Commercial-themed vehicles and extreme EV power just go together for Ford. The Ford Performance F-150 Lightning SuperTruck “electric vehicle demonstrator” (well, that’s what the company calls it) was the fastest thing on wheels up the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year. Romain Dumas reached the top with a time of 8:53.553.
The Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2 EV was second overall in the 2023 event, also driven by Dumas, with a time of 8:47:682. So yes, faster still, but SuperTruck broke SuperVan’s qualifying record of 3:39.939 by over 7 seconds this year: 3:32.831. All very... super.
Dumas’s victory over 61 competitors in 2024 is even more remarkable given the SuperTruck stopped unexpectedly and completely during his run. It cost him about 26 seconds compared to his qualifying time, but Dumas stayed calm and was able to reset and restart the truck – and still beat everybody to the top.
“Everything about this event is a challenge because it is unlike any other form of racing, you only have one shot,” said Dumas. “We faced a challenge early on but that only gave me more determination to make up the lost time in the rest of the run.”
SuperTruck’s powertrain consists of three STARD (Stohl Advanced Research and Development) UHP 6-phase motors and ultra-high performance li-polymer NMC cells, generating nearly 1200kW.
The F-150 Lightning SuperTruck is designed with a triple-element front wing, headlight ducts, hood ducts and louvers, front dive-planes, side diffusers, rear diffuser, and multi-element rear wing to maximize aerodynamics. Payload and tow rating are not quoted.
It also features carbon ceramic brakes, Pirelli P-Zero tyres on magnesium forged wheels, and a fully custom in-board suspension system.
