Quietly, we're getting closer to commercial launch time for the Ford F-150 Lightning. The Blue Oval carmaker won't be the first to offer an electric pickup truck, but it's sure to be the one that sells the most of them.
The Lightning is expected in the middle of next year, and Ford will start taking official orders on it in January. Up to now, Ford has been accepting unit reservations.
This week, Ford confirmed the capacities of the battery packs that will be available with the model. Car and Driver magazine reports that the base configuration will get one offering 98 usable kWh. Standard on two of the three versions, XLT and Lariat, it will power two motors running on each axle, offering a combined 426 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque.
Ford estimates the battery's range at 230 miles, or 370 km. Recharging from 15 to 80 percent capacity will take 14 hours on a 240-volt outlet (32-amp rating) and 10 hours on that 240-volt outlet but using Ford's 80-amp Pro charging station. With a 150-kW DC fast charger, it takes 44 minutes to reach 80 percent.
With the Extended Range package, offered as an option with XLT and Lariat variants, and standard with Platinum models, the truck gets a battery offering 131 kWh of usable energy. With this the range lcimbs to 300 miles or 484 km (with the XLT and Lariat models). The Platinum version is said to have 20 miles less, which Ford did not confirm to Car and Driver magazine.
The system with the Extended Range package offers a combined 563 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque.
We can’t help note that the base version of the Rivian R1T offers a more powerful battery and also more capacity; same story with the GMC Hummer EV. However, these models are more upmarket, which makes the comparison somewhat unfair.
The better comparison will come when we learn what the electric Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Ram trucks will offer in term of battery power and capacity. These are the vehicles that will compete in the segment with the F-150 Lightning. It should make for a battle royale.