is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a racing event that’s been going on since 1916. It’s a 12.42-mile run that climbs 4,720 feet and serves as a proving ground for carmakers to test the speed and agility of their new vehicles.
Electric cars tend to do well in the Pikes Peak race; they don’t have to deal with the problems of high altitudes and thinner air that can stymie racecars powered by fossil fuels, making it an ideal testing ground. The first electric car to win was in 2015, when Honda claimed victory with an electric CR-Z. Volkswagen’s ID R set a course record in 2018, blasting up the course at over 90 mph in just under eight minutes.
But for the past two years, one company has claimed the title of King of the Mountain with its wildly designed electric demonstrators: Ford. The engineers at the automaker’s racing division approach the race with the zeal of a mad scientist. First there was the SuperVan 4.2, a 2,000 horsepower (not a typo) “lightly modified” Transit van with a rear wing so enormous it looked like it could simply fly to the top of the infamous hill. Then there was the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck, a beastly version of the automaker’s electric pickup that, like the SuperVan, took home the top prize — even after briefly coming to a complete stop during its run.
For the past two years, one company has claimed the title of King of the Mountain with its wildly designed electric demonstrators: Ford
This year, Ford is switching things up with the Super Mustang Mach-E, an EV demonstrator with specs similar to the SuperVan and SuperTruck, with some key differences. Still, the Super Mustang Mach-E will have the same challenge: get to the top of the hill faster than anyone else.
And while SuperTruck was an evolution of SuperVan, the Super Mustang Mach-E is more of a “ground-up exercise,” said Zach Burns, F1 and EV demonstration program engineer, in an interview. That includes a new suspension, a full aerodynamic redesign, carbon brakes, and other additions designed to help the demonstrator charge up the notorious hill as fast as possible.
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