2022 F-150 Lightning: Winning formula
Ford didn’t have to start from scratch to build electric pickup
PRESIDENT Joe Biden got behind the wheel of the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup on May 18 and proclaimed, “This sucker’s quick.”
That evening, NBC’S “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon performed what amounted to a five-minute commercial extolling the Lightning’s numerous virtues.
All the attention is warranted given the nature of this beast. When it goes on sale next spring, the F-150 Lighting four-door, four-wheel-drive Supercrew should stack up as one of the hardest-working and most practical pickups you can buy, regardless of propulsion system.
Most importantly, Ford will be the first major automaker out of the gate with a mass-market electric pickup, setting the tone for the others.
Visually, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about the Lightning, a name that originated with Ford’s SVT Lightning performance pickups that date back to the mid-1990s.
The new Lightning mostly resembles the current F-150 that was updated for the 2021 model year. Noticeable differences include the Lighting’s blacked-out faux grille and the available light bars bordering
the hood and LED headlights.
Beneath the power-operated hood, there’s a 14.1-cubic-foot stowage area (called a frunk, which is the blending of front and trunk) that can hold up to 400 pounds of gear.
The aluminum body — common to all F-150s — is supported by Ford’s new EV “skateboard” platform. The Lightning’s dual electric motors are located between the frame rails and are separated by 1,800 pounds of lithium-ion battery pack. The entire propulsion system sits low enough so that the cab and standard 5.5-foot-long bed offer the same volume as that of gasoline-powered F-150s. The platform’s independent rear suspension is a first for any F-150.
The five-passenger cabin comes with a 12- or optional 15.5-inch touch screen, both linked to voice-recognition technology. You can also add the Max Recline frontseat option with folding shifter and foldout work table, just as you can with other F-150s.
Fitted with the standard battery pack, there’s 426 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque, and a claimed maximum range of 230 miles.
The optional battery pack boosts range to 300 miles and the horsepower increases to 563. The 775-poundfeet torque rating remains. When Biden said the Lightning was quick, he wasn’t kidding. The 563-horsepower version can hit 60 mph from rest in a Ford-claimed 4.5 seconds.
Maximum payload is 2,000 pounds with the standard battery, and 1,800 pounds for the extended-range pack. Towing capacity favors the extended-range battery, however: 10,000 pounds versus 7,700.
Optional onboard scales and
Smart Hitch calculate the towing and hauling loads and adjust the estimated battery range accordingly.
A 32-amp mobile charger is standard, and when plugged in to a 240-volt outlet, it provides 13 miles of range per charging hour. The quick math for 230 miles of range is 18 hours.
Ford’s 80-amp Charge Station Pro, included with models fitted with the extended-range battery, is good for a rate of 30 miles per charging hour. To get 300 miles of range would thus take about 10 hours.
Hook up to a 480-volt DC commercial station and charging the extended-range battery to 80 percent from 15 takes about 45 minutes, according to Ford.
A significant advantage to an electric pickup is that it’s basically a giant power station. The available 9.6-kilowatt Propower Onboard generator comes with two 120-volt outlets in the cab, four in the frunk and four more in the cargo bed. They can power various tools and other items and in an emergency can even provide backup power to your home.
The Lighting starts at $41,700, including destination charges, for the base version aimed at commercial (fleet) applications.
Better-equipped XLT models list for about $54,000, while the mid-range Lariat and top-end Platinum with all the trimmings could run the tab into the low- to mid-$90,000 range.
That’s a fair chunk of money, but keep in mind that reasonably outfitted gasoline-powered F-150s and similar light-duty pickups aren’t exactly inexpensive these days. They also lack the Lightning’s innumerable fuel avoiding and work-friendly attributes that will no doubt place it in high demand.