately take advantage of the E-locker to add more rugged terrain

capability

to your off-road adventure. It's not just zero to 60. A lot of it is passing acceleration too and that's great in this vehicle too. That smooth acceleration and ability to just hit the road and go is one of the best things about this truck. Tow/Haul mode provides towing confidence by leveraging the electric motors to decelerate the vehicle and trailer while restoring energy to the vehicle through regional braking.

Towing and hauling in this vehicle is effortless. When I drive the vehicle, I sometimes forget that the trailers are behind because it is such a smooth and effortless drive. With F-Series power and rigorous Built Ford Tough testing, the F-150 Lightning offers proven durability and truck capability to ensure customers can get the job done. (upbeat music)