We've known about the all-electric Ford F-150 for more than four years, but lately it was starting to look like the Chevy e-Silverado might just overshadow it. Not so fast, says Ford, confirming that the F-150 Lighting is coming, and coming soon. It will reveal its all-electric full-size pickup truck to the world with a grand unveiling next week, promising a truck that accelerates quickly off the line, serves as a backup power source in emergencies and packs the latest digital tech.
"Every so often, a new vehicle comes along that disrupts the status quo and changes the game … Model T, Mustang, Prius, Model 3. Now comes the F-150 Lightning," Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said in today's announcement. "America’s favorite vehicle for nearly half a century is going digital and fully electric. F-150 Lightning can power your home during an outage; it’s even quicker than the original F-150 Lightning performance truck; and it will constantly improve through over-the-air updates."
It would be easy to dismiss Farley's words as the usual hyperbole with which virtually every new vehicle announcement and teaser are filled, but the Ford F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in the US for more than 40 years. It follows that the introduction of an all-electric version is indeed a huge day, both for Ford and for EVs in general.
Ford will give the F-150 Lightning a reveal event befitting of a "status quo disruptor," offering 30 different means of watching it, from the usual livestreaming options on Ford's Facebook and YouTube channels, to big public broadcasts in 18 locations to include Times Square, NYC and Las Vegas Boulevard. It will hold the event at its Dearborn world headquarters, starting at 9:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 19.
Ford has previously promised that the F-150 Lightning will be the quickest, most powerful, highest-torque F-150 thanks to its dual-motor electric powertrain, which will bring serious towing capability. The Lightning will also be capable of serving as a rolling power source, supplying power to a home in an outage or out in the field at a worksite or campsite. A large front trunk will assist the pickup bed in offering serious cargo capacity.
The "Lightning" name that Ford revealed today has roots in the high-performance F-150 developed by Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) in the 1990s. The name makes a natural transition to the brand's first all-electric pickup, which will set new performance benchmarks for the F-Series.
Ford will begin production of the F-150 Lightning at its new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Spring 2022. Construction of the EV Center high-tech manufacturing facility is a part of a $700-million Rouge Complex investment Ford announced last September.
The minute-long teaser video below helps set the scene for next week's big premiere.
Source: Ford
