10 Reasons to Buy a Ford F-150 Lightning Right Now

Key Points

• The Ford F-150 is a popular electric pickup truck.
• The Ford F-150 Lightning has a towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds.
• It has an excellent range of up to 320 miles.
• It features ten 120V power outlets.

When Ford announced the idea for an electric pickup, the automobile world was rightfully skeptical. There is no doubt the F-150 is a popular vehicle, in fact, it’s one of the most popular vehicles in America and has been for the last four decades. Still, there were questions about how well Ford could pull off converting its popular pickup into an electric vehicle while still maintaining the heart and soul of a pickup.

The thing is, Ford nailed it, there is no other way of saying it as Ford did an incredible job and absolutely over delivered by making one of the best electric vehicles on the market today. 

Let’s take a look at the 10 reasons why you need to buy a Ford F-150 Lightning today. 

Quick Facts: Ford F-150 Lightning 

Huge Towing Capacity

As part of the many questions that led to the release of the Ford F-150 Lightning, towing was one of the biggest. As it turns out, Ford fans didn’t have much to worry about with the higher-end Ford F-150 Lighting Platinum edition, capable of towing up to 8,500 pounds with the extended range battery. The Standard Range model, when paired with the extended-range battery, can put down up to 10,000 pounds of towing capacity. 

Regardless of how much you are towing, Ford has put forth a bevy of additional features to make towing small, medium, or large items as easy as possible. The extra (optional) features include a 360-degree camera, trailer reverse guidance, trailer brake controller, and smart trailer tow connect. Ultimately, any concerns about whether the Ford F-150 Lighting EV would be able to succeed in the towing department have been quickly put to rest. 

The Frunk

The Ford F-150 Lightning certainly isn’t the first EV to have a frunk (front trunk), but it’s very possible that Ford has set the standard for what other frunks should look like. With up to 14 cubic feet of space, there is plenty of room for just about anything you can think of, as long as it’s under 400 pounds. As the current reigning champion in the frunk space, Ford didn’t stop with just adding in plenty of space. 

There is also support for a cargo area protector, a cargo net, lighting so you can see in the evening, a hook for grocery bags, and even USB outlets for powering various items. This includes a USB-C plug so you can give your smartphone a quick charge the next time you are tailgating at a football game. Getting into the frunk couldn’t be any easier, either, as you can push a button inside the cabin of the Ford or press a button on your keyfob. 

Electricity for Everyone

Ford has certainly put forth the messaging in its marketing for the F-150 Lightning just how good an EV can be for emergency moments. As it shows this vehicle being able to power up a home in the event of a power outage, it’s created one of the biggest reasons to give this pickup all the consideration in the world. This is even more true when you factor in the Ford F-150 Lightning offers not one or two, but ten different 120V power outlets around the vehicle. 

Two outlets are found in the cab, four in the frunk, and the rest scattered throughout the bed of the truck. On top of the ten outlets, there is also a single 30-amp/240V outlet in the bed so you plug in just about anything you can think of and keep it going until power is restored. Whether it’s charging a microwave or a power tool, you have the juice to give the charge you need when you need it. 

Super Speed

If you told anyone a few years ago there would be a day when an EV pickup can do 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and do the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds, they rightfully would have laughed at you. Today, this is exactly what you have with the Ford F-150 Lighting Lariat trim level. The other trim levels of the F-150 Lightning do anywhere from 4.2-4.4 seconds from 0 to 60 miles per hour, but these numbers are truly numbers Ford should be raving over. 

While the Ford doesn’t quite compare against the 0-60 time of the Rivian R1T at 0-60 in 3 seconds flat, any pickup that can do 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and still tow thousands of pounds is doing pretty okay. 

Excellent Range

When it comes to range, Ford has helped set the bar for the pickup world, with the exception of Rivian, with the choice of either a Standard Range or Extended Range battery. For buyers who are opting to go with the Standard Range, you should receive around 240 miles of range on a single charge under optimal conditions, regardless of your trim level. Buyers who go for Ford F-150 Lightning trims with the Extended Range battery can expect approximately 320 miles on a single charge. 

The Extended Range battery helps give the Ford the same range as other EV models like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, and more range than the standard Tesla Model Y. Where the Extended Range also adds benefits is with towing as it enables up to 10,000 pounds and a payload capacity of 2,000 pounds. This dual benefit of the Extended Range battery all but makes it a must-select when purchasing your new Ford F-150 Lightning. 

Lower Maintenance 

As is the case with all EV models, you no longer need to worry about the recurring maintenance dates that occur with gas-powered pickup trucks. Oil changes are a thing of the past as are various filters and tune-ups you no longer need to worry about. While electric vehicles are not immune from maintenance, like with wheels or brakes, there is no hiding that you can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars with EV ownership over that of a gas-powered vehicle. 

Goodbye Gas

Let’s be honest and say that pickups are not known for their excellent fuel economy. This is especially true for anyone who uses a pickup for towing or hauling where miles per gallon can quickly get eaten up. However, with the Ford F-150 Lightning, gas costs are a thing of the past. Instead, you charge at home or on the road when necessary and, as is the case with maintenance, you are likely saving hundreds if not thousands by avoiding the gas pump forever. 

There is no question that road trips are still a little more difficult to plan as EV charging stations are not as plentiful as gas stations, but these are specific cases the EV industry is quickly working to address. The day will come when EV stations are plentiful enough that road-tripping with an EV doesn’t raise any concerns as to how frequently you can find a fast charge station. 

Beautiful Interior 

Just as you can say goodbye to gas, you can also say goodbye to the days of pickups being considered as having too rough and uncomfortable interiors. Today, the likes of Ford, GMC, Chevrolet, and other pickup manufacturers have been making a concentrated effort to make the interiors of pickups more upscale. This is exactly the case with the Ford F-150 Lightning as it offers leather and heated seats, a massage function built into the front driver and passenger seats, plus a twin-panel sunroof that adds plenty of interior lighting. 

Features like CarPlay, Android Auto, and built-in Wi-Fi Connectivity are all standard while navigation is an additional option. The standard touchscreen is 12 inches while you can go more upscale to 15.5 inches, which is far larger than many touch screens inside both gas and other EV-powered vehicles. On top of these features, you can stow away your gear selector, which allows the interior area to become a flat workspace area you can place a laptop or other materials and get down to business. 

Technology

Just as the interior of the Ford F-150 Lightning helps enhance the experience, so too does the available technology. The available 15.5-inch touchscreen includes a host of features including Ford’s Sync technology, which enables voice recognition as well as the optional navigation package. Plus, you can receive traffic and weather updates as standard on the LARIAT and Platinum trim levels. Using the touchscreen, you can also set all of your mirrors and driver-assist system settings any way you like and a memory-saving feature ensures your settings are available at the touch of a button. 

With your smartphone, you can also use the available Ford app to have your phone double as a key to enter and start the vehicle. Your phone doesn’t even have to come out of your pocket and it can work for up to four different people, so everyone in your family or office can quickly get into the Ford F-150 Lightning without worrying about physical keys.  

Smart Driving

While the Ford F-150 Lightning might not offer self-driving features like Tesla, Ford is still moving in that direction. Hands-free driving with Ford Bluecruise allows you to go hands-free on over 130,000 miles of divided highways in North America. The system checks to make sure you are keeping your eyes on the road so you are right there to take the wheel if necessary. The Blind Spot Information System with trailer coverage is great for F-150 drivers and quickly alerts the driver if a vehicle is in a trailer blind spot. 

A pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking helps you quickly come to a stop whenever a hazard appears in front of the F-150 Lightning. Whether it’s a pedestrian or a vehicle, the vehicle will detect if an impact is imminent and immediately apply the brakes if you have not done so. Last but not least, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go will help you keep up the right speed depending on how fast vehicles around you are moving. 

Wrapping Up

As you can easily see, there is no shortage of reasons why the Ford F-150 Lightning is a fantastic vehicle. Between smart driving, towing capacity, payload, range, and speed, the F-150 Lightning is already one of the best EVs on the road and it’s why Ford is working overtime to keep up with demand.

If you are in the market for an EV that is large enough to power your home and is perfect for tailgating at the big game, the Ford F-150 Lightning is undoubtedly the vehicle for you. 

Similar Vehicles to the Ford F-150 Lightning

• Rivian R1T
• Rivian R1S
• Tesla Model X

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Mike Mareen/Shutterstock.com.