The most important EV of the decade? We drive the F-150 Lightning

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—Merely put, the Ford F-150 Lightning is an important new electrical automobile we’ll drive for a while. Auto journalists might be accused of utilizing that cliché all too readily, however on this case, I believe it is defensible. Individuals love pickup vehicles greater than some other four-wheeled automobile, and in the case of pickup vehicles, they love Ford’s F-series sufficient that it has been the nation’s bestseller for nearly so long as I have been alive.

Making a totally battery-electric model of its favourite pickup subsequently looks like a great way to spur adoption of electrical autos in a rustic that is lagging behind Europe and China. However provided that the truck is any good. A part of the explanation Ford sells so many F-series vehicles is that a lot of them are put to work, pulling trailers or hauling heavy masses of their beds. And it is simply as vital to decarbonize these vehicles, which implies that a stripped-down electrical F-150 has to have the ability to lower it on the job web site simply as a lot as within the position of a suburban dad’s absolutely loaded commuter pickup.

To an informal observer, there’s little that marks the F-150 Lightning as being something different than simply one other F-150 with an excellent crew cab and a 5.5-foot mattress. As an alternative of an open grille, there is a extra aerodynamic therapy on the entrance, plus some distinctive daytime working lights. The alloy wheels’ surfaces are extra disc-like than you’d usually see. And when you look fastidiously, you may spot the occasional lightning bolt. The cab is gentle and ethereal because of massive glass moonroofs, and there is loads of room within the again for giant adults.

The powertrain between the rails

All of which will lead one to underestimate the quantity of labor that Ford’s engineers and designers have put in over the previous few years. The physique would possibly appear to be most F-150s, however that is the great thing about utilizing a body-on-frame building. And in contrast to the opposite electrical pickups we have pushed in the previous few months, this one is resolutely body-on-frame. That is the place loads of the laborious work has gone. The battery pack, encased in its protecting shell, is remoted from the body moderately than simply being bolted in—higher to withstand the shocks and vibrations which will happen, in keeping with Ford’s engineers.

Redesigning the body moderately than simply taking out inside combustion bits and shoehorning electrical ones of their place implies that Ford hasn’t stuffed the nostril of the truck with the air-con elements and different ancillaries we too usually discover in European BEVs. Relatively, there’s an impressively helpful frunk, sufficiently big for units of golf golf equipment or a bunch of carry-on suitcases, which might be locked away from prying eyes.

The F-150 Lightning might be ordered with a alternative of batteries. The usual-range pack affords a useable capability of 98 kWh, which is adequate for an EPA-estimated vary of 230 miles (370 km), and carries an onboard AC charger that may settle for as much as 11.3 kW and output 10.5 kW. The battery pack additionally dictates energy output; select the smaller pack, and the entrance and rear everlasting magnet electrical motors will output a mixed 452 hp (337 kW) and 775 lb-ft (1,050 Nm).

The extended-range battery offers 131 kWh of useable capability, which ought to enable for between 300–320 miles (482–515 km) between expenses, relying on the trim. The bigger pack additionally provides extra energy to the motors—580 hp (433 kW) on this case. Torque is an identical to the standard-range pack, however along with the larger-capacity pack, Ford additionally matches an onboard AC charger that may settle for as much as 19.2 kW and output 17.6 kW.