► New electric Ford F-150 Lightning
► EV pick-up is the start of a new era
► ‘The most torque of any F-150 ever’
Ford has officially announced the first fully-electric F-150 pick-up for the US market: the F-150 Lightning.
While it won’t make its way to the UK, it’s a big moment for the Blue Oval in the North American market in particular – the F-150 is one of its best-selling vehicles in its long history, and Ford claims it’s been America’s best-selling pick-up for 44 years.
So, how powerful is it?
There are two variants, both featuring a motor on each axle for electric all-wheel drive. Ford hasn’t released exact battery sizes by kWh, but the ‘standard range’ spec claims around 230 miles according to the USA’s EPA tests, and produces 426bhp and 775lb ft. Go for the ‘extended range’ battery option and those figures jump to around 300 miles on a charge, 563bhp and the same 775lb ft torque figure.
Charge times are just a target for now, with the Lightning allowing up to 150kW charging speeds. Ford claims a 15-80% charge on the most powerful chargers is done in under 45 minutes.
As for load capabilities, the standard range can carry around 900kg and the extended range can carry around 816kg on board. Towing capacities work the other way around – the standard can tow almost 3.5 tonnes, with the extended capable of towing more than 4.5 tonnes.
Read our UK review of the epic Ford F-150 Raptor
Any clever or handy tech?
Well, for starters, the interior includes a central portrait display we’ve already seen in the Mustang Mach-E. You can unlock it with your phone or a pillar-mounted keypad (the latter’s nothing new) and the instruments have been replaced with a digital screen.
Ford’s also promoting its new BlueCruise technology here; essentially Level 3-like autonomous driving when the car enters what’s called a ‘hands-free blue zone’. These zones are to be rolled out soon on US and Canadian highways.
But it wouldn’t be a truck without some super-handy features. The Lightning is available with ‘intelligent back-up power’ – similar to the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s vehicle-to-load technology. It allows you to run devices, tools and even your house from the car’s battery.
Given the electric powertrain, the front bonnet has been turned into a huge ‘frunk’ area with around 400 litres of space alone – on top of the circa-1500 litre rear load area.
When does it go on sale?
Ford says there will be a basic commercial spec and three trims for private buyers – XLT, Lariat and Platinum. Ford says the commercial one can be yours for around $40,000 before any tax credits come into effect, with an XLT starting at $52,974.
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