Earlier this week, Ford debuted the F-150 Lightning, its first all-electric pickup truck. As an electrified version of one of the world’s best-selling vehicles, the truck immediately made news. Buyers were watching, too, and if the early numbers are any indication, The Blue Oval is about to deliver a winner.
Ford has already collected 44,500 reservations for the new truck, which debuted earlier this week. It took just 48 hours for the automaker to accumulate that total from customers who lined up by placing a $100 refundable deposit for the trucks. In comments to the media, Farley said that Ford will limit production during the Lightning’s first year, but declined to put a number on that limitation.
The trucks might be in limited supply at first.Ford
According to Automotive News, production won’t fully ramp up until 2023. The approach is similar to the one that Ford took with the Mustang Mach-E, which was limited to just 50,000 units in its first year. The number of reservations might lead you to believe that the truck is already sold out, but it’s worth noting that reservations don’t always convert to actual orders. People that do choose to pursue an order will have the chance to do so this fall.
When, exactly, the trucks will actually end up on dealers’ lots and in driveways across the country is anyone’s guess, as vehicles of all types have been delayed over the last year for various reasons ranging from a global pandemic to a worldwide shortage of microchips.
The F-150 Lightning will cost just $39,974 for a commercially-oriented version of the truck. The models consumers will most likely end up purchasing start with the mid-range XLT model, which will start at $52,974, but top trims can reach up to $90,474. When it finally arrives, the F-150 Lightning will already be neck-deep in competition.
A spacious frunk is standard.Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company
The Rivian R1T is expected to begin hitting buyers’ driveways in June 2021, while the Chevrolet Silverado EV will go on sale in 2023 or 2024. General Motors’ other EV, the GMC Hummer, is expected to enter production in fall 2021.
