Ford's All-Electric F-150 Has A Name: Lightning Is Back!
The Ford F-150 Lightning EV Will Debut On May 19th!
Ford has been teasing its battery-electric F-150 pickup for several years now (remember the train towing stunt?) and as of today we finally have a name and release date. Rumors have been swirling around the internet since a trademark filing was found from Ford re-upping its "Lightning" trademark. In an exciting twist, Ford has just confirmed that the upcoming 2023 F-150 EV will in fact be called Lightning.
Knowing the performance capable from battery electric vehicles, it's not surprising that Ford would resurrect the Lightning name for the pickup. It's exceedingly likely that the all-electric Ford F-150 will be the most powerful F-150 ever built, and by a wide margin. In days past, the Lightning badge was affixed to Ford's street performance-oriented F-150. Ford first debuted the Lightning name in 1993 on an F-150 stuffed with the company's 240 hp 5.8L V-8 engine. The second-generation F-150 Lightning ran from 1999 until 2004 and sported a supercharged 5.4L V-8 that churned out a maximum of 380 hp. This propelled the lowered, regular-cab, two-wheel drive, sport truck from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds. By the day's standards, this was impressive.
If Ford intends to keep up with its battery-electric full-size truck competition (such as the GMC Hummer EV, Chevy Silverado 1500 EV, Tesla Cyber Truck, Rivian R1T, and Lordstown Endurance), we expect to see the 2023 F-150 Lightning arrive with about 750 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque in top spec. This should propel the pickup to a sub-4-second 0 to 60 time, which would prove it worthy of the Lightning badge.
Unlike the first two generations of F-150 Lightning, however, we don't expect this pickup to arrive as simply a two-wheel drive, lowered, street queen. The forthcoming F-150 Lightning EV will likely be four-wheel drive, have a long list of available off-road features, and a towing capacity rivaling its -ton brethren. This new generation of all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning should be a true jack-of-all-trades and not just a one-trick-pony.
Ford also announced when we'll finally be privy to all of the juicy Lightning details. The company is planning a massive live-stream event at 9:30pm EST on Wednesday, May 19th. People interested will be able to watch not only online, but also in physical locations such as Times Square in New York and along the Las Vegas Strip.
Production of the all-electric 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning EV is slated to begin in the spring of 2022 at the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan.
Jason Gonderman was born and raised in sunny Southern California and grew up with subscriptions to 4-Wheel & Off-Road, Four Wheeler, and many other off-road magazines. The off-road bug bit hard after a summer building up a Baja Bug with friends to drive in the sand dunes of Glamis (Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area). After that it was over and he bought his first 4wd vehicle, a 1999 Ford Ranger that eventually transformed into a capable desert pre-runner and back-country adventurer. Jason has logged thousands of miles off-road in many different terrains and vehicles. He has raced the Baja 1000, participated in the Ultimate Adventure, and covered Top Truck Challenge, Diesel Power Challenge, Real Truck Club Challenge, and many other big name events. When not behind the computer Jason can be found fabricating truck parts, shooting short-course off-road races, riding dirt bikes with his wife, or participating in any sort of other 'extreme' activity.
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