autoevolution
 

The F-150 Lightning's First Dyno Test Ever Shows That Ford Has Done Its Homework

Testing a car on the dynamometer is a common activity for performance car enthusiasts, but strapping a 6,500-lb (2,950-kg) truck on a dyno is a different matter. After much effort to find a suitable platform for testing, the Texas Truck Channel guy managed to put the Ford F-150 Lightning through its paces.
Ford F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test ever 8 photos
Photo: Texas Truck Channel via Youtube
Ford F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test everFord F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test everFord F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test everFord F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test everFord F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test everFord F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test everFord F-150 Lightning’s first dyno test ever
Since Ford launched the electric F-150 Lightning, people have been curious whether the electric pickup truck lives up to Ford’s promises. But doing so was almost impossible until EV enthusiast Bryan Raupe found a large-enough dynamometer to accommodate the Lightning. That’s because all the AWD dynos on the market max out at 125 inches (3.2 meters) between the axles, which is not enough for the electric pickup’s 145.5-inch (3.7-meter) wheelbase.

Raupe must’ve really wanted to get the job done because he searched and researched and finally got to a dynamometer producer willing to modify one of their products to fit the Lightning. This involved extending the wheelbase to the required 145.5 inches using a driveshaft extension. Then they ran into issues because the dynos are usually tailored for ICE vehicles. They needed to recalculate everything to match an EV configuration, which has a direct drive instead of a gearbox.

That wasn’t all because the team ran into more problems as soon as the wheels started spinning. The Lightning would cut the power at around 70 mph (113 kph), from more than 500 to less than 200 horsepower. This is because the truck’s computer thought all wheels had left the ground, taken from the discrepancy between the speed readings and the power needed to “push” the truck.

Thankfully, the dynamometer had a virtual road simulator, which applies resistance to the rollers. This is intended to simulate wind and road resistance, which tricked the Ford F-150 Lightning into performing as expected. Or better than expected, actually. The readings show the Lightning maxed out at 565 horsepower, which is less than 3% lower than the official specifications.

Since we’re talking about the power at the wheel here, this is utterly impressive. A power drop of up to 10% is considered normal for an ICE vehicle due to the inherent losses in the gearbox. As per the maximum torque recorded, the 784 lb-ft (1,063 Nm) is actually higher than the official 775 lb-ft(1,051 Nm). Given all the troubles the team has overcome to take this test, we think the Lightning did exceptionally well. Now we’re really waiting to see the other electric trucks strapped to the same dyno, just to make a comparison.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories