Thankfully, that piece of the puzzle is now in place as the Dearborn automaker announced the capacity of both the Standard Range Battery and Extended Range Battery. Ford says the former has 98 kWh while the latter boasts 131 kWh, but it’s unclear at this point whether we are dealing with total or useable capacities. The announcement was made during a livestream about its hugely popular zero-emissions pickup for which it has already received 200,000 reservations.

Additional juicy information disclosed includes the Ford-estimated 280 miles of range for the flagship version, the F-150 Lightning Platinum. It’s the only trim level to get the bigger battery as standard equipment, while on the lesser Lariat and XLT, it can be had as an option. For the base Pro, you’ll sadly be stuck with the smaller pack.

The Platinum is also the only Lightning flavor to get Ford’s new Blue Cruise autonomous driving system as standard, which is optional on the Lariat and unavailable for the XLT and Pro. The 12-inch SYNC4 infotainment is standard on the Pro and XLT while the Lariat and Platinum get the bigger 15.5-inch setup.

The EV’s official premiere mentioned a maximum range of 300 miles, but it’s understandable why the Platinum can’t match that since it’s the heaviest of the bunch due to the extra equipment fitted as standard. In addition, it rides on large 22-inch wheels, which are definitely not ideal if you’re primarily interested in squeezing every last drop of efficiency from the 131-kWh battery.

Production is scheduled to start next spring and will ramp up until 2024 when Ford aims to make 80,000 units that year.

Source: Ford

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Demand for the reborn Lightning has far exceeded Ford’s projections, with the Dearborn automaker recently deciding to double production by investing an additional $250 million and hiring and creating an extra 450 jobs. The original plan was to make 40,000 units a year, but that number has since grown to 80,000 vehicles annually at the Rouge plant in Michigan.

Providing all reservations will be converted to firm orders, which frankly seems highly unlikely, the Blue Oval will need two and a half years to clear out the backlog. Ford CEO Jim Farley has a more realistic estimation of 80% of the reservations being converted to actual sales, so it’s safe to say the F-150 EV is likely sold out for the first two model years. That’s especially true if we take into consideration the 200,000 reservations do not include fleet buyers.

In a recent interview with Automotive News, Ford’s head honcho said 70% of reservations holders are not only new to the brand, but also haven’t purchased a pickup truck before, while the rest of them are existing F-150 owners. Sales of the hotly anticipated zero-emissions truck will commence in spring 2022. Pricing kicks off at $39,974 MSRP for the commercial-oriented SR version and goes all the way up to $90,474 if you order the Lightning ER Platinum with all the bells and whistles.

Ford North America Product Communications director Mike Levine took to Twitter to confirm it’s too late to get in line to purchase the F-150 Lightning:

https://t.co/RLDi4xoNbA pic.twitter.com/85VNnPw7FL

— Mike Levine (@mrlevine) December 8, 2021

Source: Ford, Mike Levine / Twitter

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Members of the LightningOwners forums who have placed reservations for the EV pickup have just been informed by Hardy Family Ford that the order banks won’t be opening next week after all. The e-mail sent by the dealer to reservation holders mentions the Dearborn automaker will begin to accept customer orders for the zero-emissions truck from December.

Come December, the dealer will get in touch with those who have paid $100 for the refundable deposit to claim the F-150 Lightning. It’s important to mention the electric truck is technically not delayed as customer deliveries are still scheduled to commence in mid-2022, according to the e-mail sent by Hardy Family Ford to several members of the LightningOwners forums.

Pre-production of the hotly anticipated electric workhorse has already commenced at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan and the Lightning is off to a great start as Ford has racked up more than 150,000 reservations since the official premiere. An additional investment of $250 million is being made at the plant to increase production capacity at the factory where an extra 450 jobs are being created in order to meet the strong demand.

By 2024, production should increase to 80,000 units annually or double the amount Ford had originally planned. Plans are already in motion for a second-generation Lightning, supposedly programmed to arrive towards the end of 2025 on the TE1 platform that’s being developed specifically for big trucks and SUVs.

Meanwhile, customer deliveries of the Rivian R1T have commenced and the GMC Hummer EV truck is on track for a Q4 2021 release. As for the Tesla Cybertruck, the much-hyped electric ute has been postponed to sometime next year. In January 2022 at CES, Chevrolet will introduce the Silverado EV as yet another pickup without a combustion engine.

Source: LightningOwners

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Automotive News has it on good authority the Blue Oval will make adjustments to the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan to double the production output of the Lightning. According to the yet-to-be-confirmed plan, Ford will assemble roughly 15,000 electric trucks in 2022 before ramping up annual production to 55,000 units in 2023.

The report stipulates Ford will be able to put together no fewer than 80,000 electric F-150s in 2024, which is twice as much as originally planned. The company has already vowed to invest $700 million to prepare the factory for the Lightning’s arrival, but boosting production will require an additional $850 million, according to Automotive News.

While the F-150 Lightning won’t hit the market until 2022, it is believed Ford is already planning a second generation slated to arrive towards the end of 2025. It’s a known fact the first-gen model is essentially an electric adaptation of the conventionally powered truck, but the follow-up model is likely to ride on the TE1 platform, a dedicated electric architecture for large trucks and SUVs.

For the time being, all eyes are on the first-gen electric Lightning and its affordable starting price of just under $40,000 before incentives. A fully loaded version is roughly $90,000 and competes with the high-end versions of the forthcoming GMC Hummer EV and the Rivian R1T. All three are expected to arrive before the Tesla Cybertruck, which has been pushed back to sometime next year.

Of course, 120,000 reservations booked so far don’t necessarily translate to 120,000 actual sales as it remains to be seen how many firm orders Ford will receive. That being said, it’s fair to say the electric Lightning has been an instant hit, much like the Bronco rugged SUV and the smaller Maverick truck, which has an available hybrid powertrain. The electric Mustang Mach-E SUV is also quite popular, especially since it’s billed as a global model whereas the others are US-focused products.

Source: Automotive News

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YouTube star Marques Brownlee had the privilege of hopping behind the wheel of a near-production prototype of the Cybertruck rival. Not only that, but Ford shared an interesting tidbit with him, claiming the 300-mile range is an estimation that takes into account 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) of cargo carried in the bed.

Brownlee discovered the digital dashboard of the prototype was showing him 367 miles (591 kilometers) of range left while the battery had 80% of charge left. In theory, it means the F-150 Lightning should be able to hit the 400-mile mark provided you’re not carrying any cargo in the back. Of course, this will be an exception rather than the rule since the electric truck is first and foremost a workhorse. That said, we’re fairly certain some are seeing the zero-emissions pickup as more of a lifestyle vehicle and therefore they won’t use it for work-related activities.

Oddly enough, Ford has yet to talk about the battery capacities of the SR and ER models, but some are estimating the larger of the two might have 180 kWh. It’s important to point out Brownlee posted an update on Twitter saying the estimated range left shown on the prototype’s digital dash was based on how the truck was driven in the past.

Update on the F150 Lightning range

If I was betting? 330-380 miles of conservative/efficient driving would be pretty sweet. Either way, gotta love the competition finally spinning up and making the EV world more compelling than ever

Full hands on video: https://t.co/O3zSw1VSEg pic.twitter.com/u76fmSLkCQ

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) May 28, 2021

The reason why we’re bringing this up is Brownlee says the Lightning never exceeded 15 mph during his time with the electric truck. He believes other people before him did the same thing, therefore the estimated range left was not entirely relevant as the truck was babied. Driving the electric F-150 at normal speeds would likely result in a considerably lower range, with the YouTuber estimating it will have enough juice for anywhere between 300 to 350 miles.

Source: Marques Brownlee / YouTube

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CEO Jim Farley told CNBC that the F-150 Lightning will have limited production during 2022 when the electric pickup is scheduled to hit the assembly line at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn. It’s worth mentioning this is not the first time the Blue Oval is using a similar strategy for an EV as the Mustang Mach-E is capping the electric SUV’s output to 50,000 units for the first 12 months of production.

It’s beginning to look like 2023 will be the year when Ford will fully accelerate production of the F-150 Lightning and its availability will expand. Farley says the company has already “made a call on volume,” although he didn’t provide an exact number. Automotive News quotes analyst Rod Lache working for Wolfe Research saying the Blue Oval might be limited by suppliers to 80,000 units per year, but that’s just an estimation at this point.

As previously reported, the Lightning will come exclusively as a four-door SuperCrew model with a 5.5-foot cargo bed. The most expensive version of the bunch is going to be the fully loaded Platinum trim level equipped with the bigger battery, set to cost approximately $90,000. That’s still less than the GMC Hummer EV3X and the tri-motor Tesla Cybertruck.

Existing reservations for the Lightning will be transformed by Ford into actual orders starting this fall. It’s safe to say the feedback from customers so far has been exceptional, but that’s to be expected considering the regular F-150 has been the best-selling truck in the US for 44 years in a row.

Source: Automotive News

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Ford says the “truck of the future is here” since the F-150 Lightning is described by the company as its “smartest, most innovative truck” ever. At the same time, it’s also the most aerodynamic truck ever conceived by the Dearborn marque, even though it looks a lot like the conventionally powered model. Newly designed running boards and a sculpted hood improve airflow, while the existing air intake holes have been replaced by grilles featuring a smoother, textured pattern.

The numbers included in the technical specifications sheet are quite juicy. Ford is targeting a total output of 563 horsepower and a massive 775 pound-feet (1,051 Newton-meters) of torque. The electric punch will enable the reborn Lightning to cover the 0 to 60 mph run in approximately 4.5 seconds provided the electric F-150 is fitted with the extended battery.

Speaking of which, the standard-range battery (SR) has enough juice for 230 miles (370 kilometers) while upgrading to the extended-range battery (ER) allows the Lightning to hit the 300-mile mark (483 kilometers). Bear in mind both figures are not final as they represent targets Ford believes it will meet once the electric truck’s range will be certified by EPA.

The dual-motor setup, with one electric motor installed at the front axle and the other in the back, helps the electric F-150 tow 5,000 pounds with the standard battery and 7,700 pounds by ordering an optional package. Upgrade to the ER battery and your Lightning will be able to tow a whopping 10,000 pounds. As far as the payload rating is concerned, the SR-equipped truck can handle 2,000 pounds while the ER version a slightly lower 1,850 pounds.

Once you’re out of battery juice, the base SR model comes with a 120-volt, 12-amp charger that adds three miles of range for every hour of charging. Stepping up to the ER gets you an upgraded 240V, 32-amp charger enabling 21 miles of range after 60 minutes of charge. Ford will sell an optional 48-amp charger to SR Lightning owners to enable a 15-100% charge in 10 hours. The ER gets a 19.2-kW setup that completes the task in eight hours. The F-150 Lightning has been engineered to support fast-charging at 150 kW, in which case it takes 41 minutes to “fill up” the battery from 15% to 80%.

The cheapest version money can buy will set you back $39,974 before any applicable incentives. Realistically, that means customers living in parts of the United States where the maximum EV-related discounts are applicable, the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning should cost as low as $30,000 or even lower. Those willing to splurge some serious money on their fancy new electric truck can go for the range-topping ER Platinum version and fork out around $90,000 before incentives.

More expensive versions could be introduced later in the life cycle as Ford is analyzing the prospects of cramming a third and even a fourth motor to better rival the potent GMC Hummer EV. Meanwhile, the dual-motor configuration will go on sale in roughly a year for now. In the meantime, you can place a refundable $100 deposit to get in line for the Lightning, which will come exclusively in the SuperCrew flavor with five seats, a 5.5-foot bed,  a powered front trunk, and four trim levels: base, XLT, Lariat, and the flagship Platinum.

Source: Ford

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Car and Driver has it on good authority the name previously used for high-performance, street-oriented pickup will be repurposed for the purely electric version of Ford’s fourteenth-generation truck. They claim to have stumbled upon a document in which the Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit were listed alongside F-150 Lightning.

When contacted by C&D, Ford stopped short of confirming the vehicle’s official moniker, but did say the automaker will unveil the electric F-150 “very soon.” The official debut can’t come soon enough considering rumors have been swirling around since at least 2017. Details are still scarce at the moment, although we do know it will come with dual electric motors providing all-wheel drive.

Production is scheduled to commence in the first half of next year and there’s a pretty good chance Ford has engineered the F-150 Lightning with an independent rear suspension. The base variant is expected to travel for 300 miles between charges while a more expensive model with a larger battery pack could have a 400-mile range.

Ford has previously said it will have the quickest acceleration of all F-150s, which means the sprint to 60 mph will take less than five seconds. The company has also promised it’ll boast the highest horsepower and torque of all F-150 versions, so it should live up to the “Lightning” badge. That said, purists could have a problem with this name, especially since “Mustang” is already being used on an all-electric SUV.

When it does eventually arrive, the electric F-150 will face some stiff competition coming from the GMC Hummer EV pickup, Tesla Cybertruck, and the recently announced Silverado EV.

Source: Car and Driver

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