It's equipped with four electrical outlets and two USB chargers. It features a drain so that users can hose it down if needed, as well as an underfloor bin. Lightning's bumper-height frunk boasts 400 pounds of payload capability, a 400-liter volume and 2.4 kilowatts of power. EVs often add storage space in place of where the engine would be in a conventional vehicle. The driving experience is a complete thrill."Īmong the highlights is the "frunk," or front trunk, which Ford is billing as the largest in the industry. It's like no pickup truck I have ever driven. Metaphorically, it might as well have a Superman cape and a Captain America shield."įarley - a noted car enthusiast who races in his spare time - said he and Bill Ford recently drove a prototype and were wowed by the experience: "I was completely blown away. "Anything that we did, we maintained that goal of, 'It needs to be a truck first, and then we're using electrification to amplify the drive experience and capabilities," said Jasen Turnbull, marketing manager for F-150 Lightning.įarley, highlighting the truck's capabilities, said it "hauls ass and tows like a beast. Designers and engineers came away from the research understanding that customers wanted a reliable, work-capable truck. "This is not simply about putting an electric powertrain in a vehicle," Galhotra said. "It's about unlocking technologies and features that our customers didn't even know they needed, and it's about providing an ecosystem of EV services to ensure the transition from gas to electric is as seamless as possible."įord says it developed the truck based on years of studying how F-150 owners use their vehicles.
It will come equipped with a modem enabling wireless software updates that Ford says will improve the vehicle over time. "The F-150 Lightning is a great example of how we're doing business at Ford today, using electrification to make our vehicles even better," said Kumar Galhotra, Ford's president of Americas and International Markets Group, in a briefing ahead of the reveal.įord has touted the F-150 Lightning's digital and technological features.
It is an investment in the future of UAW Ford workers and their families." Lightning design, specsįord has cast the electric truck as a distinct vehicle, but one that is rooted in the qualities F-150 customers value.
"Today's investment is not just an investment of technology and money. "Our members are so proud to be the workers whose hard work and dedication will build this vehicle of the future," Kariem said Wednesday. Though the UAW has expressed concerns about how the transition to electric vehicles will affect its members, the union has expressed support for Ford's approach to electrifying the F-150. The facility is next to Dearborn Truck Plant, where gasoline-powered and hybrid versions of the truck are assembled. The electric version will be built at the brand-new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in the historic Rouge complex in Dearborn. Production on F-150 Lightning will start next spring, with the trucks slated to go on sale in mid-2022. The truck is part of Ford's initial portfolio of electric vehicles that also includes the Mustang Mach-E, which launched late last year, and the forthcoming electric version of the Transit van. The significance of F-150's electrification was underscored this week by President Joe Biden's visit to the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where the truck will be built by UAW members.īiden cast F-150 Lightning as a model for electrification: “Everything that these workers, this historic complex and this state represent, is something that I hope gets modeled around the country."Īnd in a move that garnered attention across social media and national news outlets, the president also got a chance to drive the F-150 Lightning during an unscheduled stop at a testing track: "This sucker's quick," he told reporters.
"A lot of people would think with all of that, all of the features, all that capability, all that technology, that this would be a six-figure trophy truck," Farley said, announcing the starting price to cheers from the audience. The price tag goes up to $90,000 depending on the trim level and optional features.īy comparison, the base price of the gasoline-powered 2021 F-150 is $28,940. The base level of F-150 Lightning will start at $39,974, not counting destination fees or tax incentives available to EV buyers. Ford says the truck lineup on its own generates annual revenue of more than $42 billion - more than some of the largest companies in the U.S.Īnother factor that could help the electric truck gain momentum: a relatively accessible price point. Last year, Ford sold some 800,000 F-Series trucks and, according to data from, an estimated 556,000 F-150s. But an electric F-150 could represent a major opening in the segment, given that it's the most popular truck in America. Currently, EV sales make up less than 2% of new-vehicle sales in the U.S.