Welcome to the world of the Ford F150 electric truck. It is an all-electric Lightning pickup truck built to impress utility car buyers and gearheads alike.
It is more powerful than even the F-150 Raptor with a diesel-matching tow rating. It may have a revolutionary powertrain and significantly altered platform, but the size, dimensions, and interior room remain identical to the 2021 F-150.
This electric truck plays down its high-tech credentials, and here’s why:
Ford has been careful and relatively subtle while upgrading the engine, platform, and design of the F-150 over four decades of the truck’s existence. Going by the sales numbers, this formula seems to have worked. The F-150 nameplate isn’t just the highest-selling truck in America, but one of the best-selling cars across the world, with 35 million sales over its lifetime.
The all-electric F-150 Lightning retains the aesthetic and utility of its fossil-fueled predecessors. It also marks a new future trajectory for the nameplate with its new platform, electric powertrain and a new suite of driver assistance and connected car technologies. It looks quite similar to the 2021 F-150, but the 2022 F-150 Lightning is an Android in sheep’s clothing.
You can tell the two apart by looking at the front fascia. The electric version has a re-shaped hood, closed front grille (available in three different designs) and slightly different headlamps. Since it is powered by electric motors, the massive hood is really a tailgate. The grille and hood operate as a single liftgate, which leaves a low sill to haul stuff into the commodious 400-litre ‘frunk’.
Another standout feature is the optional front and rear light bars. The front LED bar is placed at the top of the grille to form an unbroken line that connects the two daytime running lights. Ford also offers an optional 360-degree lighting system that can be used to light up the entire periphery of the truck, if needed.
The bed box accommodates a collapsible work tray and an onboard power supply. Ford says that the F-150 Lightning can power a house for up to 3 days. That’s right! With Ford Intelligent Backup Power and an 80-amp charger, you can program your truck to power your house continuously, or charge it at home, or power the house only when the grid electricity rates are higher.
Key Specifications
Towing and Payload Capacity:
Standard range payload: 2,000 lbs
Extended range towing: 10,000 lb
Range:
Standard: 230 miles (EPA estimated)
Extended range: 300 miles (EPA estimated)
Charging:
- 150kW DC fast charging: 41 minutes (for extended range variants to get from 15%-80%)
- Range increment at 150kW: 54 miles in 10 minutes
- 80-amp home charging: 8 hours (for extended range variants to get from 15%-100%)
- Range increment at 80A: 30 miles in 1 hour
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
| F-150 Lightning SuperCrew | |
| Box Length | 5.5 ft |
| Box Volume | 52.8 cu ft |
| Headroom | 40.8 in |
| Legroom (max) | 43.9 in |
| Hip Room | 62.5 in |
| Shoulder Room | 66.7 in |
| Cargo volume behind front seats | 50.9 cu ft |
| Rear Passenger Volume | 67.2 cu ft |
| Total Passenger Volume | 131.9 cu ft |
Infotainment and Connectivity
- FordPass connected car features including charging station location
- Power My Trip for public charger location-based route planning
- Over-the-air (OTA) system updates
- ProPower Onboard power supply
- SYNC 4 infotainment system with navigation
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
The Ford Co-Pilot360 Suite consists of the following features:
- BlueCruise adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist and speed sign recognition
- Blindspot assist with trailer coverage and rear cross-traffic alert
- Rearview camera
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Park Assist
- Adaptive headlamps
- Trailer reversing assist
- Hill descent control
Warranty and Maintenance Coverage
Ford covers the F-150’s batteries for 100,000 miles or 8 years, whichever comes first. The powertrain is covered by a 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty. The rest of the truck is covered under Ford’s basic warranty for 3 years or 36,000 miles.
Specification Comparison
Electric pickup truck vs diesel
| Ford F-150 3.0 Diesel 4×4 XLT | Ford F-150 Lightning Extended Range XLT | |
| Payload | 1,805 lbs | 2,000 lbs (standard range variant) |
| Towing | 12,100 lbs | 10,000 lbs |
| Power | 250 hp | 563 hp |
| Torque | 440 lb ft | 775 lb ft |
| Weight | 4,800 lbs | 6,500 lbs |
| Price (MSRP) | $50,640 | $52,974 |
What’s the most powerful electric pickup truck
| Ford F-150 Lightning | Rivian R1T | Lordstown Endurance | Bollinger B2 | Hummer EV Truck | |
| Power | 563 hp | 700 hp | 600 hp | 614 hp | 1,000 hp |
| Torque | 775 lb ft | 826 lb ft | 2,000 lb ft | 668 lb ft | 11,500 lb ft |
| Tow Rating | 10,000 lbs | 11,000 lbs | 7,500 lbs | 7,500 lbs | 7,500 lbs(expected) |
| Price | $52,974 | $67,500 | $52,500 | $125,000 (expected) | $112,595 |
Ford F-150 Lightning FAQs
Here are the answers to all your questions about the Ford F-150 Lightning:
What is the range of the electric F-150?
The standard-range variant of the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning has an EPA-estimated range of 230 miles. There will be an extended range variant that is expected to deliver 300 miles of range on a full charge.
How Does the Electric F-150 Differ From the Standard F-150?
On the outside, the F-150 Lightning has a new covered grille and LED lightbar connecting the two headlamps. It also features new aerodynamic alloy wheels, a 400-liter front trunk, and high-strength steel and aluminum construction. The battery is encased in a waterproof and impact-absorbing structure with underbody cladding and skid plates for added protection. Inside, the truck features a new portrait-style infotainment screen and several new connected car and self-driving features. Other than that, it retains the overall dimensions, shape, size, bed size, and interior dimensions as the 2021 fossil-fueled F-150.
How much can the electric Ford F-150 tow?
With the Max Trailer Tow package, extended-range variants of the Ford F-150 Lightning can tow a maximum of 10,000 pounds. The standard-range models have a payload capacity of 2,000 pounds.
How much will the Ford F-150 electric truck cost?
Without federal or state government incentives and taxes, the base MSRP of the F-150 Lightning is $39,974. The mid-spec XLT model will cost upwards of $52,974. The top-spec Ford F-150 Lightning is priced at $90,474.
What kind of batteries will the electric Ford F-150 have?
Ford has revealed that two battery sizes will be available. The extended range variants of the Ford F-150 Lightning will be powered by a 90kWh battery. Standard range models will come with a smaller battery, but specs have not yet been revealed.
Key Specifications: Towing and Payload Capacity
Standard range payload: 2,000 lbs
Extended range towing: 10,000 lbs
Key Specifications: Range
Standard: 230 miles (EPA estimated)
Extended range: 300 miles (EPA estimated)
Key Specifications: Charging
150kW DC fast charging: 41 minutes (for extended range variants to get from 15%-80%)
Range increment at 150kW: 54 miles in 10 minutes
80-amp home charging: 8 hours (for extended range variants to get from 15%-100%)
Range increment at 80A: 30 miles in 1 hour
When are electric pickup trucks coming?
The first batches of Ford F-150 Lightning, Bollinger B2 and Hummer EV pickup truck will be delivered to customers in early 2022. The Rivian R1T will go on sale this year, while the Canoo pickup truck is not expected until 2024.
Was the all-electric Ford F-150 towing a 1,000,000 pound train?
Yes, in July 2019, Ford performed a stunt in which an electric Ford F-150 was towing several train bogeys. This was done to reassure customers that the electrified F-150 was as good at towing as conventional petrol and diesel versions. However, the scale of the experiment as well as the difference in weights and sizes of the carriages made it look more awesome than it is. In reality, the F-150 Lightning’s tow rating is on par with the petrol truck and slightly lower than the diesel version. The truck was able to tow the rail cars because the steel wheels riding over steel rails offer much less rolling resistance than rubber on asphalt. This makes the force of static friction low enough for the truck to get the cars rolling.
When will the first Ford F-150 Lightning pickup trucks reach customers?
Reservations are open now, with deliveries scheduled to begin in spring 2022.
With an easy-to-understand and no-nonsense style, Michael writes to educate readers who are considering their first EV purchase or those looking to get the most fun and value out of their Tesla, Leaf, Volt or other electric vehicle.
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