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The onboard scales weighed in at 2,036 lb via the touchscreen display, 200 lb shy of the Lightning’s payload capacity. Same was true for a tightly secured payload of 1,500 lb of 4x8 plywood sheets. There was no denying the weight behind me, yet it never strained on uphills or felt like it was pushing on downhills. Towing a 9,500-lb trailer loaded with casks of wine proved its strength, as well as the excellent capability of the motors. Palmer said the new frame was the strongest Ford ever made. “The motors are positioned deep within the frame, and the steering and braking system was modified completely to fit within the space around the frunk.”
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“The whole bottom of the truck is new,” said Darren Palmer, Ford VP of electric vehicle programs. The independent rear suspension with coil-over springs is new-a first but certainly not the last for an F-150. The frame is wider to fit the battery pack suspended between it, and thicker cross members made of high-strength steel both gird and shield the pack. The platform is in fact different from gas and hybrid F-150s. Despite plenty of lean in turns, it rode around the Texas hill country outside San Antonio like a crossover SUV, despite its body-on-frame platform. There was no bounce from the bed, no jounce from road bumps. Further, the big battery pack suspended within the frame made for a low center of gravity, and the independent rear suspension with coil-over springs with trailing arms kept the unladen, 5-foot-six bed planted, even at highway speeds. The big side mirrors and big wheels made for some road and wind noise, but the overall intrusion into the cabin was nothing like other trucks. More improbable than the quickness was the calm and quiet ride quality. It chirped the tires on the 22-inch wheels more than once. Both battery pack sizes produce 775 lb-ft of torque, more than any other F-150, and all that instant torque’s gonna get you, going to punch you right in the gut.
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The F-150 Lightning zips from 0-60 mph in the mid-four second range, according to Ford, and it feels improbably quicker due to the ride height and big and boxy truck surroundings. It weighs a bit less than the Rivian R1T, and is a feather compared to the 9,000+ lb GMC Hummer EV. The on-road portion of most of my test drive came in the top, heaviest Platinum trim. The curb weight for the extended-range model I tested was estimated to be 6,590 lb for preproduction models, though Ford wouldn’t confirm it. By the time it goes on sale in the spring of next year there will likely be many other electric truck competitors, but the Lightning is poised to be a more mainstream choice than forthcoming models from GMC, Tesla, and Rivian.Ford said the power increases came from the latest motor calibrations and the substantial payload increase came from weight reductions throughout the development phases of the truck.
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Ford's electric pickup looks similar to its gas-powered counterpart, should reach 60 mph quicker than any other F-series truck available today, and is targeting a driving range of 300 miles. It's hoping that the F-150 Lightning, the new electric version of the best-selling vehicle in America for 39 years, will have what it takes to convince more people to switch to an electric vehicle. Pricing is expected to range from $42,000 for the soon-to-be-announced base model to up to around $90,000 for a loaded Platinum model.įord knows what American buyers want, and it's the F-series.Two battery packs are available, targeting EPA-estimated ranges of 230 and 300 miles, and all models have a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup.The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is the electric version of the F-150 pickup, and it'll go on sale in the spring of next year.