Photo: Ford
The big news surrounding the 2015 Ford F-150 might be its aluminum body or new expanded lineup of engines, but ahead of the truck’s big launch, Ford aims to show us just how much work went into creating the all-new F-150. To optimize consumer satisfaction and vehicle quality, Ford looked to its special Lighting Lab to minimize the amount of glare and fade trucks will encounter in the real world.
Some of the most annoying things about driving any new car are the amount of glare that reflects off different surfaces or the indirect glare that washes out display screens such as the navigation or gauge cluster. To combat both of these annoyances, the 2015 F-150 spent time in Ford’s Visual Performance Evaluation Lab, which can replicate lighting conditions to see how it affects interior glare.
“By reducing indirect glare, the driver should almost never see a sun spot in the center screen or instrument cluster. In addition to testing gauges and screens under these conditions, we even looked at the amount of light given off by LEDs in secondary controls such as window and steering wheel switches, to ensure they would not be distracting to the driver when lit,” said Cary Diehl, human factors engineer at Ford.
In addition to annoying glare, the sun can also have a negative effect on the finish of many surfaces. To ensure that the 2015 Ford F-150 looks as good used as it does new, Ford also tested the truck and its components in both real and simulated sunlight to make sure no paint or part don’t fade, weaken or crack after being left out in the sun.
For this test, it combined the results of parts being left out in the sun for six months at a time with parts subjected to the “Thermatron,” a device that can replicate UV rays in a controlled environment. Not surprisingly, Ford also says that it spent about 3,000 hours testing the iconic Ford Blue Oval emblem and the F-150 badges in temperatures from minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) to hot steam at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius).
“By reducing indirect glare, the driver should almost never see a sun spot in the center screen or instrument cluster. In addition to testing gauges and screens under these conditions, we even looked at the amount of light given off by LEDs in secondary controls such as window and steering wheel switches, to ensure they would not be distracting to the driver when lit,” said Cary Diehl, human factors engineer at Ford.
In addition to annoying glare, the sun can also have a negative effect on the finish of many surfaces. To ensure that the 2015 Ford F-150 looks as good used as it does new, Ford also tested the truck and its components in both real and simulated sunlight to make sure no paint or part don’t fade, weaken or crack after being left out in the sun.
For this test, it combined the results of parts being left out in the sun for six months at a time with parts subjected to the “Thermatron,” a device that can replicate UV rays in a controlled environment. Not surprisingly, Ford also says that it spent about 3,000 hours testing the iconic Ford Blue Oval emblem and the F-150 badges in temperatures from minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 Celsius) to hot steam at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius).
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