Automotive

Review: 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning is a useful pickup truck ... sorta

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The Ford F-150 Lightning has a few subtle differences in appearance that set it apart from its standard gasoline siblings
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
The Ford F-150 Lightning has a few subtle differences in appearance that set it apart from its standard gasoline siblings
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
For the most part, the Ford F-150 Lightning looks like the rest of the F-150 lineup
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
Hiding in plain sight is the F-150 Lightning's most useful attribute, its frunk
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
The front trunk (aka frunk) of the Ford F-150 Lightning is larger than the trunk in many sedans
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
The Ford F-150 Lightning is all-wheel drive by default and comes only in this crew cab configuration
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
Similar to the front, the rear lighting on the F-150 Lightning runs all the way across
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
The Ford F-150 Lightning's cargo bed has a standard short-bed length of about 5.5 feet (1.7 m)
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
Like the F-150 hybrid we reviewed, the F-150 Lightning sports useful outlets in the rear bed for running tools, lights and more
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
A similar, but smaller bank of outlets is also found in the F-150 Lightning's frunk
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
Inside, the F-150 Lightning looks much like the rest of the Ford F-150 lineup
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas
When loaded, the F-150 Lightning's range drops considerably
Ford
Off-roading in the F-150 Lightning is steady, thanks to continual torque from the motors and all-wheel drive
Ford
Towing in the Ford F-150 Lightning means losing about two thirds of the truck's range
Ford
For weekenders hauling projects from the local hardware store, the F-150 Lightning is a nice fit
Ford
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After a week with the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning in a place where trucks are actually needed, we learned that it is in fact a good truck. Provided you don’t have too far to go, that is.

At a glance

  • Only vaguely related to the rest of the F-150 lineup
  • Range estimates are not even a ballpark when towing or hauling
  • Can literally power your house – for days
  • Good use case for many truck buyers

The Ford Lightning is one of the first full-production electric pickup trucks. Part of the F-150 lineup, the best-selling pickup in North America, it’s only visually related to the other F-150 options being sold. Most of the F-150 Lightning’s underpinnings are largely unrelated to its like-named siblings. Because the F-150 Lightning is heavier than its gasoline siblings (by a large margin, roughly 2,000 lb/907 kg), it cannot use the same chassis.

Instead, a chassis that is more similar to the Super Duty (heavy duty) line of trucks is used, but customized to match the needs of a battery-electric truck that has no hoses or pipes running from fore to aft. Instead of a drive shaft tunnel and space for a fuel tank and exhaust lines, the Lightning has a big square battery block running much of its length between the axles.

The front trunk (aka frunk) of the Ford F-150 Lightning is larger than the trunk in many sedans
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas

Bodywork on the 2023 F-150 Lightning is similar to the rest of the F-150 line, with a lot of the aluminum sheets being from the same stamps. Most of the differences in bodywork between the standard F-150 and the Lightning are subtle. Headlamps, tail lights, badging, the location of the "fuel port" door and other details make up the only discernible differences.

Not as obvious, but chief amongst the Lightning’s attributes is the extremely useful front trunk ("frunk"). It’s as large as the trunk of most large sedans, and sits at a realistic load height. It's potentially the most useful part of the entire truck for most people.

Inside the Lightning, seating and most of the controls layouts are also going to be very familiar to F-150 owners and fans. Seating is accommodating (and then some), materials are a mixture of good-looking and robust, and there are plenty of plugs, storage spots, etc. The Lightning comes only as a crew cab, with large back seats capable of seating three full-grown adults without a lot of squeeze.

Mechanically, the F-150 Lightning is also very different from its siblings. Either of two very large battery options provide power to electric motors situated on each axle (the F-150 Lightning comes standard with all-wheel drive). One of those options takes the form of a 98-kWh battery pack that provides about 240 miles (386 km) of range, while the other is a 131-kWh pack that should be good for about 300 miles (483 km). Those range numbers are highly variable, however, and being able to vaticinate what the actual range will be is a complicated affair with this truck.

We drove a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning with the larger battery pack, and in its topmost trim point. Driving around town with only short stints at over 45 mph (72.4 km/h) meant that we were well on our way towards achieving something akin to the claimed 300 miles of range. Once on the highway or freeway, however, those higher speeds meant far less range. Big vehicles displace big amounts of air, after all, so that added speed came at a cost – roughly 20% of the truck’s expected range.

All of that assumed that there was no load on the truck whatsoever. Nothing in the cargo bed, no trailer attached, and no extra people in the vehicle. Adding any of those things drops range even more. Sometimes drastically.

Towing in the Ford F-150 Lightning means losing about two thirds of the truck's range
Ford

Towing with almost any kind of trailer larger than what you’d put behind your compact car killed range the most. Like most others who’ve tested the F-150 Lightning in towing, we found that nearly 70% of range was lost when towing at highway speeds came into the picture. Three hundred miles turned into 100 very quickly. A lack of access to DC fast charging and the extra time to wait for that charge to come – assuming you can afford the wallet-smash that fast charging often entails – would mean towing is nearly useless with this truck.

Cargo hauling wasn’t much better. The heavier the F-150 Lightning is loaded, the worse its mileage gets – down to about half its total range when loaded near to maximum (about one ton or 2,235 lb /1,013 kg). That means if you’re hauling camping gear, lumber for a new shed, hay bails, or anything else substantial, you can drive maybe 150 miles (241 km) before needing to hit that charger.

For comparison, a standard turbocharged 3.5L F-150 under similar loads will still manage over 200 miles (322 km) per tank. And fill-ups take about five minutes, versus 45 if you’re fast charging. Someone towing their boat to the lake in a Lightning will likely be pushing mileage limits, whereas in the gasoline model there are no worries.

An advantage to the Ford Lightning’s battery, however, is its use in an emergency. Ford estimates that the 100-kWh battery can power the average US household for about three days in a power outage. One hundred kilowatt-hours is over three times the average daily home’s usage (29 kWh) in the US. The Ford F-150 Hybrid can also power a home, but not at full scale.

Another benefit of the Ford F-150 Lightning is its power generation for the worksite. Similar to the F-150 Hybrid we reviewed not long ago, its bank of bed-mounted plugs can also power tools, lights and more – simultaneously.

The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning fits a specific niche of truck buyers ... a relatively large niche in many urban and suburban areas. These are truck owners who largely use their pickups as a glorified sedan for hauling themselves and sometimes other people around. Truck owners for whom the added utility of the truck, namely towing and hauling, are occasional-use and not regular-use items.

The Ford F-150 Lightning's cargo bed has a standard short-bed length of about 5.5 feet (1.7 m)
Aaron Turpen / New Atlas

For getting to and from work every day, and heading to the hardware store or big box outlet every two or three weeks, the Lightning is a great option. To go any further or do any more, however, it’s probably better to opt for the F-150 Hybrid instead.

Product Page: 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning

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13 comments
paul314
The comment about not being useful for heavy loads seems a bit misplaced. Any farmers, contractors or tradespeople whose work is within 50-75 miles of their home base should be fine.
JemThomas
As with any new technology individual use cases are important, buying a PC back in the 80s required some consideration as to the justification; such justifications are no longer required. I am surprised Ford have not produced a simple no frills 2 door, rear drive only, version for contractors and other trades as the business case for such users is more than obvious even today. Perhaps these will come once Ford have skimmed the early adopter high value market whilst they ramp up production. Also let's not forget that most trucks sold are rarely used for the purpose for which they were designed, on my frequent business trips to Houston I am staggered how many are used almost exclusively for the daily commute. The F-150 lightning will fit right in for such users.
Hobocat
Once the trailers have their own electric motors, tow range won't be an issue. Just have to stop thinking about this in terms of I.C.E....new paradigm (s).
Daishi
@paul314 If the battery lasts ~90 miles when towing you will probably look to charge it after around 60-70 miles to leave yourself margin. That's 30-35 miles each way and really not a lot and that's making a big assumption you started from 100% charged to begin with. I've heard tons of real-world horror stories from people trying to use the non-Tesla charging infrastructure. Stations are often too slow, occupied, not working correctly or at all, everything needs an account to use it etc. and there are a bunch of confusing standards and adapters that many people don't even understand. EV's have improved a lot but the charging network is still kind of bad.
guzmanchinky
That was an excellent review. Perfect truck for the vast majority of people who don't go huge distances with huge loads. I've owned a Ford Expedition since 2004, and other than one long road trip with our 24 foot Yamaha boat this electric powertrain would've worked perfectly for 99% of what we've used it for, and probably saved us insane money on gasoline...
vince
The range of a pickup truck like the Ford F150e or Rivian 1T can drop to as low as 50 miles when all 9 major negative factors are present (wind, cold temps, snow/rain, bike racks with bikes, towing, towing heavy loads in enclosed trailers with dual axle trailers, speeds over 65 mph, older batteries with significant degradation, high loads, etc).
Jimmy the Geek
So I can haul my boat or camper 100 miles. Big flipping deal. It's not ready for prime time.
Bob809
Lots of negative comments here. I'd just like to add that they are mostly right, at the moment (hopefully things will change soon). The auto industry has failed you, again! They are making products that you do not want, and charging (sorry) you more for them. So how are they going to make amends, and sort out that poor charging network across the country? Of course, you surely know that using gas/diesel has a similar effect on your range when towing/being loaded to the max etc, in having the same effect when doing so with an electric vehicle? Range is always less in those situations. Yes, it's far easier to fill up than sit whilst your truck (in this case, but applies to cars also) charges. If they sort out the charging network, like faster charge speeds, much more of it and always working and so on... but then, that is going to cost more to provide. There's no easy answer to any of this is there?
Unsold
Hello? Detroit? Lose the frunk and pack the utility space in the back. Yeah, I know it's hard to convince folks to let go of their masculinity icons, but you'll be the first to provide 12' lumber capacity in the bed. PLUS you'll have the advantage of the BEST visibility with a tall windshield pushed to the front. Make it a masculine new paradigm. Gravelly-voice overdubs with mountains in the background - you know the drill.
rgooding
So this is for the truck "poser" and not for those who actually work with their truck? - so 80% of the market now! As for those who work with their truck, don't buy it - the improvements to make it "work world" capable will have been paid for in a few years so just be patient.
Any idea the braking performance of these beasts? If we're talking F250 weights I'd hate to see crash results for the other guy :(