Ford Shows Prototype Electric F-150 Towing Over a Million Pounds

By Aaron Bragman

In what might just be the next salvo in truckmakers' "my truck can tow more than your truck" max towing wars, Ford has released a video showing a prototype electric F-150 performing a rather surprising stunt. In the video, F-150 Chief Engineer Linda Zhang drives an F-150 that's been attached to 10 double-decker auto transport railcars carrying 42 F-150 pickups. The total weight is more than 1.25 million pounds.

Related: What's It Like to Drive a Hybrid Plug-In Ford F-150?

The electric F-150 drags it via a tow strap for a distance of 1,000 feet in complete silence thanks to its electric powertrain. What's not addressed in the video: how the train actually stopped (it wasn't via the F-150).

Sadly, that's all the info we have about the truck featured in the video. Ford has confirmed that it plans on making both a hybrid and fully electric F-150 when the new, refreshed pickup goes on sale in 2020, but it hasn't given us any details of what kind of powertrains the trucks might feature. Obviously, a video like this isn't really indicative of the capabilities of an electric truck — it's more a function of big available torque, multiplied by a special gearbox at super-low speeds.

Toyota pulled such a stunt back in 2012 by towing the space shuttle Endeavour some 300 yards with a gas-powered Tundra CrewMax. What Ford did to modify the frame, tires and suspension of the F-150 prototype in order to generate the grip required to tow that much weight is almost more interesting than the torque required to do it. If we get more details on the specs for this electric beast, we'll be sure to pass them along. Until then, enjoy the spectacle.

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in Concepts, Electric vehicles, Ford, Ford F-150, Full-Size, Half-Ton Pickups, Light-Duty, New Trucks, Towing and Hauling, Videos