The Future of Pickup Trucks is Here

Ford’s Atlas offers a shuttered front grille, self-charging batteries and fold-up running boards

The future of the Ford F150 - The Atlas concept truck

Ford Atlas Concept Truck

The Atlas looks like an F150 on steroids. It’s got large wheel-well flares, and LED headlights and tail lights that offer a significant improvement over conventional halogen or HID lights. The side mirror and cargo box light are also LED. The hood is a raised power dome which wraps around the unique front grille, which features active shutters that remain open when cooling is needed and close automatically to improve aerodynamics when driving at highway speeds. The wheels also feature shutters that automatically close at higher speed. The self charging batteries use energy from wheel motion to power the shutters. The front air dam also drops at high speed and raises to provide more clearance off-road. Power running boards drop down into position when the doors are opened up and remain tight against the body when the truck is in motion. The tailgate step also can rise up to provide a cradle for holding long pieces of cargo. And the lowered section of the cab roof has tie downs to secure a ladder or lumber.

In The Cab
Covered in an ambience of blue, this interior was designed to be comfortable and highly efficient. The instrument cluster is a 3D series of displays, similar to the Ford Focus. The real meat and potatoes is the navigation screen, providing a vast array of important information, music, phone connectivity, and a highly sophisticated backup camera. And the 360-degree point-of-view camera helps drivers navigate tight parking spots. With a twist of a knob, the camera can help back up your trailer. That’s right; Ford can guide your trailer into a parking spot.

Safety First
No specs on these yet, but I would assume that the safety features from an F150 would carry over in this vehicle, with a high-tech addition or two.

Power
The next generation EcoBoost engine uses gasoline direct injection and turbocharging to deliver fuel economy gains of up to 20 per cent and a 15 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. It also features auto start-stop technology that shuts the engine off when stopped to save fuel. It is also knows when you’re towing to disable this feature.

Pump Frequency
Not available at this time

Warranty Support
Not available at this time

Verdict
Although most concept vehicles never come to fruition, they do provide a window to what designers and engineers are working. If some of this technology finds its way onto
the 2015 Ford F150, we will be in for a treat. I say stick this beast into production and don’t change a thing.

Article written by: Ian Harwood - "The Truck Guy"
Corporate Sales and Operations Manager for Custom Truck Parts