The first electric F-150 pickup’s 563 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque pay off in towing and acceleration.
The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup will have a lot to prove when sales begin next spring. But you can rest easy about its acceleration, towing and ability to protect delicate batteries and motors in rugged terrain. I rode shotgun last week as Ford engineers put the electric F-150 through its paces at the company’s wooded proving ground in Romeo, north of Detroit. I’d rather be at the wheel, but the only person outside Ford Motor Co. who’s driven an electric F-150 Lightning so far was President Joe Biden, when he visited the assembly plant in Dearborn on Tuesday. That puts a whole new face on “above my pay grade,” doesn’t it? Ford hasn’t revealed detailed specs for the Lightning yet, but the headline is clear: 563 horsepower,775 pound-feet of torque, electronically controlled full-time four-wheel drive,0-60 mph times in the mid 4-second range,230- or 300-mile range, depending on which battery pack you pay for. Ford hasn’t said how big the packs are yet, but around 90 kWh seems likely for extended range. More: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup could change how America travels and works More: President Biden’s F-150 Lightning moment in Dearborn: How it really happened The power and torque figures both top the most powerful 2021 F-150, the 430-hp/570 pound-feet hybrid. Ford doesn’t talk about the hybrid’s 0-60 times, but you can rest assured the Lightning beats that easily, too. The big open questions are curb weight, which should significantly affect the Lightning’s ability to navigate mud, and charging time, important to its practicality for long drives and uptime as a fleet vehicle.
