Production of retail trucks begins this week. The importance of this vehicle can not be emphasized enough. F150 is the number 1 selling motor vehicle and has been for decades. Adding a plug in electric version is a major step. It has the potential to move quickly to the number 1 selling EV. In my opinion the Lightning will be a bellwether for the EV segment. This truck has the potential to determine whether EVs will become as prevalent as many believe, or whether they will remain as they are now, a small segment of the larger market relegated to mostly urban use. A lot is riding on this.

Let's see if Ford, (Model e, that is, as they have already spun their electric vehicle operation into a new division) can become the dominant EV manufacturer. On that note, if the division is Model e and the model is Lightning, then it it an F150 at all?

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford...ice-divisions/

https://www.thedrive.com/news/2022-f...s-off-april-26

 

It's about time they started production!

 

I’ll be curious to see how this does. As a truck owner and someone who owned a Tesla for 2 years, I love the potential. The only issue I see is the range. I think for a truck to be adequate in the ev market, it’s going to need a 500+ mile range on paper. Steps in the right direction though!

 

More of the same announcement.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/25/ford...advantage.html

 

I hope Ford has the parts suppliers lined up, the part sourcing for EVs is getting ugly out there, this past week tesla stopped shipping home charging cables (they all it mobile chargers but you need them to charge in a home set up) with their cars and you can’t even buy the charger cables any more.

given the problematic bronco launch with the roof shortage, the stakes for the lightning’s parts sourcing couldn’t be any higher,

 

It already has!

 

I would buy a supercab version with a 6.5' bed. Same wheelbase, I hope they make it someday.

 

My guess is that for the foreseeable future this will be the only configuration available. If these trucks have the range and are reliable, I expect fleets will begin to drive demand. That's when the lower trim levels and SuperCab versions would be likely to become available. The fancy ones will likely take up quite a bit of initial production.

 

I’m rooting for a single cab 6.5 foot bed.

Range could be an issue with less room for battery due to shorter wheelbase though

 

The drone footage down the line was a nice touch, Kudo's to the editor and the pilot.. Thanks for sharing.

 

The flying through the passenger door windows was a nice touch!

Two things that caught my attention in the video, first was the number of pieces that just snapped in place...I'm not a big fan of that, it seems kind of cheap to me. The second was how every station on the line had a TV with a production countdown timer. That pressure would drive me nuts if I worked there.

 

Called a large dealer in Lexington, KY this morning, perhaps the largest dealer in the region. Salesman told me "we're looking at 3 years to get them on the lot."

Called a second, smaller, dealer in another nearby city and salesman says, "That's the first I've heard of that. Let me dig into it and I'll call you back later." Haven't heard from him since....

If you want one of these, good luck boys!

I'm sitting here calculating whether or not it could work for me. This past weekend I took my son ATV riding. 200 miles round trip. ATV park was in the middle of nowhere. Some of the buildings probably didn't have electricity, much less EV charging sites. Could the Lightning tow a trailer with ATVs 200 miles non-stop? I doubt it.

What about when we go to the Land Between the Lakes, which is 500 miles round trip, to camp? There are charging sites along the way, but you're talking HOURS to charge vs. minutes with gasoline.

I don't know boys.... not sure this truck would be practical as a TRUCK.

 

You can bet the first buyers are beta testers and they’re willing to pay for that privilege. Never be in a hurry to adopt new tech because there are always glitches. Having one of these will be a status symbol for awhile.

The video was cool to see. I wasn’t sure about the frame on these and how much if a truck it will be. But it is definitely a truck, not an all around platform adapted to a truck body.

 

You'd be surprised how long they've been using snap fit parts Since the 70's at least.

 

I guess it's a good thing Ford doesn't build trucks based solely on how YOU use a truck.

Don't be so narrow minded, there are millions of people that use a TRUCK they bought any way they see fit even if it doesn't stand up to your golden rules for truck usage.