UNMISTAKABLY F-150
Finally, Ford’s electric pickup is here — and it won’t disappoint even the traditionalists
SAN ANTONIO, TX. There are equal measures of logic and chutzpah holding the global first drive event of the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning deep in the heart of Texas.
Logical because last year 15 per cent of all pickup trucks sold in the United States — roughly 322,000 — were purchased in the Lone Star State. As to the chutzpah, Texas is synonymous with oil, so rolling out the Lightning within sight of oil rigs, oil refineries and oil workers makes a statement all its own.
The design of the F-150 Lightning can be summed up by just looking at the gear shift. The what? Yes, the Lightning gets the same pistol-grip shifter that its gas stablemates get. In fact, apart from an electric range/consumption digital gauge on the driver’s display cluster and the optional 15.5-inch centre display screen, the Lightning ’s dash, gauges, switches, controls and cabin are identical to the gas-powered F-150. Same goes for the exterior; it shares doors and the box bed with its gas counterparts and is unmistakably, from any angle, a Ford F-150.
This is, of course, by design. Pickup truck owners told Ford what they wanted, and that was: don’t change a thing. And Ford didn’t.
Well, apart from the powertrain and the chassis. There are two battery sizes to choose from to power the two electric motors on each axle. The standard range is good for 370 kilometres, while the extended range taps out at 515 km. And because of the weight of the battery packs that run under the floor and box of the pickup, the rear end gets an independent suspension.
The standard-range battery pack has a maximum output of 452 horsepower, and the extended-range pack produces 580 hp. The torque number for each is 775 pound-feet, the most of any F-150 pickup ever produced.
I’ve been driving and testing electric vehicles for a decade, but I still get a grin-inducing rush when I first step on it and the vehicle blasts off, the only sound a whirr of electric motors. The real revelation comes when you start going over bumps, like railroad tracks, at speed. Even the best sprung gas-powered pickup will have the back end hopping and chattering a little over such uneven ground, as simple physics dictates that with most of the weight in the front end, the light rear is bound to bounce.
Not the Lightning. With a near 50/50 distribution of weight, the back end stays planted over the bumps, and that low centre of gravity — again, thanks to the low-slung battery pack — provides a driving dynamic unfamiliar to the pickup segment.
That solid feeling was even more pronounced when I took the Lightning through an off-road course.
Ford says 75 per cent of F-150 owners use their trucks to tow, so getting that right was key. Obviously, it has the grunt to do it, evidenced in the extended-range Lightning’s maximum towing capacity (10,000 lbs.) and payload (2,235 lbs.). This truck also has the strongest steel ever used in an F-150.
Available tech includes Onboard Scales, which use the truck’s sensors to estimate payload and tell you how much you’re hauling. The F-150 Lightning also debuts available Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, which automatically controls steering, throttle and brake inputs to assist in hitching a trailer. Onboard Scales is integrated with Intelligent Range to help ensure F-150 Lightning gives an accurate estimate of how far you can go.
And finally, a word about charging and the Lightning’s somewhat unique power attributes. Using a 150-kilowatt DC fast charger, Ford says the extended-range F-150 Lightning will get up to 87 km of range in 10 minutes and charge from 15 to 80 per cent in just over 40 minutes. The extended-range F-150 Lightning comes with a Ford Charge Station Pro home charger, and standard-range truck customers can purchase the 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro and pay for activation separately.
And if you have an extended-range Lightning and the Home Integration System, you’ll be able to draw power from your truck to power your home if the power goes out for an extended time. The system is expected to cost around $5,000 in Canada.
Even without that integration system, the Lightning can power all kinds of tools and appliances, plugged into outlets in the bed or frunk, and with a simple adapter you can even charge another electric vehicle.
Trims available follow the same levels as the gas-powered F-150, and include the XLT, the Lariat and the Platinum. There is also a stripped-down Lightning Pro model, available for fleet customers. Pricing for standard range models starts at $58,000 (Pro) and $68,000 (XLT), and for extended-range models at $81,380.