America has Joe Biden, and a Ford electric pickup, the F150 Lightning
Ford unveils its new and first electric F150 against a backdrop of politics. The pick-up passed the day before into the hands of President Joe Biden, who asks American brands not to let themselves...
12/02/2022
Ford unveils its new and first electric F150 against a backdrop of politics. The pick-up passed the day before into the hands of President Joe Biden, who asks American brands not to be overwhelmed by the Chinese ogre.
The conversion of the American symbol of the "automotive" to the electric is much more than just an event for enthusiasts of the automotive world. It is a day of industrial, but also political significance. Yesterday, in fact, Joe Biden visited a Ford factory and delivered a speech full of American patriotism. Behind him, he was already there: the famous F150 Lightning, made official today.
Joe Biden in front of the F150 LightningJoe Biden recalled that 80% of the current production of lithium batteries is in China, and that America "had to act quickly". The American president launched to China: "you will not win this race... We cannot let that occur". Biden obviously has in mind the avalanche of electric models produced in China, not only for foreign brands, but also for Chinese manufacturers who are starting to want to go international, while the Chinese government is pushing its companies through tax incentives. to set up in Europe and America.
The F150 symbolAfter the very political speech came the time for the presentation of the symbol of the ego and of American patriotism. The 14th generation of Ford's F-series pick-ups was unveiled earlier this year, but the model some people have been waiting for is it. The F150 Lightning is the very first 100% electric pick-up from a historic American manufacturer. Ford took the opportunity to overtake Tesla, Rivian, Chevrolet and GMC, which did not present much more than concepts and which do not seem ready to offer their pick-ups in concessions.
This F150 will be debated by its design. Very close to the thermal versions overall, it stands out however by this huge light strip on the front face. We knew about the headbands on the back, but not yet on the front.
Technically, this F150 could seduce a bunch of customers, in particular by its capacities: nearly 910 kg of load capacity in the dumpster and 4.53 tonnes of towing capacity. Figures valid for the "ER" (Extended Range) version with the largest battery, and the power of the two engines increased to 563 hp. Autonomy is displayed at 480 km on the approval cycle. These data are revised downwards on the SR variant (Standard Range): 370 km of autonomy, 426 hp and can tow around 2.2 tonnes. Only the load capacity is higher, thanks to a lower weight of the batteries.
This F150 Lightning takes advantage of the absence of V6/V8 under the hood to offer a large trunk under the hood. The practical sides are pushed to the extreme with a two-way charging system that can go up to 9.6 kW. Concretely, Ford explains that this F150 could supply a small household for 3 days. On board, two types of sockets are integrated: 120V (American standard) and 240V for power tools.
Ford is obviously not talking about European marketing for this juggernaut, despite the absence of emissions. On the other hand, for the Americans, the prices are already known. It will start at 39,000 dollars in the basic version and will go up to 90,000 dollars for the very high end fully equipped. The Tesla Cybertruck better watch out.