With Earth Day just around the corner, it’s an electric week at Auto123 as we turn the lights towards noteworthy developments in the EV segment.
• Ford resumes deliveries to dealers of its 2024 F-150 Lightning this week.
This past February, Ford stopped deliveries of 2024 F-150 Lightnings to its dealers after identifying a quality issue. Production remained active at Ford's Rouge plant in Michigan, but no trucks headed out to dealers.
At the time Ford didn’t give any indication of how long that situation might last. Turns out, it lasted until this week. The automaker is resuming deliveries of the electric pickup to dealers.
At the same time, the F-150 Lightning’s pricing is being adjusted - but this varies between the United States and Canada. With pricing fluctuating on both 2023 and 2024 models, we invite you to stay tuned and consult the Ford of Canada website.
For 2024, there are essentially the same variants and capacities: versions equipped with 98-kWh or 131-kWh batteries, with ranges of between 386 and 515 km.
What we'll be keeping an eye on is the model's actual range. It’s clear from real-world use that towing eats substantially into range, but a recent test we undertook of a 2023 version (unladen) left us stunned. After collecting the vehicle, which had a range of 516 km, we were astonished to find that, after 117 km, the indicator displayed only 295 km of remaining range (so probably much less).
The biggest drop occurs on the highway, of course. In heavy traffic, it remains stable, and it can be possible to recover a bit of range from braking.
There are updates planned for the 2024 model. Among the improvements we can hope for, the vehicle should benefit from a steam-injected heat pump, which should optimize fuel efficiency in cold weather, according to Ford.
A new version called Flash has also been added to the catalog this year. It is an upgraded version of the XLT variant, allowing buyers to enjoy a well-equipped model without having to climb to the top of the range.
Priced at $86,995 in Canada, the Flash version will offer features such as a 15.5-inch touchscreen multimedia system, wireless charging for cellular devices, an eight-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, the Blue Cruise semi-autonomous driving system, a towing package, a battery heat pump and an electrically extendable tailgate.
Despite the halt in deliveries and the vehicle's imperfections, sales of the F-150 Lightning remained stable in the first quarter of the year, although the company reports that the 7743 units sold represent an 80% increase over the same period last year.
Two factors will play both for and against this model over the coming months. Firstly, the fact that F-150 Lightning buyers can now take advantage of Tesla's charging network, which is very inviting. However, consumers will soon be able to buy electric vans from Chevrolet and GMC; if these prove more efficient in terms of range management, Ford will have its work cut out for it.
Consumers can also turn to Tesla for a Cybertruck (or Rivian, which offers the R1T), but these electric pickups are not aimed at the same clientele, let’s just say.
