Will the New Electric Ford F-150 Lightning Change the U.S. EV Market?

It wasn’t too long ago when your choices of electric vehicles were limited to a few models from a select number of manufacturers and they all were compact, dare I say, boring vehicles. Times have certainly changed, nearly every major car company now offers an EV or PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) model. While they still offer compact EVs, trucks have now joined the lineup.

According to Car & Driver, for the first half of 2021, three out of the five top selling vehicles were pickup trucks, with Ford’s F-Series sealing the top spot by a significant margin. In 2020, Ford sold 787,422 F-Series pickups, while they don’t release exact numbers on the F-150 (the F-Series also includes the larger F250/F350), if Ford’s sales breakdown follows that of General Motors, then about 590,000 of the 787,000 units would be F-150s. By comparison, there were only 330,000 total EVs sold in 2020, with the Tesla Model 3 having the highest single model sales at 159,000 units, the next most popular model, the Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV), only sold 24,000 units.

Ford is not the only player in the electric truck market, Rivian, Tesla and GM all have EV trucks that will be available by 2022. The Ford has the lowest starting price for an all-wheel drive model, comparable range, unique features and the federal tax credit still applies, but most importantly, it has name recognition. The table below compares the four EV trucks currently known to be available in 2021/2022. Price and range can be somewhat difficult to compare as there are multiple trims for each truck and multiple battery options, but the table gives a general comparison. Chevrolet and Ram also announced plans to build EV trucks, but I have not included these because the specifics were unknown as of August, and they will likely be 2023/2024 models. The prices do not include the federal tax credit of $7,500, which is no longer available for GM and Tesla vehicles.

Undoubtedly, the coolest feature offered on the F-150 not offered in other models is the ability to use your vehicle to power your home in the event of power loss from the grid. Additional equipment will need to be fitted to your home’s electric panel but when properly equipped, the truck can send 80-amp/240-volt power, with a maximum output of 9.6 kW. Based on an average daily usage of 30 kWh, Ford claims the truck could power a home for three days. A 30-kWh average would not include running air conditioning.

Another potential hurdle for EV truck buyers is towing. While most EV trucks have comparable tow rating to their gas counterparts, the issue will become range. Manufacturers do not publish “range while towing figures” but independent vehicle reviews have reported ranges can be reduced by 50-75%. Potentially not an issue if you’re towing the family boat a few miles to the lake but a serious problem if you’re towing an RV across the state.

Ford officially debuted the F-150 Lightning in May 2021. Since the debut, Ford reports they received 100,000 pre-order deposits. This doesn’t mean all are guaranteed to purchase but even if 50% do, that would make the F-150 the second highest EV sales model. The F-150 EV may also change the demographics and location of the typical EV buyer, with increased sales in rural areas opposed to urban city settings. The addition of mainstream EV trucks could completely change the EV market, increasing sales numbers and making them more appealing to a broader demographic.