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By Sue Mead
Ford has added an all-new electric truck to its lineup—sort of. It likes to play in the dirt and eat boulders for lunch, and it rides on 37-inch tires and sits on a specialized suspension. All of this—and more—allow it to race across the desert with alacrity. However, what’s different from Ford’s stable of other off-road trucks is that the Switchgear runs in silence. Ford calls the high-performance off-roader a “demonstrator.” Think of it as a special project in the petri dish for Ford Performance, just as the Ford F-150 Raptor once was! The F-150 Lightning Switchgear is a high performance on- and off-road pickup based on America’s best-selling electric truck: the Ford F-150 Lightning.
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Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear
Switchgear is the latest in Ford’s Performance Demonstrator program, joining SuperVan 4.0 and 4.2, Mustang Mach-E 1400, Mustang CobraJet 1400 and the F-100 Eluminator—all designed to showcase the possibilities of what an electric vehicle can be.
The F-150 Lightning Switchgear was seen by the public for the first time at the grueling King of the Hammers off-road racing event in Johnson Valley, California, where I was able to ride along for some hot laps with the famed professional drifter and off-road racer Vaugh Gittin Jr. (JR). The Switchgear was then trailered to the Chicago Auto Show still caked in mud from one of the top off-road playgrounds in the world.
For those unfamiliar, the King of the Hammers event draws racers, manufacturers, aftermarket companies, and fans for an ever-growing pilgrimage to compete, test vehicles, and have fun for more than two weeks in late January and early February each year.
Switchgear is a joint project with Ford and RTR Vehicles that has been used as a testbed for pushing the boundaries of electric trucks. “We designed and built it in collaboration with RTR Vehicles,” explained Ford engineer Brian Novak, “It was inspired by the F-150 RTR Ultimate Fun-Haver project vehicle from 2016. Ford designed Switchgear’s custom exterior carbon bodywork with a Ford Performance 2024 livery and underpinned it with off-road upgrades to take the F-150 Lightning where it’s never been.”
Switchgear upgrades include a significant increase in track over the F-150 Lightning, this to provide improved off-road stability.
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The suspension upfit includes Fox-brand 3-inch diameter internal bypass shock absorbers, along with a custom independent double-wishbone suspension in front, and a multilink independent suspension at the rear, with coil-over shocks, a stabilizer bar and custom control arms. Unique front and rear bumpers improve approach and departure.
Additional design elements include carbon-composite front fenders, bed sides, and rear bumper cover, as well as steel fabricated rock rails, and a front skid plate. The Switchgear rides on NITTO Ridge Grappler 37×12.5R18 tires.
“We have upgraded the frame of the Lightning in order to accommodate a heavy battery, and yet provide the same towing and payload experience that a regular F-150 would provide while carrying heavier loads, so therefore the frame is very strong. The truck also has the new shocks and new control arms that have to accommodate the bigger tires and the bigger shocks and the bodywork was expanded to accommodate bigger tires as we needed a wider track in order to give stability to the frame. The powertrain–or primary drive/secondary drive unit–had no change.”
“It’s quiet fun! Switchback can give a silent-but-violent ride,” enthused Novak, before I climbed aboard the tall truck, with JR at the wheel. “We like it here instead of being at Ford’s proving grounds in Michigan or Arizona–being out in the desert like this is exactly what these things are built for and this is where they’re going to be tested. This is the real environment!”
The experience of traveling in a truck at high speeds is not new; I have motored more than 30,000 miles on off-road tracks and dirt courses around the globe for my work—and for fun! What was new was traveling at high speeds in silence—with no engine sound, as speeds varied and increased and the world moved by faster. With the electric motors providing instant torque, Novak, JR, and I agreed it’s more like a ride at an amusement park, where you’re moving quickly through space in an enclosed cabin but, if you open a window, you’ll get the rush of the wind on your smiling face!
More off-road fun
F-150 Lightning Switchgear Gallery
(Click below for enlarged images)
Test Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
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