Electric Ford F-150 Lightning joins Mustang as Ford’s ‘Icons’ go EV

The Ford F-150 Lightning arrives as Ford takes its iconic pick-up and adds electric power with 555bhp, 775lb/ft of torque and low prices.

Ford may not seem to be at the cutting edge of electrification, although it is planning Ford EVs using VW’s ID Platform. But it does have one EV with an icon badge, the Mustang Mach-E, and now it has another – the Ford F-150 Lightning.

Clearly Ford think the way to get hearts and minds behind an EV future is to use its iconic names to convince buyers electric isn’t scary and, although an electric F-150 pick-up has no resonance in the UK, it has huge meaning in the US as the best-selling Ford vehicle ever.

So the message is that the F-150 Lightning is the same F-150 you know and love, just with batteries and motors instead of an ICE. And it does everything you want, and everything an ICE F-150 does.

The electric bit of the F-150 Lightning means a motor front and back for 555bhp and 775lb/ft of torque – 0-60mph in four and a bit seconds – and a choice of two battery packs offering range of up to 300 miles, although that’ll depend very much on what you’re carrying or towing, with decent towing of 900kg and payload of 4563kg.

An added advantage of the EV setup is a big ‘Frunk’ (which we should call ‘Froot’ in the UK) of 400 litres with four electric outlets which can be used to power tools and, if you need to, power your home in a power cut.

Perhaps most interesting is that when the F-150 goes on sale its starting price will be under £30k, in-line with ICE versions.

Will the Ford F-150 Lightning ignite real interest in EVs in the US (outside California and the Teslarati?). It seems likely.