Born more than 4 decades ago, the Ford F-150 has won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Americans with its cost-competitive price and affordable maintenance and repair. It seems that Ford’s best-seller series is here to stay as the company continues to make outstanding innovations.
Most recently, the company unveiled the F-150 Lightning – an all-electric pickup truck with a starting price of just under $40,000!
“For both Ford and the American auto industry, F-150 Lightning represents a defining moment as we progress toward a zero-emissions, digitally connected future,” Bill Ford, the executive chair of Ford Motor Company announced.
“F-Series is America’s best-selling truck for 44 years, the backbone of work across the country, and a trusted icon for generations of customers. Now we are revolutionizing it for a new generation.”
Ford’s F-150 Lightning is the smartest, most advanced truck the company has ever built. It features near-instant torque, intelligent towing, seamless connectivity to software updates, as well as the capacity to provide energy to your home during a blackout for at least 3 days.
Dedicated to becoming the truck of the future, the electric F-150 sure is here to give a one-of-a-kind driving and ownership experience.
The F-150 Lightning will be offered in four trims, including the base, XLT, Lariat and Platinum series, and two battery options. The truck sports an aluminum alloy body, is powered by two in-board electric motors, and comes standard with four-wheel drive and independent rear suspension.
For now, Ford released two prices: the base version priced at $39,974 and the mid-series XLT model will start at $52,974. These prices don’t include federal or state tax credits, as well as destination fees and taxes.
Inside the Lightning, customers will enjoy a connected car tech and advanced driving assistance features. The Lariat and Platinum versions will come with Ford’s Sync 4A infotainment system, which can support over-the-air software updates.
With this, system rollout upgrades to the vehicle (improving driver assistance features, updating maps) is enabled. Additionally, SYNC 4 will offer third-party apps through its AppLink system, including Waze and a version of Amazon’s Alexa called Ford+Alexa.
The Sync 4A system will also feature natural voice control and real-time mapping viewed on a 15.5-inch touchscreen.
In front of the driver is a customizable 12-inch instrument cluster that will also relay important information to the driver regarding how the battery is operating, regenerative braking, and the advanced driver assistance system functions.
“F-150 Lightning offers an immersive touch screen, giving our customers all the info they want in an instant — a real-time view of where they’re going, what they’re hauling or how much real-world range they’ve got banked,” Darren Palmer, Ford Motor Company’s general manager of battery electric vehicles proudly shared. “And with Ford Power-Up software updates, the experience is only going to get better.” He added.
But one of the highlights of the latest Ford F-150 is how the electric vehicle notifies the driver about the truck’s battery status. As charging plays an essential role in any electric vehicle, F-150 Lightning ensures that drivers will always be on top of the situation.
Ford does this by notifying drivers if their truck’s battery falls under one-third of its total range.
Its intelligent range, which considers towing info, payload, and weather, is also communicated to the driver. Additionally, the handy and reliable FordPass app shows the information on charging locations. Drivers can also utilise F-150 Lightning’s infotainment system to identify and navigate to charging stations.
Lightning is packed with an onboard power source – a superb 2.5 kW of power on the standard trim and a 9.6 kW of power on the Lariat and Platinum series.
On top of that, F-150 Lightning’s selling point is its 9.6 kW of backup power. This can power a home during a blackout for 3 days. With proper rationing, it can even last for up to 10 days!
With the ever-increasing CO2 Emission and seemingly unstoppable climate change, the adoption of electric vehicles is badly needed to better the environment.
EVs can deliver the same performance without taking as much energy as conventional cars, making them more efficient and sustainable. It sure is nice to know that multinational automakers such as Ford, is taking the lead towards the future of mobility.
The much-awaited F-150 Lightning will hit the market in spring 2022 but you can check out its sleek and smart features on the video below!