Ford F‑150 Lightning Switchgear is an insane off‑road one‑off

Since its reveal, we’ve all been waiting for Ford to come out with a crazier version of the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Yes, it’s very fast but it’s not visually dramatic in the same way as a Raptor is. Well now, Ford has ‘Raptored’ the Lightning, with the Lightning Switchgear Demonstrator.

The goal with the Switchgear is to push the boundaries of electric truck capabilities off-road. As such, it comes with monster 37-inch Nitto tyres, with the body suspended by Fox coil-over shocks, double wishbones at the front and multilink independent at the rear. Of course, the performance of the Lightning remains ridiculous, with 580PS (427kW) and 1,051Nm (775lb ft) on tap from the twin-motor setup.

On the inside we have five Recaro CS bucket seats – yes, that’s three next to each other in the back – with a harness bar supporting the front two. There’s a massive hydraulic handbrake and a dashboard RTR livery but apart from that, the cabin is as was, still with that enormous vertical infotainment screen.

Visually the Switchgear is a masterclass of chest puffing with pumped-up carbon arches and a spectacular livery. There’s revised bodywork coming off the back of the cab behind which are two spare wheels strapped down, complete with 37-inch tyres. Skid plates front and rear as well as steel rock rails add to the off-road durability.

It’ll need it too given the Lightning Switchgear is getting its public debut at the horrific King of the Hammers off-road racing event in California on Jan 25.

Quite whether the Switchgear previews a production model is another matter. A big hurdle to producing this type of Lightning for the road is range, given the big tyres, bulky bodywork and tall ride sap power. The normal Lightning, relatively slim as it is, is good for 250-300 miles of real world range per our testing. We’d be surprised if this thing topped 200.

Regardless, what a properly cool thing. We’d be curious to know what Hammers attendees and off-road enthusiasts think…