- ford's upcoming electric pickup truck will be called the f-150 lightning.
- the name was first seen on the v-8–powered svt f-150 lightning from the 1990s.
- the new electric truck will have a dual-motor setup with all-wheel drive and arrive next year.
ford's new electric pickup truck will be named the f-150 lightning, according to a ford document provided by a source to car and driver. it's a name that was first seen on the svt f-150 lightning street truck that was introduced for 1993 on the ninth-generation truck and then followed on the 10th generation. the electric ford f-150 lightning will go on sale in the middle of next year.
the document shows the new name alongside a reference to the mustang mach-e electric crossover and e-transit electric cargo van. when we reached out to ford to confirm, a spokesperson responded that "we're excited to introduce the all-electric f-150 very soon, but we don't comment on speculation about future products."
ford drew a lot of attention when it applied the mustang name to its first electric crossover, and now the electric version of its best selling pickup will revive a legendary nameplate from v-8–powered street trucks. ford sold 787,422 f-series trucks last year, and the new electric model will go against other upcoming electric pickups such as the gmc hummer ev pickup, electric chevy silverado, and tesla cybertruck—all of which claim more than 350 miles of range.
ford hasn't released many details on the f-150 lightning's powertrain, but it will have a dual-motor setup providing all-wheel drive. ford says the electric f-150 will provide more horsepower and torque and the fastest acceleration of any f-150 currently on the market. that means it'll have more than 450 horsepower and do zero to 60 mph in less than 5.0 seconds. in our 2001 test, the svt f-150 lightning launched to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds on its way to a 13.8-second quarter mile at 104 mph.
we expect the f-150 lightning's battery pack to provide more than 300 miles of range since the longest-range mustang mach-e is epa-rated at 305 miles of driving range. ford also patented a removal range extender that could go in the truck's bed.
the ford f-150 lighting and its batteries will be produced at a new electric vehicle facility at ford's rouge center in dearborn, michigan. it will arrive in mid-2022.