DETROIT — Facing pressure from new rivals trying to stake a claim in the burgeoning battery-electric pickup market, Ford Motor Co. designed the 2022 F-150 Lightning to do what its gasoline-powered counterpart has done for decades: outwork — and outsell — all competitors.
Ford is hoping that a bold starting price of $39,974 before shipping — about $10,000 less than what the average shopper pays for a gasoline F-150 truck these days ($50,600 in April) — coupled with new features not possible on the current model will help win over EV skeptics and expand the pool of buyers who have made the F-150 the nation’s bestselling vehicle.
The Lightning, revealed late Wednesday, features standard four-wheel-drive; the F-150’s first independent rear suspension; an improved on-board generator that can power a house or work site for three straight days; and the industry’s largest front trunk that comes with four power outlets and 14.1 cubic feet of space — enough room for two sets of golf clubs.
It will be assembled at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich., with sales scheduled to begin next spring.
Ford said the EV can outrun a Raptor with a targeted 0 to 60 mph time in the mid-4-second range, and its dual electric motors are expected to produce 563 hp and 775 pound-feet of torque, making it more powerful than any F-150 before it, including the V-8-powered variants that previously bore the Lightning badge.
The pickup can also tow up to 10,000 pounds and haul up to 2,000. Ford vows it will be profitable.
“If we want to get customers into BEVs, we have to show them better,” said Darren Palmer, Ford’s general manager of battery-electric vehicles. “When it can do more, it gives them a reason for buying.”
There are two battery options: a standard-range that is expected to get 230 miles to a charge, and an extended-range that’s set to get 300 miles.
