Electric cars are bringing a whole new dimension of radicalness in the automotive world and the recently unveiled electric pickup trucks are carrying this revolution’s baton. The newest addition in this lineup is Ford’s F-150 Lightning. The F-150 in its conventional ICE avatar has been a best-seller for the country since its inception around 40 years back. This should give you an idea that the electric revolution is indeed real, now that it has forced a biggie like Ford to electrify its one of the most popular vehicles.
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The F-150 Lightning is a true-blue American pickup truck even though it’s electrified now. So much so that President Joe Biden himself drove it the Ford test tracks and had said, “This sucker’s quick.”
Design
When it comes to looks, the F-150 looks rugged and Ford hasn’t tried to fiddle around with the OG style a lot. The Lightning looks a lot similar to its ICE counterparts, albeit a few tweaks here and there. For instance, the LED bar at the front shouts electric at the top of its voice. The headlights are LED units and the grille is wrapped in gloss black finish. It also gets freshly designed six-spoke alloy wheels.
Specs and features
Let’s get down with the numbers now, shall we? The F-150 Lightning derives power from dual electric motors which are placed one on each axle. The motors have a combined power output of 563 horsepower and a staggering 1,050 Nm of peak torque, making it the most powerful F-150 available. In terms of acceleration, the F-150 Lightning can go from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in just four seconds.
It has two different battery packs. The entry level gets a range of 230 miles / 370 kms while the other one gets 300 miles / 482 kms range. Depending on the variant, the charger will be different. The entry level will get 11.3 kW single charger while top variants with larger battery get 19.2 kW dual charger. Ford claims that with a super-fast DC charger the F-150 Lightning can replenish around 87 kms of charge in just 10 minutes, charging the battery from 15 to 80% in just 41 minutes. The towing capacity of the F-150 Lightning, an important characteristic in pickup trucks, is 4,535 kgs.
One of the unique features in the Ford F-150 Lightning is the ‘frunk’ or boot space under the hood. It opens up around 400 litres of space for luggage, besides other conventional storage areas around the vehicle.
Inside, a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12-inch infotainment display are available. The more equipped versions will be able to carry the 15.5-inch vertical screen with the SYNC4A system.