Ford’s Electric F-150, The Most Consequential EV Yet, Will Be Called “Lightning”

Along with the name announcement, we’ve also got unveiling and production dates for the truck

The word Lightning on the side of Ford's new electric F-150 pickup truck
Watch out, Bolt, Lightning is about to make an appearance.
Ford

The most highly anticipated, and potentially most consequential, vehicle of the electric era finally has a name: Lightning.

Ford officially announced the moniker for their electrified F-150 pickup on Monday, an EV that has been in development for years. As the F-Series trucks have been the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. for decades, its success in electrification will be a bellwether for both the future of EVs as a category and Ford as a company, especially as exciting upstarts like Rivian and Tesla are also on the cusp of releasing their own electric haulers.

We’ll soon see how the F-150 Lightning stacks up against the competition, as the Blue Oval also announced the official reveal of the truck will take place on Wednesday, May 19 at 9:30 p.m. EDT. The event will take place at the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, and be livestreamed online.

One other important detail Ford let slip on Monday is that production for the Lightning is set to begin in spring of 2022, which is on track with their previous plans.

The seriousness with which Ford is taking the release can be seen in a press release quote from president and CEO Jim Farley, who said, “Every so often, a new vehicle comes along that disrupts the status quo and changes the game … Model T, Mustang, Prius, Model 3. Now comes the F-150 Lightning. America’s favorite vehicle for nearly half a century is going digital and fully electric. F-150 Lightning can power your home during an outage; it’s even quicker than the original F-150 Lightning performance truck; and it will constantly improve through over-the-air updates.”

While the capabilities are exciting, it’s the other vehicles Farley cited that are important here. Instead of citing Ford’s Mustang Mach-E, their new electric SUV that carries their historic pony car name, as a vehicle that “changed the game,” Farley gave props to the Toyota Prius and Tesla Model 3. It’s proof that Ford is clear-eyed about the competition, and their lack of innovation in the electric vehicle space so far. 

Will the F-150 Lightning surpass Tesla’s dominance in the EV space and trounce the Cybertruck? Tune in on May 19.

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