Ford Performance is returning to the twisting mountain roads and corners of “America’s Mountain” to help advance the company’s electric powertrain research and development.
The F-150 Lightning SuperTruck will take part in the 102nd running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb via Gran Turismo in late June.
Based on Ford’s best-selling electric pickup, the Ford Performance team will take on a 12.5-mile uphill excursion. The automaker states the terrain is well-suited as a test bed for electric powertrains in extreme conditions. The process could enhance its production vehicles.
The performance-minded rolling laboratories facilitate the development of components such as motors, inverters, and battery packs, as well as informing software calibration and battery cell chemistry, among other areas.
More details will be announced at a later date.
With driver Romain Dumas at the wheel, the SuperTruck will be competitor No. 150 when it makes its qualifying run in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 18-20. The Hill Climb follows on June 23.
This is the second consecutive year Ford has taken an electric test vehicle to the competition at Pikes Peak. Ford’s 1,400-horsepower Electric SuperVan 4.2, based on Ford Pro’s E-Transit Custom Van, set a class record en route to a victory there in 2023.
Elsewhere, Ford Performance is learning from another pair of electric demonstration race vehicles. The Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800 and Mustang Mach-E 1400, for example, are helping the team learn about areas like battery cell chemistry, heat generation, and cooling.
Ford is also expanding its technical knowledge of hybrid powertrains with the company’s reentry into Formula 1 in 2026 through a strategic partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing.
