Selected to test the hybrid technology under extreme conditions and originally planned as the vehicle to complete 97% of the total TGCE travel distance, this vehicle was designed to travel both most of the Arctic, all the Antarctic plus all between. This plan was later abounded for two reasons; crossing from Canada to Greenland on ice was considered too risky and getting the vehicle out of Antarctica with the crossing team was an extra logistical challenge. This vehicle was designed to use the AT/Nokian 44-inch tires with zero lift for excellent stability and traction both on and off road but still accepting smaller tires for the continental crossing. It was sent to Iceland early 2021 for the AT44 conversion and was use in TGCE second expedition in March 2022, establishing a route between the “Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road” and the Arctic Sea ice.


It will travel from New York to Yellowknife and then be sent to Iceland together with the 4 Ford Explorers. Before the TGCE arrives from North Pole to Iceland via Greenland, Arctic Trucks is going to reduce the vehicle overall width by 23cm, installing 39-inch BFG tires together with narrower fender flairs to better fit narrower roads and parking as it continues through Europe, Africa, South America etc. Although more limited when it comes to snow, this vehicle is still a very capable when it comes to various off-road challenges and a strong support for the Ford Expedition vehicles if needed.


The role of this vehicle in the expedition continues to test the hybrid system, service the expedition with up to 7.2KW electric power in remote locations, carry spare parts and tools for the continental crossings, carry recovery kits including winch.

TGCE partner Arctic Trucks began the development of the Arctic Trucks 44-inch conversion (AT44) based on Ford F150 in 2018 with the intention to ad this vehicle to its Antarctica operation. The vision of TGCE to support technological development to support advancing technologies it was decided to buy a Hybrid version of the F150 and send this to Iceland for building the AT44, fully capable Polar vehicle.

In March 2022, 3 AT44 F150, one hybrid and two diesel powered together with 4 Yemelya, navigated the land and ice and found a route connecting the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road and the sea ice in Bathurst Inlet.

The body of the Ford F150 is relatively large and made from high grade alloy giving more space without the weight penalty. Strong service together with a very good diesel engine option this was a very this was a very promising model to build a polar vehicle where JET fuel is often the only option the AT44 F150 was set to become Arctic Trucks new addition to the Antarctica a fleet of vehicles and the vehicle fleet to take the TGCE team across Antarctica. Having one Hybrid running on gasoline was a known logistical and technical challenge but at TGCE we decided to support this, helping to understand the challenges of using electric and batteries under these extreme conditions, to carry the flag of supporting technical progress.

2021 YM Platinum, a luxury setup with sunroof and more.

In this configuration the vehicle can travel efficiently in most snow conditions, travel softly on deliciated ground with ground pressure down to 3psi but it can also travel silently on the highways with 30psi.

In during covid times in 2021 Ford Motor decided to cancel F150 Power stroke, the diesel version of F150, this affected TGCE plans as Arctic Trucks decided to switch their plans for a new Antarctica vehicle to build on the F350 power stroke, making a 6x6 vehicle. This made the logistics of using our AT44 F150 hybrid a bigger challenge, so we decided to make this vehicle as part of our Continental car fleet, having extra capabilities for potential challenges in regions such as Africa and more.