Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear: tough off-road electric pickup truck challenges Rivian and Cybertruck in Raptor-esque guise

Ford has yet to release a kitted-out, off-road ready F-150 Lightning Raptor, but its latest prototype gives us a glimpse of what just such an F-150 Lightning would look like. The Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear is a test bed to examine and prove what EVs are capable of, and it comes in both a street and off-road guise.

The street version of the Switchgear features upgraded chassis and suspension components, just like the off-road version, but it rides just five inches off the ground and features more custom carbon composite components than the off-road version. The Ford F-150 Lightning Switcgear features carbon composite fenders, bed sides, rocker skirts, and a rear bumper cover to reduce weight.

The off-road version of the F-150 Lightning Switchgear, on the other hand, is all about durability, swapping out some carbon add-ons for custom steel versions, including a custom fabricated steel front bumper, front skid plate, rock rails, and a chase rack with two spares. Aside from that, the off-road Switchgear is also riding on 18-inch RTR Tech 6 forged aluminium alloy rims with bead lockers clad in 37-inch NTTO Ridge Grappler tyres.

Add in the custom suspension — with 11 inches of front wheel travel and 13.5 inches of rear wheel travel — powered by FOX 3.0 coil-overs and replete with anti-droop straps, and you suddenly have a Ford F-150 Lightning with substantially more ground clearance (13.5 inches in the front and 11 inches in the rear) than the bone-stock version, nearly matching the Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck — although ground clearance isn't necessarily everything in off-roading.

The interior also got some love, as Ford decked it out with Recaro Sportster ORV seats and six-point safety harnesses.

All of that adds up to a Ford F-150 Lightning that is on video taking some nasty hits that might otherwise cripple the typically-placid electric pickup truck. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though the F-150 Lightning Switchgear will go on sale anytime soon, although it has drummed up a lot of excitement online about a potential F-150 Lightning Raptor on X (formerly Twitter).

The Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear is set to take on the King of the Hammers off-road racing event starting Jan. 25 in Johnson Valley, California.

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