The prototype truck you see here is a 2027 Ford F-150 test vehicle with a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain that they call the PowerBoost. Ford allowed us to film this video behind the scenes at one of their highly guarded facilities in Arizona. Here are all the details! Let’s dig in.
Do you want to know all the details about how Ford torture tests their pickup trucks in the middle of August at their Arizona Proving Grounds? We had no idea that Ford engineers put up to 500 sensors around the test truck, just to measure and confirm the results they predicted in simulations and the wind tunnel. We didn’t know that the engineers drain and refill the truck’s fuel tank for most of their tests in order to make sure the fuel is at a consistent temperature.
While at this facility we saw ambient temperatures of up to 118 F and pavement surface temperatures of up to 155 F. Our shoes didn’t melt, but they were about to.
We have heard about the towing dyne trailer before, but this was our first experience of seeing it in action. The small red tandem axle trailer you see in this video has a small electricity generator and electric motor or motors to slow down its axles. The engineers are able to vary the amount of load this trailer generates to mimic towing a trailer up a steep incline or towing at a maximum Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR).
Please join me in the video below for all the details. I also try to fry an egg on the hot pavement in this video.
