In that company, however, the Ford F-150 Lightning falls short in terms of outputs, zero to 100km/h sprint time and to a degree, range. Let’s look at some numbers.
The new Ford F-150 Lightning adopts a dual electric motor setup, one motor over each axle, that produces no less than 420kW and 1,050Nm of torque when equipped with the extended lithium-ion battery pack which enables a range of approximately 483km. With the standard battery pack, 370 km of range is offered but power drops to 318kW while torque remains the same at 1,05Nm.
As for acceleration, zero to 100 km/h in about 4.5 seconds is fast by bakkie standards but it’s notably slower than the claimed figures of less than 2.9 seconds for the Tesla Cybertruck and three seconds for the Rivian R1T and Hummer EV.
In terms of towing, the F-150 Lighting can tow up to over 4.5 tons with a payload of just over 900kg. The standard 48A home charger will charge the Lightning from 15% to 100% in about 10 hours with the Lightning equipped with a range entender battery pack gains a dual charger and 80A home charger that will charge up in about 8 hours. Using a 150 kW DC fast charger, 15% to 80% charge can be achieved in 41 minutes.
The F-150 Lightning also offers a large 400-litre frunk that can be used to store valuables out of sight, solving perhaps one of our biggest gripes with conventional ICE bakkies. Another amazing feature is the Intelligent Backup System which makes it possible to store up to 9.6 kW of energy which is enough to power a home for 3 days! The Lightning can also be used as a power source on work sites or for camping in the outdoors with up to 11 power outlets on offer.
In terms of tech, the F-150 Lightning is equipped with Ford's latest SYNC4A infotainment system with a large 15.5-inch portrait-style touchscreen display with all the modern connectivity features at your fingertips. Also, Ford is also offering its L2 hands-free driver assistance system called Ford BlueCruise which will be enabled on more than 160,000kms of pre-qualified highway systems.
Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the new Ford F-150 Lightning is its pricing. EV’s are notoriously expensive, especially in South Africa, but the entry-level Lightning is expected to be priced from roughly $30,000 or roughly R422,000 at current exchange rates. At the top of the range, buyers will be paying roughly $90 000 for the top-spec Lightning which is over R1.2m, only R200,000 more than the 190kW Volkswagen Amarok.
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