The Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck will be capable of driving up to 320 miles on a charge, but only with the optional extended-range battery. Less-expensive versions of the truck will be capable of 230 miles.
The figures come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, not manufacturer claims.
About the Lightning
Electric trucks may be the most important trend in the automotive industry this year.
The world’s automakers intend to shift toward largely-electric fleets. Some, like Audi and Volvo, have promised to sell nothing but electric vehicles by the end of the decade. Others, like General Motors, have targeted a mostly-electric fleet.
Electrifying most of America’s vehicles could go a long way toward slowing climate change and saving the average driver money.
But Americans buy a lot of pickup trucks. The three best-selling vehicles in America are all hard-working full-size trucks. America won’t be able to electrify most of its vehicles until manufacturers can prove that electricity can replace gasoline, even for demanding pickup truck drivers.
Ford will likely become the first major automaker to offer an electric truck later this year. The F-150 Lightning is an all-electric version of America’s best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150. It can tow up to 10,000 pounds and power a house in a blackout. Even the affordable version, with a price tag just under $40,000, offers 426 horsepower. More expensive options push that figure to 563.
EPA Range Figures
The EPA has certified the truck’s range as:
- F-150 Lightning Pro SR: 230 miles
- F-150 Lightning Pro ER (Fleet only): 320 miles
- F-150 Lightning XLT SR: 230 miles
- F-150 Lightning XLT ER: 320 miles
- F-150 Lightning Lariat SR: 230 miles
- F-150 Lightning Lariat ER: 320 miles
- F-150 Lightning Platinum: 300 miles
Competition Coming
The Lightning isn’t the first electric truck to reach the market. Startup Rivian offers its R1T pickup, certified for up to 314 miles of range.
More are on the way. A Chevy Silverado EV is expected for the 2024 model year. Ram plans its own electric truck. Tesla says it has more than 1 million reservations for its Cybertruck, though the vehicle has been delayed.
Questions Remain
The range figures are essentially what Ford predicted, though the longest-range versions rated at 320 miles beat prior estimates by 20.
They mean the truck will likely make sense for some buyers, as many trucks drive within a predictable range and carry a load that changes little from day to day. But some truck drivers use their pickups as tow vehicles regularly. Neither Ford nor the EPA has published numbers on what a trailer does to the range.
Several tests have shown that towing a load can cut an electric truck’s range in half. Test drivers find that the trucks tow well — with plenty of passing power even under a full load. But they can’t tow nearly as far as gasoline-powered trucks. Since trucks often tow to locations where chargers are rare, as in the case of a weekend camping trailer, those range limitations could be a serious issue for some buyers.
