The New Ford F-150 Lightning
The new F-150 Lightning already has over 100,000 preorders. (Photo Courtesy: Ford)
Ford Announces the Release of the All Electric F-150 Lightning
By: Lucas Rostler
America’s Most Popular Truck, This Time Electric
The all-new Ford F-150 Lightning is already looking like a wildly successful addition to Ford’s truck lineup. The Ford F-150 series has not only been America’s best-selling truck for the past 43 years, but has also been Ford’s best-selling vehicle over that time period as well. In other words, this is a major market for Ford, and the pre-orders for the Lightning are backing this statement up. In the four weeks since this truck has been announced, there have already been over 100,000 pre-orders!
What makes this truck so intriguing for consumers is the wide variety of trims: Six in total. The basic model, the “Pro”, starts at $39,974. The most tricked-out trim, the “Platinum”, goes for $89,874. These prices, by the way, are before the $7,500 federal tax break consumers get when they purchase an EV.
Ford’s Challenge: Bridging the Gap
The challenge for Ford is convincing truck-inclined consumers to purchase an EV. People who need a truck for work, or just prefer a truck as their daily driver, are not as environmentally conscious as the average EV consumer. The way Ford plans to bridge this gap is by offering an EV truck that performs just as well (if not better) than traditional gas-powered trucks. That way the choice between EV and gas will be made for the consumer in the market for a new truck.
So far, based on initial information, Ford has successfully bridged this gap. The Lightning can travel 230 miles with the standard battery. For an additional $10,000 consumers can get an extended range battery that provides a 300 mile range (the Lariat Premium and the Platinum come with an extended range battery). The battery can support a 150kW DC fast charger which recharges 54 miles for every 10 minutes it’s plugged in.
At 563-horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque, the Lightning’s dual motors catapult the F-150 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds. This is a half second faster than the Ford Raptor, Ford’s most powerful F-150.
For those who plan to put this truck to work, it can tow 10,000 pounds and carry 2,000 pounds of payload. In addition, the Lightning can act as a power source on construction sites and for homes if the power goes out. Like the new gas-powered F-150’s, the Lightning has a folding gear shift so that there is a small desk to do paperwork on between the two front seats and multiple power outlets that deliver 2.4kW to charge tools on the job-site (there is an option to add outlets with more power for faster charging).
Ford Means Business!
For the layman or the construction worker, the new F-150 Lightning is certainly enticing. With the option of six different trims, consumers of completely different wants and needs are sure to find what they’re looking for in one of the options.
The addition of the Lightning to Ford’s lineup as well as the streamlined batteries, motors, and control units across Ford’s entire EV lineup is a tell-tale sign that Ford is ready for the impending EV takeover in the automobile market.
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