It's hard to overstate the significance of Ford's F-150 pickup being electric. The F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in America for 45 years, with Ford shifting almost 2,500 of them every single day. About 103 per hour. The F-Series truck line would be bigger than McDonald's or Nike if it were made by an independent company.
In a perfect world, the battery-powered F-150 would grasp the baton and run with it as quickly as it launches itself to 60 mph. Electric vehicles aren't born into a perfect world.
They have to shift consumer mindset to overcome fears over range limitations and their environmental impact. Electric trucks have to put in a double shift to clear product-specific worries over cargo space, towing performance, and their ability to power everything from tools to camping refrigerators.
The photograph is of Ford.
The F-150 has to be a world-class, best-selling truck, but also be an EV, a seamless shift from internal combustion to electrification, and a top-notch EV. With the weight of a company the size of Ford resting on its cargo bed, there seems to be no compromise.
The first drive of the F-150 is in San Antonio, Texas. The state accounts for 20 percent of all Ford truck sales.
The photograph is of Ford.
The British writer's first impressions of the F-Series truck will be irrelevant to American eyes, but still, the F-150 Lightning is vast. It is a cabin to be climbed up rather than stepped into. The view inside is familiar, thanks to the same 15.5-inch, portrait-orientation touchscreen display as in Ford's electric car.
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