Ford received higher EPA ratings for various versions of the upcoming F-150 Lightning electric pickup. It is getting bigger than the expected 320-mile EPA range. The news comes along as the automakers are preparing for the production initial stages and deliveries of the electric pickup trucks. It will push its electrification goals in the massive segment of the US auto industry.
Last week, the EPA range of the Standard Range version leaked – confirming that it achieved the expected range of 230 miles on a single charge. Now Ford has received the final EPA-estimated ranges for all versions of the F-150 Lightning, and the Extended Range versions with a bigger battery pack all achieved a range of 20 more miles than expected.
Ford CEO Jim Farley congratulated his engineering team for beating expectations. These numbers come courtesy of the US Environmental Protection Agency, which tested the seven variations of the F-150 Lightning and F-150 Lightning Pro. The tests revealed that the extended range versions of the truck — the Pro ER, XLT ER, Lariat ER, and Platinum editions — were able to get around 20 more miles than Ford’s original estimates.
Final EPA-estimated range for F-150 Lightning:
⚡️XLT, Lariat & Pro trims = 320 miles w/ extended range. 230 for standard.
⚡️Platinum trim = 300 milesThat's 20 more miles than our initial target for ER. Congrats to @Ford engineers who keep making #F150Lightning even better! pic.twitter.com/ktPey2Hm11
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) March 21, 2022
“We are laser-focused on continually improving our energy consumption efficiency for Lightning and the team is really happy to deliver these results for our customers,” said Linda Zhang, chief program engineer, F-150 Lightning, in a statement. Either the standard range or extended range configuration should be good for most daily driving scenarios, though many people will want to do typical truck things with the F-150 Lightning that are naturally more energy-intensive, like towing, hauling, or off-roading.
Software
To put those potential owners’ minds at ease, Ford says the truck’s software can provide real-time range estimates, something it’s already been working on in the Mustang Mach-E. This software factors in not just weather and traffic conditions, but it also uses an onboard scale to measure the weight of any payload or towing weight.
The extended range Lightning is able to tow up to 10,000 pounds, which is more than what most affordable gas-powered F-150s are capable of, though it’s a few thousand pounds shy of what the F-150 hybrid or the diesel version can tow. The standard range F-150 Lightning, meanwhile, maxes out at 7,700 pounds. With 320 miles of range, the extended range versions of the F-150 Lightning will be competitive with other electric trucks on the market, including the Rivian R1T (EPA-confirmed 314 miles) and Hummer EV (estimated 350 miles). But starting next year, we’ll start to see some longer-range electric trucks, including the Chevy Silverado EV (estimated 400 miles) and Tesla Cybertruck (estimated 500 miles).
