Meet the all-new Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck

KUALA LUMPUR: Ford’s best-selling pickup truck for 44 years, the F-150 has finally come up in an all-electric form, dubbed as F-150 Lightning. The American automaker unveiled the new pickup yesterday at its headquarters on a 64,000 sq. foot projection screen, alongside live streaming for the rest of the world.

"For both Ford and the American auto industry, F-150 Lightning represents a defining moment as we progress toward a zero-emissions, digitally connected future,” said Bill Ford, executive chair, Ford Motor Company. “F-Series is America’s best-selling truck for 44 years, the backbone of work across the country, and a trusted icon for generations of customers. Now we are revolutionizing it for a new generation.”

Ford will offer two lithium-ion battery packs for the F-150 electric - Standard and Extended. The former is targeted to achieve a 230 miles EPA-estimated range, while the other has a claimed range of 300 miles. Although the automaker has not disclosed the capacities of the packs, they could be 115-kWh and 150-kWh. 

The AWD dual-motor setup mated to the smaller battery will make a maximum power of 426 hp, while opting for the bigger pack will increase the output to 563 hp. However, both configurations will be able to clock a peak torque of 775 pound-feet that is 205 more than the non-electric model carrying PowerBoost hybrid V6. The automaker also revealed the F-150 Lightning performance figures, as per that the electric pickup can hit the century sprint in the mid-4.0-second with the bigger pack. 

What about charging? Ford offers the electric F-150 with different onboard AC chargers. The standard range pack will have an 11.3-kW single charger that can charge the battery from 15 to 100% in 10 hours when plugged in with a 48A house charger. For the extended range battery models, there will be a 19.2 kW dual charger on offer that can charge the pickup from 15 to 100% in 8 hours, if plugged in an 80A house charger. However, it will take just 41 minutes to get 80% charging when using a 150-kW DC public fast charger.

According to Ford, it is the first F-Series pickup that features an independent rear suspension, which critically reduced the vehicle’s unsprung mass and improved its handling.

Other notable highlights include 

• New LED light bar on front and rear
• 12.0-inch digital gauge cluster
• 15.5-inch vertically oriented touchscreen
• Four drive modes - Normal, Sport, Off-Road, and a Towing mode
• BlueCruise hands-free technology
• 2,000 lbs payload capability
• 10,000 lbs towing capacity 

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is slated to hit the US market next spring at a starting price of $39,974 (RM 165,698) before taxes.

Also read: Check out Ford's new over-the-air software update functionality, the Ford Power-Up