The Ford F-Series has had a long and prosperous life in Canada and North America more broadly. It’s also seen many variants, from the off-road-ready SVT Raptor to the street-rocket Lightning model.
Today, the Ford F-150 Lightning is still a road rocket, but it’s far different than the V-8-powered beasts of yesteryear. Today, the Ford F-150 Lightning is an all-electric pickup truck with incredible performance and capability.
Continue reading to learn all about the new Ford Electric truck.
Ford F-150 Lightning: Exterior
The Ford F-150 has a time-honoured reputation, so the automaker chose not to stray too far from its roots in designing the first Ford electric truck. The all-electric F-150 Lightning pulls most of its design straight from the conventional Ford F-150.
Besides the badging, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish this electric pickup truck from a standard F-150. The rear lighting differs slightly with its lightning bolt design but is otherwise virtually identical. The real differentiator in the Ford F-150 Lightning’s design is its solid grille and unique lightning bolt LED accent lighting. In the Pro and XLT models, this grille is a relatively featureless, black slab, but the Lariat and Platinum models get a more stylized version.
The other tell-tale signs the Lightning is an all-electric truck are its wheels. It features aerodynamically enhanced rollers, much like those of other electric cars, which help minimize drag and maximize driving range.
Unlike the rest of the F-150 lineup, the Ford electric truck is only available with a four-door SuperCrew cab and a 5.5-foot bed. This may impact its cargo-hauling abilities, but it makes for a more road-trip-friendly cabin, which we’ll get to later. To make up for its smaller cargo bed, Ford added a massive 400-litre front trunk, which rivals most midsize and full-size sedans.
Ford F-150 Lightning: Interior
Inside, the Ford electric truck pulls a lot from the standard F-series in its base design. Unlike many electric vehicles, which tend to lean into high-tech-looking cabins, the F-150 Lightning looks and feels like a traditional pickup inside.
It boasts a large, blocky, and rugged-looking dash with large, glove-friendly knobs on the Pro and XLT trim levels with the standard 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system. In the Lariat and Platinum models, a portrait-oriented 15.5-inch touchscreen replaces the HVAC buttons and knobs with a digital interface. Both infotainment systems come standard with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
The Ford F-150 Lightning’s cabin is loaded with advanced technology too, including standard voice recognition, over-the-air software updates, navigation, push-button ignition, Wi-Fi, and more. In the Lariat trim, buyers get an eight-speaker B&O audio system, while the Platinum ups the speaker count to 18.
This Ford electric truck also shows off its functional side with standard 2.4-kW onboard power that includes eight 120-volt power outlets. In the Lariat and Platinum models, this jumps to a 9.6-kW Pro Power Onboard system that adds a 240-volt outlet in the bed.
Seating materials mimic Ford’s standard hierarchy in its gas-powered pickups. The Base F-150 Lightning Pro has work-truck-like vinyl seating with four-way manual-adjust front seats. The second-tier XLT trim gets cloth seats and an eight-way power driver’s seat with lumbar adjustment. The Lariat model gains heated and ventilated leather seats with a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and a power passenger’s seat. The Platinum trim gets Premium Nirvana leather seats with black tuxedo strips. These range-topping thrones are also heated and ventilated, boast 10-way power adjustment, and include Ford’s MultiContour with Active Motion.
With its SuperCrew cab, the zero-emissions Ford F-150 Lightning is rather roomy inside. Its front seats offer 1,036 mm of headroom, 1,115 mm of legroom, 1,694 mm of shoulder room, and 1,588 mm of hip room. The rear seats are good for kids and adults with 1,026 mm of headroom, 1,107 mm of legroom, 1,676 mm of shoulder room, and 1,590 mm of hip room.
Ford F-150 Lightning: Driver Assist Features
The Ford F-150 Lightning not only has a high-tech cabin—it also has top-notch safety equipment standard as a part of its Ford Co-Pilot 360 system. These features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, rearview camera, automatic high-beam headlights, rear automatic braking, and more.
In the Lariat and Platinum trims, you also get adaptive cruise control, lane centring, speed sign recognition, evasive steering assist, and intersection assist. The Platinum trim adds BlueCruise and Active Park Assist 2.0.
Ford F-150 Lightning: Powertrain
The star of the Ford electric truck is its all-electric powertrain. The Ford F-150 Lightning features a Dual eMotor (dual electric motors) all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain that delivers 452 horsepower (hp) and 775 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) of torque with the standard-range battery pack. With the extended-range battery pack, the output leaps to 580 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque.
In independent testing, the extended-range battery model sprinted to 96.5 km/h in just four seconds and through the quarter mile in 12.7 seconds. There are no independent tests of the standard-range model, but it should still be under five seconds to 96.5 km/h.
Ford F-150 Lightning: Capability
What’s a truck if it can’t tow and haul? The Ford F-150 Lightning delivers surprisingly good towing and payload specs.
The base Pro trim level with the standard-range battery pack can tow up to 2,268 kg and handle 1,014 kg of payload. With the optional Max Trailer Tow Package, the tow rating increases to 3,493 kg.
The extended-range battery pack pushes the standard towing capacity to 3,493 kg. Adding the Max Trailer Tow Package pushes the capacity to 3,855 kg in the Platinum trim and 4,536 kg in the XLT and Lariat trims. Because of the heavier battery pack, the payload falls to 885 kg.
Ford F-150 Lightning: Driving Range and Charging
The Ford F-150 Lightning’s standard-range lithium-ion battery pack has 98 kWh of usable capacity, giving it a 370-km driving range. It includes an 11.3-kW onboard charger that can accept up to a 150-kW DC fast charger.
On the max DC fast charger, the standard-range battery goes from 15% to 80% charge in just 44 minutes, while a 50-kW DC fast charger takes 91 minutes. If you opt for the 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro with Ford Intelligent Backup Power capability or the 48-amp Ford Connected Charge Station, you can charge from 15% to 100% in 10 hours.
With the standard mobile charge plugged into a 240-volt power outlet, the Ford electric truck’s standard-range battery charges from 15% to 100% in 13 hours.
When buyers upgrade to the extended-range battery pack, they get 131 kWh of usable capacity. This translates to 515 km of range in the XLT and Lariat trims, but the more energy-hungry Platinum trim gets only 483 km of range. This battery pack also includes a higher-capacity 19.2-kW onboard charger.
On a 150-kW DC fast charger, you can charge the extended-range battery from 15% to 80% in 41 minutes, whereas a 50-kW charger takes 122 minutes. The 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro with Ford Intelligent Backup Power comes standard with this battery pack and charges it from 15% to 100% in eight hours. With the optional 48-amp Ford Connected Charge Station, you can charge from 15% to 100% in 13 hours. The standard mobile charge plugged into a 240-volt power outlet charges the Ford electric truck’s extended-range battery from 15% to 100% in 19 hours.
Ford F-150 Lightning: MSRP and Pre-Owned Market
The Ford electric truck has a relatively affordable pricing structure for an all-electric pickup with superior specs, with the XLT trim starting at $68,000 before national and provincial incentives. The Lariat’s base price rises to $80,000, and the Platinum comes in at $110,000.
The Pro trim is no longer available as a new vehicle in Canada, but some U.S.-spec models could make their way across the border in the future. These pickups check in at $46,974 (USD).
These trucks are still relatively new and in limited supply, so the pre-owned market remains small. This should loosen up in a few years, though. And while you can no longer get it new, the 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro may be available on the used market for around $58,000.
A used 2022 model year XLT trim with the standard-range battery will generally run around $68,000, and the extended-range model will check in at about $81,000. A used Lariat standard range will run about $80,000, and the extended range will set you back about $93,000. The top-of-the-line Lightning Platinum trim will cost about $110,000 used.
Notice that many of the used prices are in line with the brand-new models. This is due to high demand and limited supply. As supply grows, the pre-owned market will cool off and prices will fall, making the used Ford F-150 Lightning a good buy.
Ford F-150 Lightning: The Competition
While electric trucks are still in their infancy in Canada, a few automakers offer alternatives to the Ford electric truck.
GMC Hummer EV Pickup
GMC has resurrected the Hummer nameplate as an all-electric pickup and SUV. The pickup variant hits dealerships in fall 2022 and will include up to 1,000 hp and an insane 11,500 lb-ft of torque. It can receive up to a 350-kW charge, which can get you 161 km of driving range with just a 10-minute charge. The total range is estimated at 529 km but is still pending certification.
This advanced pickup will also have Super Cruise available, allowing for hands-free driving on up to 322,000 km of roads in North America.
Towing sits at up to 3,402 kg, and its payload capacity is 590 kg. This powerful pickup will also be quite fast, with an estimated 0-to-96.5 km/h time of three seconds.
Rivian R1T
The Rivian R1T was officially the first of the electric pickups, though it’s never been overly popular due to it being a very small brand. Despite its limited market share, the R1T is an incredible alternative to the Ford electric truck.
It boasts two powertrain options, starting with a dual-motor AWD setup that delivers 600 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain delivers a four-second 0-to-96.5 km/h sprint time.
The R1T’s optional quad-motor setup pumps out 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque. This delivers a three-second 0-to-96.5 km/h sprint time.
The Rivian R1T can tow up to 4,989 kg, making it even more capable than the F-150 and GMC. Its range checks in at 505 km, keeping pace with the F-150, and it can get up to 225 km on a 20-minute DC fast charger. On Level 2 240-volt chargers, you can get 40 km of range per hour, while the portable charger delivers 26 km per hour when plugging into a 240-volt outlet.
Get Your Electric Truck at Clutch
While the used electric pickup market is still in its infancy, a few models will be available here and there. Keep an eye on the Clutch used electric vehicle inventory to see when the Ford electric truck or one of its competitors arrives.
You can rest assured that any vehicle you choose from Clutch will be of the highest quality, as we put all vehicles through a 210-point inspection and reconditioning process. We also include our 90-Day Protection Plan and nationwide roadside assistance for additional security. You can also opt for one of our nationwide Extended Warranties for even more security.
If you’re wondering whether to purchase a used vehicle 100% online, you’ll be happy to know you’re backed by Clutch’s 10-Day Money-Back Guarantee. This means that if you don’t love your new electric truck, you can exchange it for a new one or return it for a no-questions-asked refund.
Check out our inventory of quality used electric vehicles today and choose a model suitable for you. You can even set up financing and get your trade-in vehicle appraised entirely online. No need to set foot in a dealership.
