How Ford baked its 2027 F-150 in desert heat before serving

Posted by Talbot Payne on September 16, 2026

A Ford F-150 Prototype undergoes heat testing at the Arizona Proving Grounds. Thermal engineer Stephen Gluck indicates nodes that measure powertrain temps up to 1,700 degrees.

A Ford F-150 Prototype undergoes heat testing at the Arizona Proving Grounds. Thermal engineer Stephen Gluck indicates nodes that measure powertrain temps up to 1,700 degrees.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

WHITTMAN, Arizona — It’s hot at Ford Motor Co.’s Arizona Proving Grounds in the Mojave Desert 48 miles northwest of Phoenix. Beastly hot, with average triple-digit temperatures during August, and test track temps climbing over 150 degrees.

Which is just how Ford F-150 pickup engineers like it.

At the wheel of a 2027 F-150 prototype, Thermal Systems Engineer James Konstantino tore around APG’s 2.1-mile oval at 60 mph, towing a bright red dynamometer simulating a 10,000-pound trailer on a five-degree grade. In 114-degree heat.

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