President Joe Biden toured the Rouge assembly plant on Tuesday, and somewhat expected of the Blue Oval, the Ford Motor Company took the veils off the F-150 Lightning to raise the hype. The all-electric workhorse looks very similar to internal combustion-engined models, except for the full-width light strip that connects the headlights.
The front bumper is pretty similar in design, but the front grille’s pattern is unique to the Lightning. The POTUS also had the opportunity of driving the dual-motor pickup, and in a nutshell, he’s thoroughly impressed by it. Biden let it slip “these vehicles can go from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in 4.4 seconds,” which is crazy acceleration for an F-150. Tesla is even crazier, however, because the Cybertruck promises less than 2.9 seconds for the tri-motor AWD variant that retails from $69,900.
During the event, chief engineer Linda Zhang told Biden the weight of the battery cells. These babies tip the scales at more than 1,800 pounds (816 kilograms), which translates to a capacity of more than 100 kWh. Self-described engineering nerd John Osborn says we’re actually dealing with 112 kWh, which is a lot but not enough to match the 180-kWh Rivian R1T.
Expected only as a SuperCrew with the 5.5-foot (1.67-meter) box in the first instance, the F-150 Lightning further differs from its combustion-engined siblings in terms of suspension technology. The rear end is fully independent, which should help the Lightning give the coil-sprung Ram 1500 and F-150 Raptor a run for their money. On second thought, the Lightning will struggle in this regard because the weight of the EV stuff translates to stiffer springs and shocks.
To be revealed on May 19th at the Dearborn, Michigan headquarters, the half-ton pickup with e-AWD is expected to bethe most powerful F-150 yet. However, it remains to be seen if the Lightning will exceed the output figures of the 5.2-liter Predator V8-engined Raptor R that will roll out next year.
Quick, someone ask him the starting price, battery range and power specs https://t.co/EPTk6C5Nva
— Michael Martinez (@MikeMartinez_AN) May 18, 2021
“I wanted to be here the day before you show the next generation of the best selling vehicle in America. Thank you for showing how we win the future.” -President Joe Biden #F150pic.twitter.com/hU4AUT1Fz2
Ford official tells @POTUS the F-150 EV battery weighs 1,800 pounds (You can't say we are not sharing that product information at this time if the president asks you a question)
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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