The engineers behind the YouTube channel Munro Live have had a Ford F-150 Lightning on their dissection table for a while, tearing into the EV pickup’s systems to find out a little more about how it all functions. Sandy Munro, veteran automotive engineer, has been impressed with the vehicle’s frunk, along with its thermal system, its motors and suspension components. Now, in a new video, they’ve taken a closer look at the F-150 Lightning’s battery pack modules.
On the table in this video are a pair of F-150 Lightning battery packs, including the small pack, which provides 11.95 kWh, and a larger pack that provides 16.44 kWh. The smaller module exists because engineers at Ford had to work with size constraints, meaning that one module is smaller than the other eight.
The engineers are particularly impressed with the vehicle’s cooling components, since it is extremely difficult to efficiently cool a battery pack in a commercial application without submerging it completely. To get around this, the Ford F-150 Lightning has battery packs that are mounted on a cooling plate that allows coolant to pass beneath it. Each model has its own cooling bed, remaining easily accessible and therefore serviceable.
This is also evidenced by the number of fasteners and sealants present in the battery module mounting systems, indicating that Ford wanted to make its EV pickup easy to pull apart and put back together. On the lid side, there is a channel on the outside covered by a rubber gasket to protect the modules from the elements. This rubber seal can then be reused instead of needing to be replaced, as a liquid gasket would be.
Overall, the battery packs of the Ford F-150 Lightning are much more service-friendly than those found in its competitors, such as vehicles made by Rivian and Tesla.
We’ll have more on the F-150 Lightning soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, F-150 Lightning news, and comprehensive Ford news coverage.
Comments
InB4 the FUDsters arrive to decry serviceability as “proof” Ford batteries are guaranteed to fail in the most expensive way.
Ps I think I’d describe the gasket as “elastomeric” as opposed to “rubber”.
Modular is the way to go. Things go wrong and accident damage is inevitable. Removing all the battery packs to replace a one piece coolant device seems too labor intensive, uneconomical and waste of time to me. Not going modular is taking a step backwards in technology. Time will tell who has the better system. Go Ford.
Anybody that understands towing would know the range of an electric pickup when towing would be atrocious. Its no different then gas and diesel pickups, range drops considerably when they are working.
Never expect Matt to understand that which is contrary to his programming or income stream.