Ford has unveiled an all-electric version of the F-150, Ford’s best-selling pickup and best-selling car worldwide. This is the Ford F-150 Lightning, a car that certainly lives up to its name.
The Ford F-150 is by far the best-selling car in the United States. Nearly 800,000 were sold last year, some 200,000 more than Chevrolet sold of the Silverado and just under 240,000 more pickups than Ram sold to American consumers. Ford is now the first of those three major pick-up builders to come up with a fully electric version of its pick-up. The electric Ford F-150 goes by the name Lightning, a well-known designation in the country of the F-150.
Ford F-150
Ford applied the name SVT Lightning until the fourth F-150 disappeared from the market in 2004, namely on various generations of the model. Raptor is now the designation for fierce F-150s and Ford has chosen to dust the Lightning label for its fully electric F-150. Given the electric powertrain of this new F-150 variant, Lightning is of course an obvious choice. In addition, the F-150 Lightning, like its SVT Lightning predecessors, is by far the fastest version of the F-150 range.
The Ford F-150 Lightning, always with two electric motors and thus four-wheel drive, has an electric powertrain of up to 571 hp and 1,051 Nm. The colossus thus sprints in 4 seconds to a speed of 97 km / h (60 mph). A less powerful variant kicks it up to 432 hp. Ford is still keeping an eye on the size of the electric lung capacity. The brand does indicate that two battery packs will be available. The smallest is good for a range of 370 kilometers, the largest takes the F-150 Lightning to 483 kilometers. The F-150 can charge up to 150 kW on a fast charger. Via what Ford calls Intelligent Backup Power, the F-150 Lightning can also pump its power into your house, for example, with a charging speed of 9.6 kW.
Ford F-150
The Ford F-150 Lightning is based on the regular Ford’s F-150, but has an all-new and sturdier frame and independent rear suspension. The body is made of aluminum, just like the well-known F-150s. The electric pick-up has a maximum payload of 907 kilos and can tow up to 4,535 kilos. Ford takes the opportunity to load the F-150 Lightning with gadgets. For example, your smartphone can act as a key, the car can over-the-air-received updates and has an electric opening and a whopping 400 liters frunk in its snout that acts as extra luggage space. In that frunk there is a 2.4 kW charger, in the charging box there are charging points with which you can charge your devices up to 7.2 kW. Also new for the F-150 is a 15.5-inch vertically oriented infotainment screen on the center console.
Ford F-150
From the outside, the F-150 Lightning can be recognized by its striking muzzle with LED headlights that are optionally connected to each other. The bumper work is designed without too much fuss. The F-150 Lightning is, according to Ford, the most aerodynamically designed F-150 ever.
The first copies of the Ford F-150 Lightning will roll off the production line next year at Ford’s new factory in Dearborn just outside Detroit. The American starting price is converted to € 32,800, although that amount is for a version mainly intended for the business market. Ford also mentions the price of a version in the middle of the F-150 lineup: the XLT. It changes ownership from € 43,465 onwards.