Ford Electric SuperVan 4 Pikes Peak Challenge

Ford originally revealed its SuperVan demonstrator vehicle last year; now the all-electric Ford SuperVan 4 is set to take on Pikes Peak in June of this year, helmed by the experienced French racer Romain Dumas, who has won Le Mans an impressive three times so far.

The Ford Pro Electric SuperVan, to use its birth moniker, is basically a souped-up E-Transit with a 2,000bhp output, and arrives courtesy of a collaboration between Stohl Advanced Research and Development (STARD) and Ford Performance. The SuperVan 4 is the fourth incarnation of the powerful SuperVan revealed in 2022, and it just looks fast.

The EV’s looks come from the fact that Ford’s designers basically rebuilt the bodywork from a new spaceframe up, until they achieved something that looked like it deserved 2,000bhp. The bodywork is all carbon fibre to shave weight, and the whole thing is powered by a 50kWh lithium-ion battery. FIA-specced roll cage and seats, along with double wishbone suspension help to make sure things go comfortably and – relatively – according to plan. Four electric motors along with a 2-speed gearbox at the rear and a single-speed gearbox up front allow the SuperVan 4 to smoothly get up to a conservative estimate of around 200mph.

At this point you may be wondering about aerodynamics; after all, however much the carbon fire body has been re-engineered, it’s still a van – and van’s aren’t built for speed. Therefore, Ford’s design boffins needed to find a way to make sure the SuperVan 4 stayed on the ground and wasn’t hindered too much by drag. To achieve this, they included a tube that is open at the front of the SuperVan, letting air in and then through the electric van and out via an outlet by the rear numberplate, thus removing some of the air that would be normally trying to get under or around the vehicle… Those dramatic sideskirts, front splitter and heavily sculptured body are not just for show either, helping to generate huge downforce to keep the electric SuperVan stable on the track. Inside, a touch screen allows the lucky driver to select from 5 different drive modes: Road, Track, Drag, Drift and Rally.

At the beginning I mentioned that this was a demonstrator vehicle – Ford describes it a little more lavishly as a ‘high-speed science experiment’ allowing Ford’s engineers and designers to push boundaries allowing for fine-tuning advanced tech and ideas, with the plan that such technology trickles down into Ford’s production electric vehicles of the future.

Despite the rather English sounding name, Pikes Peak is the name of the highest summit in Colorado and forms part of the Rocky Mountains. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as Race to the Clouds in the USA, is an extreme and fun event that is hosted on the last Sunday of June each year. The race is America’s second-oldest auto race, originally founded in 1916, and it consists of a 13-mile winding journey to the finish line sitting 14,115 feet above sea level.

Dumas has some previous when it comes to Pikes Peak, having competed 8 times before and he is looking forward to attempting it again in such a powerful electric van. In 1916 a Ford Model-T completed the event – and now hopefully, 106 years later, another Ford vehicle also hoping to pave the future will do the same.

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