Here’s How The Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck Makes 1,600 HP

The Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck debuted back in late May as the latest EV demonstrator from The Blue Oval, and a little while later, it wound up securing a first place finish in a record-setting performance at the 2024 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Along with extreme aero bits and a trick suspension setup, the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck is equipped with three STARD UHP 6-Phase Motors and Ultra-High Performance Li-Polymer NMC cells, which generate a combined 1,600 horsepower – 200 more than the SuperVan 4.2. Now, we’re learning how FoMoCo managed to extract even more power from that particular setup.

According to PMW Magazine, the powertrain present in the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck is quite similar to the one used in the SuperVan 4.2, but the automaker wanted to improve upon that latter model’s Pikes Peak performance from a year prior. STARD’s three-motor packages have previously churned out as much as 1,400 horsepower, with a four-motor setup making as much as 2,000 ponies – but there were some diminishing returns in regard to going much higher, it seems.

“We knew there was a reduced benefit to going above that,” explained Sriram Pakkam, Formula 1 and EV senior manager at Ford Performance. “The debate was, how do we get there? We figured out ways to get it out of the existing three motors without adding a fourth, which would have meant more weight, a balance change, etc. With weight being our most sensitive parameter, we stuck with the proven setup and improved it where it was needed.”

Ford had already explored ways to create all-in-one electric drive units rather than the current setup with separate inverters, which will free up more packaging space, but Pakkam admitted that “it wasn’t race ready in our minds to go right away.” Thus, it focused on extracting more power from the existing setup, which stems largely from tweaks to the battery side of the equation, specifically. “There is a huge amount of understanding on temperatures and what sorts of voltages you should end up being at,” Pakkam said. “Always asking, are you getting the most out of every cell possible? “There are many hundreds of cells and you’re monitoring individual cell voltages. And you obviously need very good preparation beforehand in order to be exactly where you need to be thermally.”