An important PSA since ICE F-150 parts are compatible with the EV.
Similar, but Different
The all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning shares a lot in common with its ICE F-150 brethren, which was by design - after all, this allowed Ford to keep costs down while also getting the Lightning to market quicker. As such, lifting the EV version seems pretty easy - after all, its suspension is essentially the same as the regular F-150's, meaning that there are plenty of aftermarket options already available. However, it's worth noting that the two models aren't quite as similar as one might think.
Photos: TSW Off-Road
Learning Lessons
The folks at TSW Off-Road figured all of this out recently when they built their own lifted Lightning, which features a host of Raptor and Saleen parts, creating a pretty cool custom EV hauler. However, during that process, they also made some interesting discoveries that anyone considering a similar project should keep in mind.
Photos: TSW Off-Road
Custom Additions
"A lot of people are under the assumption that these are all just bolt-on parts, which they're not," TSW Off-Road owner Alex Whitelaw explained to The Drive in a recent interview. "To get it to work properly we had to do a lot as far as actual machining custom parts for the shocks and modifying the shocks, getting custom axles made, et cetera."
Photos: TSW Off-Road
Different Differentials
Part of the problem here stems from the fact that the Lightning employs electric motors at each end, which necessitates the use of unique differentials. "Everything essentially did bolt up, except there was a huge hurdle we had to get figured out, which was the front axles," Whitelaw said. "Because they're electric motors, they're not as wide as a traditional differential, we had to figure out the spline count, which ended up being the same as a Raptor. Which was great, we just had to get significantly longer axles made to make it work."
Photos: TSW Off-Road
Complicated and Expensive
Ultimately, this job boils down to time and money - the shocks alone on TSW's Lightning build cost a whopping $8,000, which is precisely why no one offers a specific lift kit for the EV pickup yet. The Lightning's independent rear suspension setup further complicates things, as only the Raptor utilizes that sort of system, while the regular F-150 still employs a leaf spring setup.
Photos: TSW Off-Road
Common Problem
Since pretty much every light-duty EV pickup in development - including the Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and Ram 1500 REV - will also utilize an independent rear suspension, this figures to be a common problem that doesn't just apply to The Blue Oval, however.
Photos: TSW Off-Road
Figuring It Out
Regardless of the hurdles here, most are obviously optimistic that the aftermarket will find a way, as it always does. "It's just like when fuel injection came out in the '80s," Whitelaw said. "It was a whole new thing. All of a sudden, you have improvements on it, and then you have aftermarket support and tuning. It'll eventually get to a place where people accept it and start making parts for it just like we have with gas vehicles."
Photos: TSW Off-Road
>>Join the conversation about lifting the F-150 Lightning right here in the forum.
For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section of Ford-trucks.com.
