Ford recently unveiled the Ford F-150 Lightning, the company’s first flagship electric pick-up truck. The Ford F Series of vehicles have been in production since 1948 and the Ford F150 has been the best selling vehicle in the United States for over 40 years. Ford sells over 1 million F series pick-up trucks every year. That sort of dominance for any product in the market is unprecedented. The introduction an electric Ford F-150 Lightning might be the most important automotive story of the year and even Tesla might have a hard time keeping up.
The Ford Lightning name is not new as it was used for a high performance version of the F-150 produced by the Ford special vehicle team from 1993 to 1995 and 1999 to 2004. In 2021, the Ford F-150 Lightning makes a comeback as a fully electric vehicle (EV) and it looks very similar to the gasoline powered F-150 from a first look. However, when you pay more attention, you will notice that the front and back bar lights provide a distinct look with a grill that covers the air intake holes.
The Ford F-150 flies off of the line but also handles great off-road thanks to the rugged underbody protection, which keeps the battery and inboard motors safe with metal skid plates. The battery is secured inside a waterproof casing surrounded by crash absorption protections and has been tested at -40o Fahrenheit. All version of the Ford F-150 come with dual motors and instant 775 lb-ft of torque. In addition, the F-150 will have two range options available with automatic blue cruise (camera-based) self-driving technology, smartphone control and over the air software updates. Thanks to the weight scales embedded in the trunk of the car, Ford F-150 lightning can assess the cargo weight and adjust the vehicle range accordingly.
One of the coolest feature of the Ford F-150 lightning is Intelligent Backup Power, which allows the vehicle owner to use the truck as a backup power source to their home during a power outage for 3-10 days thanks to the 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro. Based on your preference, the power transfer can be triggered automatically or manually. You no longer need a diesel generator as the car can act like a power bank for your tools and any other electric needs. As the truck is fully electric, there is a waterproof front truck instead of an engine for cargo storage with charging points and water drain points.
Let’s look at how the Ford F-150 Lightning technical specifications compare to the Tesla’s Cybertruck, GMC Hummer EV, Rivian R1T, and Bollinger B2.
The Ford F-150 lightning seems to be the cheapest option for electric pick-up truck but it also comes with lower HP and torque numbers compared to the competition. The Tesla Cybertruck will provide a better performance at a similar price point to the Ford F-150. However, anything more than 500 HP will be more than enough for your daily needs from a pick-up truck. In our opinion, the versatility of the Ford F-150 definitely puts it miles ahead of the competition as it has proven in the past to be effective and reliable.
Source: Company Websites
I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav