Wolf.17 Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 Ford revealed the F-150 Lightning Switchgear, the brand's latest electric performance demonstrator, in North Carolina today. A collaboration with RTR Vehicles, the electric pickup has an unmodified 580-hp powertrain but sports unique bodywork and off-road equipment. The suspension is beefed up with Fox off-road dampers, while 37-inch tires contribute to a much improved ride height. Many car enthusiasts are wary of the impending switch to electric cars. Can EVs incite the same thrill as gas-powered sports cars, despite hurdles like hefty curb weights and a lack of auditory stimulation? Ford thinks they can, and has spent the past few years trying to prove so with a series of demonstration vehicles. After a 1400-hp electric Mustang-based dragster and the F-100 Eluminator restomod came the Mustang Mach-E 1400, an angry-looking take on the brand's mid-size electric crossover with seven electric motors. Next came a new iteration of Ford's legendary Supervan, with over 1400 electric horsepower helping the van conquer last year's Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Now Ford has unveiled its latest project, the F-150 Lightning Switchgear, at an event in Charlotte, North Carolina, today. A joint effort with drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s company, RTR Vehicles, the Switchgear is based on a F-150 Lightning with the extended-range battery. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain is unchanged from the stock car, pushing out a potent 580 hp and 775 pound-feet of torque. The 131.0-kWh battery, rated for 320 miles of range in the normal Lightning, also remains the same. "We Want to Own Off-Road" Two versions of the Switchgear exist, one tailored to on-road performance and one designed for getting off the beaten path. Details are light on the pavement-spec Switchgear, with Ford currently focusing on the off-road variant. "We want to own off-road," Ford CEO Jim Farley told media in Charlotte. "If Porsche has been the dominant brand in road racing, we want Ford to be the dominant brand in off-road racing."The first thing you'll notice about the Switchgear is that it doesn't look like your ordinary F-150 Lightning. Instead, that snazzy motorsports livery is plastered onto custom bodywork, with beefier carbon-composite fenders that conceal an increase in track width. The front and rear track now measure 80 inches, up from roughly 68 inches on the stock Lightning. This results in better stability when traversing rough terrain, and the widened track sits behind a steel fabricated front bumper on the off-road model. The street-spec Switchgear wears a carbon-composite front end. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46427022/ford-f-150-lightning-switchgear-revealed/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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