By Jeff Gilbert, WWJ AutoBeat Reporter
(WWJ) As the electric pickup competition begins, Ford is putting everything it can behind its first entry: the F-150 Lightning.
"This truck is going to change everything," says the man who has his name on that blue oval prominently displayed on the vehicle, Executive Chairman Bill Ford. He's also compared it to the Model T.
Oh, yeah, CEO Jim Farley has some big expectations, too.
"We plan to challenge Tesla and all comers to become the number one EV brand in the world."
No pressure on the team that produced this truck.
"We've tortured the thing to make sure it's completely robust," says Darren Palmer, Ford's Vice President of Electric Vehicle Programs.
Simply put, if the F-150 Lightning electric pickup isn't the best truck that Ford has ever made, the company is in serious trouble.
If it is a hit, it could show that the days of the internal combustion engine are numbered.
My opinions will come later.
Ford brought me to the middle of truck country — San Antonio, Texas — to drive the F-150 Lightning under a variety of conditions: on-road, off-road, towing, autocross, and even hands free driving.
Palmer says they've put a lot into this truck.
"This vehicle is absolutely capable to do whatever you throw at it."
I'm not sure how many buyers will have the opportunity to climb a steep hill, or drive through a mud pit. Ford set up a moderately difficult off road course at a Texas winery, to let the Lightning show its stuff.
This isn't a Bronco, but it will handle most off road adventures with ease.
A skid plate protects that all important battery. But that battery adds to the overall traction of the vehicle, putting more weight in the back when the bed is empty.
I outsmarted the demonstration of the the rear locking differential by getting out of a rut on my own limited skill. But the point is the same: This vehicle is a true off roader.
Two quick laps on an autocross course showed a nimbleness that isn't usually apparent on a big pickup. I also noticed that on road, many of the bumps were smoothed out.
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This is an awesome towing machine.'
Ford let me tow a five thousand pound tractor. Modern technology makes a job like this easier than ever, particularly backing up. It will drain your battery faster, just as trailers cut down your mpgs in a gasoline powered pickup.
On road, you have silent neck-snapping acceleration. Handling is crisp. I drove the more basic "pro" trim at first, and it's quite nicely equipped. Higher end trims have luxury vehicle appointments.
Ford was happy to show us the many things you can do with the big battery, plugging in TVs, pinball machines, popcorn makers, even a lawn spraying system. They also showed how you can let a friend "borrow some electrons", by plugging in a Mustang Mach E — at a "level 2" charge of 240 volts.
There are 11 power outlets on board. Ford says a fully charged F-150 Lightning can power a house for three days, and up to 11 days if you cut back to minimal power consumption.
The vehicle also has some of Ford's latest technologies, including "BlueCruise" hands free driving, and the ability to use your phone as a key.
EV Chief Palmer is very proud of the "frunk" — the front trunk, which could be a game changer. It has the volume of a larger trunk, has a plastic bed that's easy to clean, and also has power, in case you need to recharge something that's in the frunk.
"The mega-power frunk changes the usage of the product completely," he says. "Even my own family. Once we had that it became a family car we take for groceries, or whatever we want to do."
The front storage is made possible by the different configurations of EVs, with batteries along the bottom and motors at the wheels. But, Palmer is quick to point out that the just using the space that once housed an engine would have given them a much smaller storage space.
So, it took a lot of engineering to put in a large space, with power, that can be easily cleaned.
"It's not easy, it's very difficult. That's why nobody's done it before."
The frunk is 14.1 cubic feet — 400 liter's — with drainage, if you need to hose it down.
Some other interesting statistics: 0-60 time of roughly four seconds, making it the fastest accelerating F-150. The standard battery puts out 452 horsepower. The extended range battery 580 horsepower.
The vehicle can tow 10,000 pounds, and has a maximum payload capacity of 2,235 pounds.
Are electric pickups for everybody? Probably not if you drive long distances...almost certainly not if you tow long distances. But these problems are rapidly being fixed.
The Lightning is the most powerful trim of the F-150. It also has features that you can't get on any other pickup. That's important.
A "five star vehicle?" Absolutely.
But, there is something extra here, becasue you're making an electric version of the most popular selling vehicle in America.
"Just that alone, of us electrifying this truck gets people to look at it, who may not have looked at EVs in the past," says Chief Program Engineer Linda Zhang.
Ford has been continually increasing production plans for the F-150 Lightning. When up to full speed, they should be making 150 thousand of the trucks a year.
Ford had to cut off reservations at 200,000. That number is higher and came faster than the company originally expected.
"For me personally, it's not a surprise at all," says Zhang. "For us, this product has always been about giving our customers more."
Half of the reservation holders have never purchased a pickup truck before. Three out of four are new to Ford. Four out of five have never purchased an EV before.
EV Chief Palmer thought they had a great truck that would resonate with the public. But the initial popularity took him a bit by surprise.
"We thought it would be popular. We thought it would grow over time, but that it would take some time."
Bill Ford is known as somebody who's in to the enviornment. But, in the past few years he's seen change come very fast.
"This has been a personal journey of mine for forty years plus," he said. "But, it wasn't until recently that technolgy could deliver a vehicle that was not only just as good as an ICE vehicle, but even better."
Ford says the key to getting people to accept an electric vehicle is getting them to learn about them, and then actually experience them, something most people still haven't done.
"Once people get in a vehicle, they will see how capable this is and all of the things you can do with it."
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