Delivery Starts For Ford's Electric Pickup

Pickup trucks dominate the American automotive market. They are considered the best-selling vehicle type in the country, especially in Texas and other rural states. The top three vehicles sold in 2021 were all pickup trucks— Ford F-Series, Ram pickup, and Chevrolet Silverado.

For pickup trucks, electric is the future. A lot of vehicle manufacturers are producing their version of the electric vehicle. Now, Ford is leading the charge with its all-new F-150 Lightning. The blue oval-badged automaker unveiled the truck back in May 2021 and now started delivering them to customers.

First to receive the Lightning

Nicholas Schmidt from Michigan is the first customer to lay his hands on the F-150 Lightning. Ford is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, so where he lives is just about a two-hour drive from the Lightning assembly plant.

In April, the American multinational manufacturer started the entire EV production in its Dearborn plant. Dealers would begin delivering the much-anticipated F-150 Lightning to the few lucky customers from the first batch. In just 48 hours, nearly 45,000 pre-orders had been placed for the Lightning.

Ford is not the first automaker to deliver an electric truck in the United States since Rivian started in 2021. However, it has beaten Tesla to the punch.

F-150 electrified

Although new startups such as Tesla and Rivian launched futuristic prototypes of their vehicles, the electric truck hit the mass market when Ford launched the electrified version of its F-150. In an article published by CNN, it was mentioned that Ford's F-150 Lightning may be the best pickup that the company has ever made.

Ford has been the top brand for pickup trucks, not just for a year or two. The Detroit automaker

has been the unquestioned king of the pickup truck market for 44 years. Its full F-series line of trucks is still best-selling in the United States. Their top model, the F-150, has the longest heritage with fourteen generations.

The newly released Lightning is a battery-electric full-size pickup in the F-Series lineup as part of the F-150's fourteenth generation. It is the company's pillar for its multi-billion billion global electric vehicle plan to lead electrification. The Detroit automaker created Lightning with other zero-emissions versions of its best-loved franchises, such as the Transit van and the Mustang Mach-E.

Conventional vs. electrified F-150

The conventional F-150 has different features that make it a fantastic family-friendly automobile, work rig, or recreation vehicle. According to Road and Track, the all-electric version of the Ford's most popular pickup is considered the "decade's most important new vehicle." For years to come, it can shape the country's view of electric trucks, so the blue oval-badged automaker could not mess it up.

Body and frame: The conventional F-150 has panels made of aluminum over a steel frame to save around 700 pounds. The electric version also relies on the extensive use of aluminum on its truck accessories and body panels to prevent the weight from being too heavy.

Tech: The latest year model is an evolution for its more modern tech features. With more tech inside, it offers a fully digital instrument cluster and the option of a massive touch screen infotainment system. The all-electric pickup deploys standard over-the-air software updates is called Ford Power-Up. It is different from the software found in conventional F-150s. The Power-Up improves the technology experience, fix issues, and adds new features without going directly to the dealership. The software provides regular enhancements to the Lightning and turns the machine learning into continuous quality improvements for the vehicle.

Storage space: We are all used to putting stuff on the pickup's bed, which is one of the advantages compared to sedans or other vehicles. The ample space on the truck bed is beneficial for both work and play since owners can put small or oversized items on it. But the new thing about all-electric vehicles is it has a roomy space in the hood. Owners can put a few things inside the large lockable frunk, which doubles as storage.

Powertrain: The 2020 F-150 is made with a boisterous gas-powered twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine that spews 510 horsepower for off-road dominance and towing performance. The new electric version delivers a unique experience for drivers. It drives smoothly and quietly with its 98-kWh (up to 131-kWh) battery pack cloistered between the frame rails of the truck. It outputs 452 hp (to a maximum of 580 hp) and an immense 775 lb.-ft of torque. The truck's electric platform unleashes new capabilities as you can use the decent energy output to power a home.

Truck parts: For many years, owners of F-150s with internal combustion engines were able to mod their trucks with bigger wheels and tires. The new all-electric truck has 18-inch wheels, which you can pair with nice beefy tires for off-roading. It has a low center of gravity, making the ride and handling more confident, whether traveling along rain-slicked roads, rugged paths, or through the sand.

Fuel economy: Fuelly said that the 2020 model gets a 16.77 combined average miles-per-gallon (MPG). They based it on the data from 334 vehicles (4,894,735 miles of driving and 13,460 fuel-ups) with a 0.06 MPG margin of error. The efficiency of EVs is measured differently. The F-150 Lightning standard range is slightly less efficient at MPGe of 76 city and 61 highway. For the extended range, the MPGe is at 78 city and 63 highway.

"Ok-To-Buy" status

Since the demand for Lightning is extremely strong, Ford tells the dealers that they should not rush in to sell their demo units, or else they will face some repercussions. The reservations for the electric truck reached 200,000 units, and the automaker even stopped taking orders because it represented more than its year of planned production.

The automaker recently doubled the production targets for Lightning. It aims to manufacture at least 150,000 units annually. As Ford begins shipping units of the Lightning to dealers in the coming days, the model receives an "Ok-To-Buy" status on all trims.

Certain government agencies do not officially hand it down, but the status is an internal certification from automotive companies. They are preparing to ship the first units to dealers so that the customers can come to pick them up. The first batches of the all-electric F-150s have been rolling off the assembly lines since April 24.

After the Lightning's official production launch event in April, new developments have been reported over the past few months, including the additional horsepower in some trims. Through the Monroney stickers, the range and efficiency of the all-electric truck have been leaked online. Members of the F150Gen14 forums shared the detail that the electric truck's Base and Extended Range models show 230 and 300 miles of EPA-estimated range ratings.

Moreover, Ford announced in early March that it split the business into two divisions—"Model e” to handle the transition to electrification, while all combustion engine operations will fall under the “Ford Blue.”

Final thoughts

The F-150 Lightning is truly a game-changing truck, and it should definitely be on your list if you're in the market for an all-electric pickup. With Ford's recent production goal to reach at least 150,000 units, your chance to get your hands on one of these trucks gets bigger.