Spy photos: Ford testing heavier-duty F-150 Lightning EV with hub motors?

Spy photographers have given us our first look at a new set of Ford F-150 test mules being put through their paces alongside a Tesla Cybertruck. While it makes sense for Ford to test its all-electric pickup against the latest competition, we’re far more interested in how this truck is decked out than we are in its competitive intentions. Why? Well, these could be the first Ford prototypes on the road with in-wheel (AKA hub) motors, which could be a big step forward both for the F-150 and for hub motor tech itself, which has enjoyed a rather long gestation period due to its inherent drawbacks. But more on that later; let’s get to the pics. 

The above is our critical view. With the wheel covers removed, two things become obvious. First, this is an eight-lug wheel, which is not something you normally see on a light duty pickup. And second, there’s no brake caliper. Normally, that wouldn’t raise flags with us. Eight-lug wheels are ubiquitous on Ford’s Super Duties and drum brakes are still favored for rear axles in some applications due to their long service lives. That could indeed be some sort of prototype brake drum behind the wheel, but drum brakes are no longer standard equipment even on Super Duty (F-250, F-350 and F-450) models, and Lightning has come equipped with four-wheel disc brakes since day one. Whatever this is, it’s not a parts-bin pull from a current truck. But wait, there’s more!

Noe the underbody brush camo in the above left shot; that’s a sign that Ford would rather we not see what’s happening under there. We can see green cabling (the same that is visible in the bed in other photos) leading to the wheel well here. That could mean nothing at all, or it could be a temporary run to power the wheel-mounted hubs. And in the above right photo, we see that this particular mule is carrying a payload. Now, a Ford engineer could write just about anything on one of those for whatever reason, but the load in the bed appears to be marked “2,666.” If that’s the weight in pounds, it’s more than the maximum payload capacity of a current Lightning (2,235 pounds) with the standard battery. 

Certainly, nothing here is definitive, and automakers use mules to test all sorts of things, many of which never live to see production. But with other automakers inching closer to production of hub-motor EVs, this one deserves some attention. Stay tuned.