Wraps Come Off Ford’s First All-electric Pickup Truck

The wraps are off Ford’s first-ever all-electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning. Ford has revived the iconic nameplate for its fully electric pickup, which the legendary carmaker says is “the truck of the future.” 

Here are six things you need to know about it:

Electric Powertrain

The F-150 Lightning is available in two variants: Standard Range and the more powerful Extended Range. Both are powered by a dual-motor setup, effectively making it an all-wheel drive. Here are the specifications:

Ford has yet to reveal the battery specifications. But it supports fast charging and can be topped up from 15-80 percent in 41 minutes using a 150kW fast charger. Using the same for ten minutes will allow you to travel up to 86km. 

Exterior Design

The F-150 Lightning gets its share of EV-specific elements. Up front, you see the chunkier LED DRLs connecting both the headlamps. There’s a closed-off grille (that comes in three designs) for better aerodynamics. 

Changes on the side are limited to the new alloy wheel design. At the back, the pickup sports connected LED tail lamps. Sure, the F-150 isn’t the most aerodynamic, but the revised side-step design and closed-off grille should help.

Interior Styling

The 15.5-inch vertical portrait infotainment system is similar to that of the Mustang Mach-E. It also supports OTA updates, allowing the company to fix bugs and introduce new features via a software update. 

Also, thanks to the vertical setup, the all-electric pickup’s cabin does away with all the buttons and knobs found inside the standard F-150, which has a landscape-style infotainment system. 

The steering wheel and 12-inch digital instrument display are similar to the standard model. 

Features

Creature comforts in the F-150 Lightning include connected car tech, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a panoramic sunroof, up to an 18-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system, a powered tailgate and hood, climate control, and LED exterior lighting. 

Passenger safety is taken care of by multiple airbags, electronic stability control, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, blind spot detection, and pre-collision assist with autonomous emergency braking. 

Trivia

• The F-150 Lightning is the first Ford truck to get an independent rear suspension. 

• You can lock, unlock, and start the truck with Ford’s ‘Phone As A Key’ functionality.

• The truck can keep the lights and other small devices at your place switched on during a power outage! This is courtesy of the 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro and home management system, which automatically gets activated when there’s no electricity.

• The F-150 Lightning comes with four off-road modes: Normal, Sport, Off-Road, and Tow/Haul. 

Prices And Rivals

The all-electric F-150 is priced from $39,974 (Rs 29.23 lakh*) in the USA. Bookings start today for a token of $100 (Rs 7,313*), while deliveries will begin in 2022. It rivals the fully electric Tesla Cybertruck.  

*Prices converted during the time of writing this report