Back in 2016, Ford fitted out a special F-150 truck for serve-and-protect duty as a police service vehicle. Now the company has done something similar with the new all-electric version of the pickup, which has been dubbed the F-150 Lightning Pro SSV.
Ford notes that it has supplied police departments with vehicles for more than 70 years, with its police vehicle lineup actually outselling those supplied by all of its combined competitors.
The latest addition to its lineup, the 2023 F-150 Lightning Pro Special Service Vehicle (or SSV for short), essentially combines the all-electric version of America's best-selling truck with the latest generation of the special-edition combustion-engine Police Responder mentioned in the opener.
Ford says that in standard battery configuration, the electric drivetrain produces 452 hp (337 kW) along with 775 lb.ft (1,050 Nm) of torque, payload capacity of up to 2,235 lb (1,013 kg) is possible and the e-truck is capable of towing 7,700 lb (~3,490 kg). With an extended battery option cooked in, the horsepower gets a bump to 580 and the towing capability to 10,000 lb.
Inside, officers will find a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, plus a 12-inch touchscreen in landscape orientation above the blocky center console. Ford's Co-Pilot360 driver assistance package is included too, which offers such things as auto emergency braking and help with blindspots.
The vehicle retains the same four-door SuperCrew configuration as the standard F-150 Lighting, but comes fitted with heavy duty cloth seats with reduced bolsters so that personnel can get in and out with ease, and easy-clean vinyl rear seats and flooring. Steel intrusion plates have been built into the front seatbacks for protection, and there's a reinforced instrument panel top tray that's ready for aftermarket police equipment.
Though the SSV hasn't been designed for high-speed pursuit, it's still pretty quick off the mark with a standstill to 60 mph (0 - 96.5 km/h) sprint time of under four seconds (in the extended battery configuration) – and powerful roof-mounted red/blue/white LED flashers are available to warn other road users and pedestrians to get out of the way.
The lockable and washable 14.1-cu-ft (0.39-cu-m) "Mega Power Frunk" can be used to stow hi-viz vests, traffic cones, toolkits and police tape, and includes 120-V Power Onboard outlets to meet various mobile needs, plus USB ports. The vehicle also comes with a 220-amp DC-DC converter for powering police radios, computers, lighting and so on.
Ford also says that access to its Pro platform means that the SSV can be seamlessly connected to an existing fleet of electric and ICE vehicles (including non-Ford models), and fleet management software. And the SSV also adds such things as Ford E-Telematics and access too more than 650 EV-certified Ford Commercial Vehicle Centers across the US.
Ford hasn't released pricing or availability information for the 2023 F-150 Lightning Pro, or even details like per-charge range, but says that such things will follow later.
Source: Ford
