by Peter Ciani for RPM News Weekly ~
As Ford gets ready to roll out the F-150 Lightning, its newest and most important electric vehicle to date, all signs indicate that the global shift to EVs is getting ready to ‘pickup’ speed.
Not that the F-150 Lightning is the only truck attempting a breakthrough in the EV pickup marketplace. There are Rivian, Hummer, Tesla and a few others, too. What’s different is that the F-150 has held title to being the best selling pickup for quite awhile. This will surely be a test of loyalty and conviction.
Although the EV market in the USA is still hovering around 2% of overall new vehicle sales, EVs get about 90% of the automotive media hype.
That hype began with Tesla, a car company that basically came out of nowhere and has been underestimated by competitors and angry stock shorters at every turn. No doubt, with Tesla the hype is mostly focused on its leader, which is a shame because the people in the trenches at Tesla have really pulled off some miracles.
The original mission for Tesla as stated by Elon Musk back in the beginning is “to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass-market electric cars to market as soon as possible.”
Whether you love or hate Elon Musk (or if he even still believes in the mission), the fact is they’ve accomplished that goal. Tesla has pushed the automotive world into going electric. Even if they closed their doors tomorrow and Elon spends the rest of his days living in a refrigerator box, the mission is already underway. Need proof? Here’s a shortlist of EVs currently available that didn’t exist before Tesla:
- Chevrolet Bolt
- Kia EV6
- Polestar 2
- Jaguar I-Pace
- Audi E-Tron
- Porsche Taycan
- Lucid Air
- Rivian R1T
And, of course, the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Being a longtime Mustang owner and enthusiast, I was a bit skeptical about the use of the Mustang name on an SUV (as you can imagine). I still am. Personally, I think it was a bit of a marketing gimmick to lure in diehard Ford fans and, more importantly, generate headlines. In the end, it didn’t matter because the Mach-E is a wonderful car, no matter what you call it. Interestingly, reports indicate most Mach-E buyers are coming from outside the brand. Definitely a win for Ford.
Ford’s using the Mustang name on the Mach-E was somewhat daring, but it would have shown more commitment to their EV future had they gone all-in and switched the Mustang itself to EV. That would have been a real test of their dedication – but a terrible business decision, of course.
Enter the Ford F-150 Lightning – Ford’s real EV dedication test. Whereas the Mach-E felt like a good SUV with Mustang-inspired styling, the F-150 is Ford’s bread and butter. It couldn’t have been an easy decision to mess with one of the best-selling nameplates in the world. The result has got to be good.
With the likes of Rivian, Lordstown, GMC Hummer, and Tesla trucks on the horizon Ford needs to be ready with an EV pickup that can compete, or better yet dominate the EV pickup market.
Rivain RT1 
Tesla Cybertruck
At the end of the day the RT1, Hummer, and Cybertuck are lifestyle vehicles that will have their dedicated buyers and despite some backing from GM, Lordstown has yet to prove that they can even build a viable EV.
The F-150 Lighting doesn’t appear to stray too far from the everyday, usable pickup truck formula, and that’s a good thing if you are trying to attract average-joe or fleet buyers that are already enamored with conventionally-powered F-150s. Once Ford starts mass-producing EV trucks and bringing costs down, the potential EV fleet market is going to be huge. As ICE (internal combustion engine) bans start taking effect, fleets will need EVs and once they start seeing the cost benefits there will be a snowball effect in EV truck sales.
Ford seems to be aware of this. Along with the F-150 Lightning they are also rolling out the all-electric E-Transit delivery van. In the long run, the E-Transit will do more for the world than the Porsche Taycan. It’s a bit unfortunate, though, that there is zero hype for this lowly delivery van. That’s the commercial vehicle life: they don’t get a second glance on the road, but everyone loves getting their Amazon packages on time. At least its stablemate EV, the F-150 Lightning is getting some attention.
The Lightning name is no stranger to the F-150, going all the way back to the model’s 9th generation. The 1993 F-150 SVT Lightning was basically a factory F-150 hotrod with a beefed-up frame, a more powerful 351 V8 paired with a heavy-duty 4-speed automatic transmission, and a slightly modified suspension. The second generation of the Lightning made even more power thanks to a Supercharged 5.4-liter V8.
Unlike placing the Mustang name on an SUV, the use of the Lightning name for the all-electric F-150 seems like it was meant to be. Really, the marketing writes itself. Not only does it lend itself perfectly to an EV, but the model name is also synonymous with Ford F-150 performance.
So, what does the new F-150 Lightning bring to the table? Don’t know, we’ll be watching along with you as it makes its debut. But, I can tell you that President Joe Biden was quoted as saying, “This sucker’s quick” after his unexpected test drive on Tuesday.
Before you ask what does the president know about fast? The man drove a 1967 Corvette before he got into office and he’s not afraid to spin the tires now and then. In fact, one of President Biden’s best interviews was done from behind the wheel of his ‘vette with Jay Leno.
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