Even people who drive pickups truth is texas. Is us in extreme pickup trucks are a mainstay in american society, trucks to haul and work, of course, but trucks to get groceries and trucks to go on vacation too pickups are a way of life and their utility is paramount trucks, typically top the sales charts every Year and the ford f series line of trucks has been the best selling vehicle overall in the country for decades. Ford isnt, the first to market with an electric pickup, but it is the first with a mass produced, affordable, electric pickup truck and evie pulse. Just had the chance to drive it. Texas hill country is the perfect place to get a first look at the 2022 ford f, 150 lightning. This state is fords biggest market and if the cowboys and farmers are won over by the truck, then the blue oval has a great chance of success. Music. The hardware is a good starting point. All ford lightnings are powered by a dual motor. Four wheel drive setup. There are two battery options available on most trims, starting with a 98 kilowatt hour battery pack that delivers 452 horsepower and 775 pound feet of torque epa. Estimated range for the standard battery pack is 230 miles. Upgrading to the 131 kilowatt hour pack increases range to 320 miles. Torque remains. The same. Horsepower is increased to 580 when properly equipped. The f 150 lightning can tow up to 10 000 pounds and carry a maximum payload of 2235 pounds, so it obviously has trucking credentials.

The lighting is based on a regular f 150, albeit slightly modified. The frame is altered a bit to carry the battery packs and fit the electric motors, but its fundamentally the same as the gasoline powered unit. The biggest change over the standard truck is the replacement of the leaf spring rear suspension and solid axle with a fully independent rear suspension. It shares a common cab with the regular f 150, which means passengers get all the space theyre used to expecting in a supercrew. F: 150: the lightning only comes in crew cab configuration with a 5.5 foot bed. The replacement of the engine frees up space in front for even more storage. Most trucks have very little if any lockable storage outside the cab, that is weather resistant. The lightning changes that, with what the company calls the mega power frunk, it has 14.1 cubic feet of storage, has a built in drain plug and has plugs to access the pro power onboard generator for powering a job site or tailgate. Its also opened automatically by a button in the cab or via the key fob, like the f 150 hybrid, that were quite fond of the lightning, also has the generator access in the back of the bed in the lightning, though you can get up to 9.6 kilowatts Of power up from the hybrid 7.2 kilowatts additionally end game changingly, is that its bi directional power with a setup at home from the companys sunrun.

The lightning can function as a whole home battery backup. If the power goes out, the sunrun unit is just under four thousand dollars from the company before installation and can also connect to solar to help. You live off the grid with a long range battery ford estimates that the lightning can fully power a house for three days. If you need to last longer running essential. Only systems in the house can extend that power to up to 10 days once the power is restored, the truck immediately starts recharging. Not only is this a big deal for homeowners, but as more trucks connect to the grid, the power company can reward owners by helping supply the grid with power during peak times were just at the very beginning of a potential power grid. Revolution. Oh and it can also power tvs and arcade games as one does, but what is it like to drive whether we were in the base model, pro version or a top of the line? Platinum both drive and feel like regular, f, 150s? Yes, the truck is quicker off the line and, yes, the ride quality is dramatically improved thanks to the independent rear suspension, but at the end of the day, this truck is a f, 150 and thats fantastic theres little learning curve to living with this truck folks coming Over from a gasoline, f, 150 will feel right at home. In many cases, itll even feel like an upgrade. The pro trim, which replaces the xl grade doesnt, feel like a de contented truck at all.

While the plastics are harder, theyre textured to look attractive, the vinyl seats feel high quality and theyre just as comfortable as the leather wrapped seats in the higher trim models. The pro also comes standard with a full digital instrument. Cluster and a massive 12.1 inch infotainment screen. This screen is the upgraded screen from the regular f. 150 supports wireless apple, carplay and android auto and works quite well. The downside to the pro is that its only available to retail customers with a standard range battery to qualify for the pro extended range youll have to be a fleet. Buyer with a ford fleet, identification number thats. Nearly the perfect trim of lightning and the one wed buy if we could for most customers, getting additional range will mean moving higher up the lineup doing so just adds more creature comforts a larger vertical 15.1 inch touchscreen lifted from the machi adorns higher spec models. Buyers can opt for blue crews, hands off driver assistance. Technology, upgraded trims, also have massaging seats, a b o unleashed audio system and a massive twin panel sliding glass roof. Basically, everything you can get on the f 150. You can get on a version of the lightning because, as weve said, the lightning is basically just an f 150 with all the torque and no gear shifts the f 150 lightning, with 9 500 pounds of weight in the back. Toes like a freight train. All four tires will squeal if you put your foot down from a standstill with the trailer and you get up to highway, speed quicker than you have any right to when towing with maximum payload.

The experience is the same. Acceleration is brisk. It generally feels like theres. No payload at all doing work stuff in the f. 150 is quite effortless theres, currently no fx4 or off road trim of the lightning. But ford did demonstrate some of the lightnings off road credentials. Theres an available e locker, which is a mechanical, locking, rear differential controlled by a computer to improve traction in low grip situations combined with an intelligent off road setting for the stability control. The lightning can handle decent trail situations, its not a raptor, but itll get you around your farm. When it comes time to recharge the lightning, you can use your home charger. You already have or ford can sell you one that can charge the lightning up to 19.2. Kilowatts with that 80 amp charger ford says you can go from 15 state of charge to 100 state of charge in approximately eight hours when youre out on the road. A dc fast charger can charge the lighting at up to a peak of 150 kilowatts. Ford says this is good for about 54 miles of range for every 10 minutes of charging, but we wont be able to know for sure until we verify it ourselves its not as quick to charge as the upcoming silverado ev will be, but that truck is still 10 months away at least the built in navigation system will plan your route based on where you need to stop and charge, and if the charging station is on the fordpass charging network, you only need to use one account to pay for fast.

Charging more chargers are coming online every day and over. The air updates can update the database, along with other truck functions, lets break down the pricing and trims for the 2022 ford, f, 150 lightning. The pro model is at the bottom of the lineup. This trim gets you into a lightning and has a starting price of forty one thousand seven hundred and sixty nine dollars with delivery. The xlt trim, which is the first model to offer both standard and extended range batteries to normal retail customers, starts at fifty four thousand. Seven hundred and sixty nine dollars also offering two battery options is the lariat model. It starts at sixty nine thousand two hundred and sixty nine dollars. Finally, the platinum model, which only comes with the long range battery but also the most features, starts at ninety 92. 669. There are currently only two other electric pickup trucks on sale right now, the mid sized rivian r1t and the ginormous gmc hummer ev, the cheapest rivien r1t that you can get into is currently sixty seven thousand five hundred dollars. The rivian has adjusted its price at least once so far. The only gmc hummer that can currently be purchased is the edition one, its an eye watering one hundred and twelve thousand 595. In the spring of 2024, there will be a hummer ev that starts at at least 80 000 called the hummer ev squared, which is still nearly double the starting price of the lightning so its safe to say that the lightning is the more mainstream, focused, affordable option.

Its a good option too, its everything you expect from a ford f, 150, but with a different powertrain. It rides the nicest unloaded it drives. The nicest loaded or unloaded its a great truck to live with and to work with were excited to see how the buying public takes to it, because we cant wait to spend more time with it. We think ford has a success on its hands for more of our coverage of lightning visit our website at evpulse.com.

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