Automotive

Lightning to strike when all-electric Ford F-150 debuts next week

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Ford announces next week's debut along with the model name of its full-size electric pickup: F-150 Lightning
Ford
Soon the lights will be pointed in the other direction; the F-150 Lightning will make a high-profile world premiere on May 19
Ford
Ford F-150 Lightning prototype dressed up as a standard F-150
Ford
Ford previously teased the towing capabilities of the electric F-150, showing a prototype pulling more than 1 million pounds worth of truck-loaded double-decker rail cars
Ford
Ford F-150 Lightning teaser picture from September 2020; the Lightning will wear the full-width lighting signature that's become trendy for electric vehicles
Ford
Ford announces next week's debut along with the model name of its full-size electric pickup: F-150 Lightning
Ford
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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 F-150 Lightning teaser picture from September 2020; the Lightning will wear the full-width lighting signature that's become trendy for electric vehicles
Ford

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.

Ford previously teased the towing capabilities of the electric F-150, showing a prototype pulling more than 1 million pounds worth of truck-loaded double-decker rail cars
Ford

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

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5 comments
Jason Catterall
Nice try Mr Farley, trying to squeeze in the F150 into the lineup of disruptive vehicles. The disruptor was the Cybertruck, as far as the segment is concerned. Don't kid yourself that you would have built this if Mr Musk hadn't come along. You're the disruptee, not the disruptor.
vince
I bet it will cist over $85,000 with typical options. Orobably iver $100,000 loaded up. No thanks ill go back to a horse and buggy. Much cheaper.
Don Duncan
"Not so fast, says Ford..." = We can make vague promises just as Chevy does. Ford disrupted the auto industry over a century ago and could have done so again if it was not heavily invested in Big Oil, the past, stuck there, and fighting to stay there by spending money on ads.
We can't drive promises.
ljaques
Yup. You can pull seriously heavy loads all the way down your driveway and back, using only half the battery capacity, I'll bet. Or you can have performance driving and use the truck as a power source, and maybe make it back home without a charge. Sorry, Ford, but this is not a disruptive vehicle. I loved my 1990 F-150 and drove it for 17 years. And I adore my '07 Toyota Tundra. But if I were to buy an electric truck in the near future, it would be either a Rivian or (ideally) a Bollinger B1. My SWAG is that all that frunk room will be filled with aftermarket lithium battery packs.
martinwinlow
Why on Earth doesn't someone just do a practical, mid-size, off-road pickup without all the silliness - just a 'fuel' gauge and a speedo for instrumentation, no leather, no unnecessary trim, but with a (hugely useful) mains supply, good lighting, winch, heated front windscreen, good ground clearance etc - basically a hugely practical - and CHEAP - Series 1 Land Rover... but electric? Every farmer on the planet would have one.