F-150 Lightning Is The Around Town Champ of Pickups

Hard to Beat?

Much ado has been made about the Ford F-150 Lightning since its launch, some of it is good, some of it bad. The majority of what one might call "bad" relates to how things like towing and hauling can affect range, making long road trips a bit of a pain. However, for those that just need a truck for daily driving or around-town errand running, it's hard to top the EV pickup, at least according to YouTuber Chillin' With Chet.

Typical Usage

Truth is, most Americans use their trucks for precisely this reason - driving to work every day, typically covering shorter distances, then cruising around town doing some shopping or eating on the weekends. Perhaps you need to snag some lumber or bags of mulch for that next project, and these are all things that the Lightning can do easily.

Cheaper to Operate

In that case, one could argue that the F-150 Lightning is actually a superior alternative to its ICE counterparts - after all, it is far cheaper to operate if you charge at home. With just a few dollars of electricity, one can fill up the truck's battery pack overnight, which is a nice alternative to the high cost of gasoline these days.

More Capacity

Then there's the added utility of the F-150 Lightning's frunk, which can hold a pretty substantial amount of goods inside. This gives the EV pickup more cargo-carrying capacity than its ICE counterparts, as well as the convenience of having all of that stuff up front rather than having to dig it out of the cab or bed inside a garage.

Good Similarities

Otherwise, the Lightning's similarities to its ICE counterparts are actually a good thing. After all, we are talking about the best-selling vehicle in America for the past four-plus decades, a mark that doesn't happen by accident. The F-150 is and always has been a fantastic all-around vehicle, and much of that magic is present in the Lightning, too.

All of the Benefits

For now, at least, the Lightning shares a large percentage of its components with the regular F-150, from its modified frame to body parts and interior bits and pieces. Aside from being an effective cost-cutting measure for Ford, it also means that customers get all of the benefits of an excellent vehicle, albeit with electric power.

Compelling Alternative

It's clear that anyone who needs to tow or haul heavy loads across long distances would be better served by an ICE-powered pickup for now, and for the foreseeable future. But for those that just want a capable pickup they can drive around town and perhaps take on the occasional road trip, the Lightning is a truly compelling alternative - if you can find one at MSRP, anyway.

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