While customers patiently wait for the F-150 Lightning EV truck to arrive, Ford is busy running Alaskan torture tests and preparing the vehicle for any terrain. Ford recently released a video showing its upcoming electric truck ripping through snow and ice in -30℉ temperatures.

At a restricted military base in Alaska, Ford engineers spent two weeks driving down icy roads, playing in the snow, and fine-tuning the electric pickup. Thanks to the instant torque of all-electric vehicles, these types of conditions require finely tuned software to ensure drivers feel safe and confident on the roads.

And while Ford isn’t off-roading through 5ft of snow or doing anything insane, it’s an excellent behind-the-scenes look at everything that’s going into creating an electric version of America’s best-selling pickup.

Cold weather testing is an essential part of vehicle production regardless of the type of powertrain or terrain, and that’s even more important on an electric vehicle. Multiple shots in the video show wheel slippage, which is quickly turned into a controlled smooth ride as the dual electric motors work together in a matter of milliseconds to drive the best that they can. It’s a lot different when two electric motors deliver power to the ground in one truck compared to a single gas engine.

As we all know, automakers are still trying to figure out the impacts of cold weather on performance, handling, not to mention battery cells, and driving range. And while it’s unfortunate that Ford didn’t share anything regarding range or how the temps affected overall performance, it’s still neat to see the F-150 Lightning in action.

This is likely one of the final testing sessions by Ford ahead of the official release date coming this Spring. The all-new electric 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning will hit the streets in a few months, and we’ve already seen reports that pre-order customers have build dates as early as May 2nd. It’ll be here before you know it, so reserve yours at the Ford website.

via Electrek