Ford kicked off its F-150 EcoBoost Challenge on Facebook Wednesday. Truck fans in eight cities -- Louisville, Kentucky; Pittsburgh; Houston; San Diego; Orlando, Florida.; Denver; Kansas City, Missouri.; and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina -- will put the force-inducted V-6 half-tons to the test in both fuel efficiency and community projects. Residents in the winning driver's city will be offered free Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline for two hours and 22 minutes on September 2, because well, the F-150 EcoBoost is rated 22 mpg on the highway.
"This challenge is a great way to highlight the capacities of the F-150 EcoBoost -- a truck specially engineered to deliver the capability people need and the fuel efficiency they really want," said Raj Sarkar, F-150 marketing manager. "Plus, this challenge speaks to the spirit of our F-150 owners, who work hard for their families as well as their communities."
The contest will last one week with the first five days dedicated to "a real-world fuel efficiency competition" with average miles per gallon recorded by Ford's trunk-mounted Crew Chief system. On August 27, the contestants will use the F-150 EcoBoost to haul materials to the site of the service project created by them and their local communities.
The drivers will be scored on their fuel efficiency, number of votes they receive on Facebook, and how many people volunteered in their service project. The winning driver will a receive one-year supply of free Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline along with the free two hours and 22 minutes of gasoline for to residents of the winners hometown.
"We are proud to be a part of the Ford F-150 EcoBoost Challenge because we understand that consumers are looking to stretch their fuel purchases without sacrificing the quality of their ride," said Dan Little, North America fuels marketing manager for Shell Oil Products U.S. "That's why all three grades of Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline help clean and protect critical engine parts, so the engine can perform at its best."