The all-electric 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is finally here. After being revealed during President Joe Biden's speech at the truck's newly renovated Rouge assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan, Ford unleashed all the details Wednesday on its all-important battery-powered pickup. There are two battery packs to choose from, up to 300 miles of range available, and a starting price under $40,000. The future of America's workhorse has arrived.
The F-150 Lightning's design is far from revolutionary, which is exactly what Ford intended. It didn't want to scare loyal F-150 owners away with a radical new look. So instead, changes to the exterior are only surface-deep. There are light bars on the Lariat and Platinum trims that span the entire width of the front nose and tailgate, while the bumper, hood, side skirts, and rear fascia have been revised to exude a more futuristic look. Ford calls the new fascia the "F-150 for the future." The cab portion—a SuperCrew four-door variant, in the Lightning's case—is even shared with the current F-150. Ford says many of the accessories found on the normal truck can be used here. It's all about modularity and ease of use.
The real change, of course, lies underneath. Tucked between the frame and the body of the F-150 Lightning sits the buyer's choice of two liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery packs—a standard-sized pack and an extended-range pack (Ford has yet to release specific sizes). No matter which size you go for, power is sent to all four wheels at all times via two inboard three-phase fixed magnet AC electric motors—one at the front, and another in the rear. There's also independent suspension on all four corners—a first for the F-150. Underneath, you'll find metal skid plates to protect the battery pack and aluminum control arms out back to keep weight down.
Ford says it's targeting 426 horsepower for the base battery pack and 563 horses for the extended range trim. Both batteries are expected to deliver the same 775 lb-ft of torque. The company is shooting for an EPA-rated range of 230 miles for the standard pack and a nice, round 300 miles for the extended range battery. The sprint from 0 to 60 in the extended range pack will come in the mid-four-second range, says Ford.
In place of the traditional internal combustion engine sits a new storage area Ford calls the Mega Power Frunk (yes, that's its official name). It can swallow up to 400 pounds of stuff and comes with four power outlets and two USB chargers inside. There's even a drain hole in case you need to hose it out after a day of messy hauling.
If you're familiar with the current F-150's cabin, you'll feel right at home inside the Lightning. It's set up in essentially the same way, with many of the same cool features found in the gas-powered truck. The front seats fold 180 degrees in case you want to snag some downtime during a long day at work, and the shifter folds flat into the center console, giving you a flat workspace to write or type while in the car. New for the Lightning is a centrally mounted portrait touchscreen that controls almost every aspect of the car, similar to the unit found in the Mustang Mach-E. Thankfully, a handful of important controls, such as trailer-related buttons, traction control, volume, and hazard lights, are still physical switches.
Ford's hands-free "Blue Cruise" highway driving tech will be available on the Lightning, allowing drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel across many highways in the U.S. and Canada. The system uses a driver-facing camera to ensure you keep your eyes on the road. It even works if you're wearing sunglasses.
There are four drive modes to choose from in the F-150 Lightning: Normal, Sport, Off-Road, and Tow/Haul, all of which are fairly self-explanatory. Normal is for everyday driving, while Sport tightens up the steering, suspension, and throttle in case you want to conquer some twisties in your massive pickup. Off-Road loosens everything up for better off-pavement performance, and Tow/Haul prepares the truck to pull massive amounts of weight.
With a max payload of 2000 pounds and a towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds, the F-150 Lightning should have no trouble keeping up with its gas-powered sibling. An available "smart hitch" feature takes the stress out of hooking up your trailer, doing all of the steering, braking, and accelerating for you so you don't have to worry about accidentally damaging your truck or your trailer.
Ford knows how real range anxiety can be, so it's designed an onboard calculator that factors in things such as payload, towing weight, speed, grade, weather conditions, and even passenger weight to display a truly accurate range to the driver. It measures payload through a set of onboard scales in the 5.5-foot bed, something first introduced earlier this year on the gas-powered F-150.
There are two different onboard AC charging systems available for the F-150 Lightning. The standard range battery uses 11.3 kW single charger, while the extended range pack offers a 19.2-kW dual charger to deliver the fastest possible charge time to the limits of SAE charging standards. On a 150-kW DC fast charger, the extended-range truck can charge up to 54 miles in 10 minutes, and go from 15- to 80-percent charged in 41 minutes. If you happen to have your Lightning plugged into your home and you lose power, the truck can act as a generator, automatically reverting to outboard power for up to three days. Like the F-150 Hybrid, it can act as a generator, outputting 9.6 kW of energy for things like power tools, laptops, and smartphones.
Ford is currently in the process of logging 7.4 million miles on its Lightning prototypes in preparation for the truck's launch. Even after vehicles have reached customer hands, they'll continue to receive factory improvements via an onboard modem through wireless updates. These updates can upgrade software for more accurate range calculations, add features, and even improve performance.
Those interested in an electric F-150 for work purposes will be pleased to hear Ford has also designed a Lightning trim purpose-built for commercial use, which it plans to reveal next week.
Ford says the F-150 Lightning will start at $39,974 but can be optioned all the way up to $90,000 should you check every box available. If you want to be an early adopter, reservations are open now on Ford's website. It costs $100 to put your name down.
Brian Silvestro is Hearst Autos' former lead deputy editor for rankings content. He spent over seven years as a staff writer for Road & Track Magazine where he contributed car reviews, industry interviews, and more. He has a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
