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Short Summary
Main recommendation: The Ford F-150 Lightning, the electric version of Ford's best-selling vehicle, is a serious and competitive electric truck that Ford appears to have engineered to be better than its gas counterpart in practical ways. Its strongest selling points are its large weather-sealed front trunk, built-in power outlets that can run tools or back up a home, and performance that surpasses the gas Raptor in acceleration (Ford claims it's the fastest truck they've ever made).
Key Points
- The F-150 has been America's best-selling vehicle for about 40 years, so an electric version carries outsized significance.
- Two versions are offered: a base model just under $40,000 with a 230-mile rated range, and an extended-battery model just under $50,000 with a 300-mile rated range.
- The 300-mile figure is an EPA estimate with a 1,000-pound payload; the reviewer's unloaded truck quoted 367 miles at roughly 80 percent charge, which he extrapolates to about 460 miles at full charge.
- The front trunk is the largest he has seen in any EV and is designed to hold two full-size golf bags, with a drain hole and an optional cover divider.
- Bidirectional power via an optional inverter can run an entire home for up to several days during an outage.
- Performance is strong: 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds at 6,000 pounds, 430 or 563 horsepower depending on battery, and 775 lb-ft of instant torque from a one-speed transmission.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: No step-by-step setup procedure is given, but the video offers practical guidance for buyers. Use the FordPass app to find compatible charging stations and let it route you based on range, which accounts for cargo weight measured by the bed scales. Plan for the trip with the 1,000-pound payload range figure as a conservative baseline, since cold weather, towing, and powering tools at a job site each reduce range. For job-site use, the bed provides 240-volt power and four 20-amp outlets, so you can run power tools, air compressors, and lights without a separate generator. For home backup, the optional power inverter on the long-range version can power the whole house during an outage.
- Ford is not officially disclosing battery size; the reviewer estimates roughly 140 to 200 kWh based on the range he observed.
- The rear and front lighting, including full-length brake lights and a daytime running light bar, are design highlights, while the grille is a non-functional plastic insert.
- The charge port sits behind a door on the driver's side, and the panel on the opposite side is purely cosmetic for symmetry.
- A fully loaded Platinum trim can exceed about $90,000, while the reviewer expects most buyers to land around $50,000 to $55,000.
- The reviewer reports roughly 70,000 reservations at the time of filming.
Bottom Line
The F-150 Lightning looks like a credible electric truck that adds real utility, such as a massive front trunk, job-site power, and home backup, rather than just swapping the engine for a battery.
