Ford tests the F-150 Lightning towing capacity in extreme conditions, stays mum on the battery discharge rate

The new electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck is able to tow up to 10,000 lbs (4,536 kg) if you get one in the more expensive Lariat or XLT versions that have the Extended Range Battery as well as the Max Trailer Tow Package as standard. The Standard Range Battery models of the F-150 Lightning can tow at up to 7,700 lbs (3,493 kg), while the Platinum trim tows at slightly higher, 8,400 lbs (3,810 kg) capacity, at least on paper. The F-150 Lightning, however, already proved that its official specs are rather conservative, if anything, as on the demanding EPA battery range estimate test it got rated as good for a 320-mile trip in the Extended Range Battery version. That's 20 miles more than the carmaker itself lists it at and Ford has now decided to show that the towing capacity numbers are at least as good as they look on paper.

Ford took the F-150 Lightning to tow in two extreme weather places - Colorado's Gauntlet pass and the Davis Dam - to test how towing a 10,000-pound trailer will affect the electric truck. The Colorado Gauntlet stretches for eight miles in a 7% incline ascension up to 11,158 feet above sea level. The temperatures in the pass when the test was performed last month dropped down to "feels like" -2°F (-16°C) with the wind. During the Davis Dam test, on the other hand, the 10,000-pound trailer was towed by the F-150 Lightning several times along the dam in a 118°F (48°C) heat across a 550-3500 feet elevation range during the course of an 11.4-mile (18.3km) loop. According to Ford's chief F-150 Lightning engineer, the truck passed both challenges with flying colors, though it doesn't become clear how much of a battery charge it lost while towing with maximum capacity in such weather.

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