People everywhere are flocking to their local Ford dealer locations to learn more and reserve the brand new Ford F-150 Lightning, Ford’s first fully electric pickup truck.
Unlike some of the other new EVs hitting the market, the F-150 Lightning isn’t meant to be some flashy automobile that merely wants to position itself as an electric vehicle. Instead, the Lightning is meant to be the same powerful, and innovative F-150 everyone loves. This Ford truck offers all of the perks you expect from the nation’s top-selling pickup and the eco-friendliness of an EV.
While there are some naysayers that refuse to believe that an electric truck can meet the needs of a modern pickup, the Ford F-150 Lightning is all about setting the record straight. This truck isn’t just independent from fossil fuels; this beast can tow!
The Stunt That Started It All
When Ford was originally announcing the then-upcoming Ford Lightning, it held a publicity stunt to flex just what this new truck could do. The video showcased a prototype Lightning towing a line of empty train cars weighing, in total, around a million pounds. Then, the empty train cars were loaded with brand new Ford F-150s. The Lightning took the 1.25 million pounds of weight and got things moving once again.
Ford dealer employees across the country started getting questions if this stunt was real. Believe it or not, it was. The Lightning absolutely pulled 1.25 million pounds. Of course, other vehicles could do something similar, as this isn’t the competitive advantage that it sounds like. This spectacle was a great marketing ploy to build excitement about the upcoming Ford EV, and it worked.
The Real Test of the F-150 Lightning
To prove that the Ford Lightning is able to handle the demands of the modern pickup, Ford decided to give it a real test. Ford engineers put this pickup through one of the world’s most difficult towing tests, the TFL Truck Ike Gauntlet, an eight-mile stretch of I-70 in Colorado that takes on a 7% incline to an elevation of 11,158 ft above sea level. This test is done in freezing temperatures to show how vehicles handle the cold.
To make sure the Lightning isn’t just a cold-weather truck, engineers also tested it to the extreme grades of Davis Dam. This testing ground is located on State Route 68 between the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. It is 11.4 miles of road that reaches 3,5000 feet in 118-degree temperatures.
Between these vastly different and diverse locations, the Ford Lightning towed 10,000-pound trailers for multiple loops. The Ford EV handled the demands beautifully, from highway speeds to continuous inclines and intense temperatures.
There’s no question about it: the Ford F-150 Lightning is a towing machine.
Pre-Order Your F-150 Lightning at Your Local Ford Dealer
The Ford Lightning is so popular that it’s only available by reservation only. The first batch of these trucks is expected to hit Ford dealerships and homes later this spring. It might be a while before shoppers can just wander onto the sales lot and take a Ford EV truck home, so it’s wise to plan ahead and reserve yours today.
With tons of power and capability, the Ford Lightning is definitely worth the wait.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.