The EV Pickup Truck from Ford
For 44 years and counting, the primary promoting truck within the US has been the Ford F-150. When Ford determined to enter the truck EV market, it made good sense to increase the success of its Swiss military knife of pickups with an electrical model.
The Ford F-150 Lightning isn’t a alternative for any of the prevailing F-150s, it’s a new member of the family with a smoother, extra aerodynamic physique and a brand new entrance fascia, lighting and wheels. It’s solely accessible as a SuperCrew 4-door cab and a 5.5 -foot mattress. For an F-150 proprietor, the Lightning has all of the common choices, but it surely provides new options that solely an EV can ship.
Ford’s greatest marketplace for the F-150 is its business clients, and Ford hopes that may proceed with the Lightning. Ford’s fleet enterprise is a confirmed success with business truckers. Ford has invested in extending that phase to incorporate business EV gross sales, service, and financing to make its business clients’ transition to EV vans straightforward and seamless. Retail clients are additionally vital to Ford and to that finish, have configured the Lightning with the identical big selection of choices the F-150 house owners are aware of at present.
How does the Lightning Differ from ICE F-150s?
Or would it not be higher to say how a lot of the Lightning is similar because the F-150 driving expertise?
The Lightning seems the identical as an ICE F-150, however followers will discover the Lightning’s distinctive nostril, wheels and tail. There are the identical 4 trims (however not the King Ranch model) because the ICE F-50s, the Professional, XLT, Lariat, and the range-topping Platinum, plus a lot of the equipment and choices from the ICE F-150s are additionally accessible.
Whatever the trim, the Lightning provides some distinctive options. The engine compartment is now not wanted, in order that house is now what Ford calls the “Energy Mega Frunk,” with 14.1 cubic ft of storage that may carry as much as 400 kilos. It contains 4 120-volt AC retailers and two USB ports, with two extra 120-volt retailers within the cab and 4 extra in the usual dimension F-150 mattress, plus a further 240-volt outlet. These retailers can present as much as 9.6 kliowatts with the non-compulsory Professional-Energy-Onboard. Ford additionally provides home-charging options that may energy a whole house for a number of days utilizing the onboard battery. Whereas this setup could be pricy, it reveals the flexibility and potential of the Lightning.
The drivetrain for all F-150 Lightnings has two inboard three-phase mounted magnet AC motors driving the entrance and rear wheels. Horsepower is 452 for the usual vary model and 580 for the prolonged vary truck, and the torque for each variations is 775 pound-feet.
Two battery choices can be found, and each are lithium-ion pouch-type packs with inside battery administration and liquid cooling.
The usual-range model has a 98-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery with an 11.3/10.5 kW inside charger. The extended-range model ups the battery capability to 131 kWh with a 19.2/17.6 kW inside charger. The EPA-rated vary is 230 miles for the usual vary and 320 miles for the prolonged vary battery. These are aggressive with different smaller EVs, however the EcoBoost V6 F-150 model tops 520 miles of EPA vary with a 26-gallon gasoline tank.
Our well-used prolonged vary media tester indicated 320 miles on a full cost.
The F-150 Lightning has a payload capability of 2235 lb. for the standard-range battery and 1952 lb. for the extended-range battery.
Most towing weight is 5000 lb. (commonplace vary) and 7700 lb. (prolonged vary). An accessible towing bundle ups the towing weight to 7700/10,000 lb. With towing, anticipate much less vary than the EPA rankings.
How does It Experience?
The Lightning is the primary F-150 to supply e4-wheel impartial suspension with a double-wishbone with coil-over shock setup within the entrance and impartial semi-trailing arms with coil-over heavy-duty shocks within the rear. For a three-and-a-half-ton truck, it drives very easily, with a little bit of wandering and jiggling from the physique on body structure. The inside is serene with a 70-mph sound measurement of 65 dB, which is in Rolls Royce territory. Wind noise is absent, and the cab is rock stable, making for a financial institution vault silence and smoothness.
That silence is deceiving when the Lightning is beneath onerous acceleration except the pretend engine sound is lively. The texture is like sitting within the entrance cabin of a Boeing 777. You get pushed into the seat because the truck effortlessly reaches 60 in lower than 4.6-seconds. The one noise you hear is the entrance tires chirping because the traction management modulates the facility. From 0-100, the entrance tires tried to interrupt unfastened a number of instances. Fortunately prime pace is restricted to 120 mph.
After all, the Lightning has all the same old security gear and electronics, together with a sizeable 15.5-inch heart contact display screen and a 12-inch driver’s digital display screen.
Ford’s adaptive cruise management, together with Co-Pilot360 with BlueCruise hands-free driving, is commonplace on the Lighting.
This truck tries to mix in, however regardless of its efforts, it will get a lot of consideration.
Our preliminary impressions of the Lightning have been that it was an excessive amount of just like the common F-150s, and nobody would discover it. Properly, have been we improper. In every single place we went, the Lightning turned heads. Depart it parked for a bit, and somebody was at all times peeking into it. We had a number of of our neighbors textual content and ask if they may come over and sit in it, together with one fellow that ordered a Lightning final yr, however had but to sit down in a single.
Trims and Costs
There are six trim variations of the F-150 Lightning. Base MSRP (as of November 1, 2022) after two bumps up throughout latest months. Costs don’t embody the vacation spot cost, which is famous on the backside of the record.
Professional Std. Vary $51,974
XLT Std. Vary $59,474
XLT Ext. Vary $80,974
Lariat Std. Vary $74,474
Lariat Ext. Vary $85,974
Platinum Ext. Vary $96,874
Vacation spot Cost $1,895
Provide & Demand
As with different Ford EVs just like the Mustang Mach-E and the E-Transit, demand has been overwhelming, making it virtually not possible to purchase one. Practically a yr after pre-ordering began, the Lightning is barely now starting to make its manner into clients’ arms. Ford has been working additional time to ramp manufacturing, with a purpose of 150,000 Lightnings a yr, however even that received’t fill all pre-orders, a lot much less demand.
Essentially the most important provide chain difficulty is having a ample variety of batteries to make extra vans. Ford is ramping up new battery vegetation, enlarging the Lightning manufacturing unit, and doing all of the issues concerned to carry a brand new product to market, however it should take time. Then there are the franchise sellers motivated by only one factor: how a lot can I get for a sizzling product in brief provide. It’s commonplace for a vendor to mark up a Lightning Platinum a further $50,000 at present simply to position an order. Ford is within the strategy of getting its sellers consistent with new necessities (together with limiting worth markup) for sellers to have the ability to promote Ford’s EV merchandise.
So as to add to this frustration, the pre-ordering for the 2023 Lightning received’t reopen till the summer season of 2023. The most effective recommendation proper now’s to get on Ford’s replace system and make your curiosity identified. You may as well go to Ford reservations to get extra data on ordering.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is the Best EV Truck Right now.
Simply because the common F-150 is the best-selling truck in America, the Ford F-150 Lightning will even be the best-selling EV truck within the USA, and its pre-orders again that up. So, if you need a state-of-the-art pickup that runs on electrons, set your alarm for subsequent summer season so you’ll be prepared!
Disclosure:
Clear Fleet Report is loaned free take a look at automobiles from automakers to guage, sometimes for per week at a time. Our street assessments are primarily based on this one-week drive of a brand new automobile. Due to this we don’t handle points akin to long-term reliability or whole value of possession. As well as, we are sometimes invited to producer occasions highlighting new automobiles or know-how. As a part of these occasions we could also be supplied free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our greatest to current our unvarnished evaluations of automobiles and information irrespective of those inducements.
Our focus is on automobiles that provide the perfect gasoline economic system of their class, which leads us to emphasise electrical automobiles, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We additionally characteristic these environment friendly gas-powered automobiles which can be among the many prime mpg automobiles of their class. As well as, we intention to supply critiques and information on superior know-how and the choice gasoline automobile market. We welcome any suggestions from automobile house owners and are devoted to offering a discussion board for different viewpoints. Please tell us your views at [email protected].
