Five Ways the 2024 F-150 Lightning Will Electrify Your Drive
Electric vehicles have been a hot topic of conversation lately. Just in 2023, more than 1.4 million electric vehicles were sold in the United States—a 50% increase in sales since the previous year. In the last four years, there has been a 400% increase in sales of EVs, with over four million on the road at the end of 2023. This latest wave of innovation has been embraced by the major manufacturers, including the ‘Big Three’ of the American auto industry.
The current crop of Ford EVs are the F-150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E, a small SUV styled after the iconic muscle car. While the Mach-E is an interesting twist on the concept of crossover SUVs—and one done extremely well—many drivers may find the Lightning to be a better choice for their first electric vehicle. Though it’s only been on the road since 2022, the F-150 Lightning has already made quite a splash. Here are five reasons we think it’s the truck to get you into your first EV…
#1: Same Capabilities, Electrified
The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling, most beloved full-sized pickup truck for decades. Its reputation is well deserved. Over the years, Ford has fine-tuned this model to keep it on top of current trends (and set a few itself), so it makes sense that the F-150 would get an electrified version. The Lightning honors this legacy by keeping the appearance of the F-150 mostly intact but moving this classic truck into the future.
If you’re worried that ‘electric’ really means ‘slower,’ ‘weaker,’ or ‘less capable,’ the Lightning is here to change your mind. The dual-motor AWD powertrain churns out 452 hp on the standard-range battery. When upgraded to the extended-range battery, those horses increase to a stampeding 580 hp.
The 775 lb-ft of torque will pull up to 7,000 lbs with the standard-range battery and up to 10,000 lbs with the extended-range battery. That’s more than enough to tow trailers, campers, and even small boats. On the hauling side of things, the standard-range battery has a maximum payload capacity of 2,235 lbs, with the extended-range battery carrying slightly less at 1,952 lbs.
#2: A Range of Price Points
One concern a lot of first-time EV buyers have is price. The Lightning has five trims available for 2024: the Pro (MSRP $54,995), XLT (MSRP $64,995), Flash (MSRP $73,495), Lariat (MSRP $79,495), and Platinum ($84,995).[a] With that range, the Lightning addresses a wide range of budgets. It’s also important to consider the money you’ll be saving on trips to the gas station, which we’ll discuss in more detail shortly.
If you’re a fan of standing out from the crowd, there is a special edition version of the Platinum trim—the Platinum Black—which gives the Lightning a monochromatic color palette, from its wheels to its interior. It also features a soft-shell tonneau cover in black and Nirvana premium leather seating. The MSRP for this package is $97,995, and only 2,000 will be produced.[a]
#3: The Interior Means Business
One problem you see on many crew cab full-sized trucks is the lack of cabin room. Sure, you’ve got an extra row of seating, but where is everyone supposed to put their legs? The Lightning bucks this trend, much like the F-150, and gives its passengers plenty of legroom and headroom.
This cabin is a perfect setting for getting comfortable and listening to the optional Bang & Olufsen stereo system, which comes with eight speakers (Lariat trim) or a truly impressive 18 speakers (Platinum trim). You can choose from Android Auto or Apple CarPlay for your music, news programs, and podcasts, or use your favorite audio streaming service with the Wi-Fi hotspot. These are all at the tips of your fingers via the 15.5-inch touchscreen.
The bed—a roomy five-and-a-half feet—isn’t the only cargo space available. The lack of a gasoline engine opens up a new storage solution: the front trunk, also called a ‘frunk.’ This 14.1-cu.ft. space can hold up to 400 lbs of additional cargo. The frunk is lockable, waterproof, and a great place to store items securely.
#4: The Trophy Shelf Is Already Getting Full
While awards and accolades are not the only indicators of quality, the source of these titles can give you a good idea of how a vehicle is performing. The 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning was awarded the “Best Buy Award” for the electric truck category by Kelley Blue Book. Edmunds also named the Lightning the “Top Rated Electric Truck” in both 2024 and 2023, while Car and Driver gave it their 2024 “Editor’s Choice” award.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Lightning a five-star overall safety rating after seeing the results of their crash tests. Time magazine named it one of the “Top 200 Inventions” for 2022, the year the F-150 Lightning debuted. Meanwhile, the internet car information tool CarBuzz gave the Lightning a “Save the Planet” award.
#5: Better Fuel Economy, Healthier Environment, Happier Wallet
Just as lightning plays an important role in the planet’s nitrogen cycle, helping to fertilize plants and other organisms, the F-150 Lightning also makes a positive impact on the planet. Every mile that comes from electric power instead of fossil fuel helps reduce emissions. The average driver puts in 37 miles a day, which is 13,505 miles in a year; that’s a lot of emissions that can be saved by switching to an electric vehicle.
Another area where the F-150 Lightning makes a positive impact is on your wallet. In January 2024, the national estimated gas price was $3.19, but let’s round that to three dollars even. The average light-duty truck gets 17.20 MPG, but let’s be generous and round that up to 20 MPG. If we round down to the nearest dollar, that’s $5.00 a day, which works out to $1,825 a year for gas—and that’s only if you’re driving the average amount a day, as it doesn’t include instances where you drive more for vacations, special events, or just a busier than normal day. (Keep in mind, too, that these numbers have been rounded down to a conservative estimate.)
The EPA estimates that the standard battery gets a range of 240 miles. The extended battery has a range of 320 miles. Even if you round up the daily miles driven to 50 a day, that’s a lot of room to roam. The Lightning can be charged at your house, so you’ll wake up with a full battery every morning. You can also charge it on the go, as there are over 88,000 public EV charging stations across the United States—and that number is growing every day.
The Ford F-150 Lightning: The Future Is Here
When you get right down to the brass tacks, the usual arguments against electric vehicles don’t stand up very well against the facts. The Ford F-150 Lightning offers solid reasons outside of fuel economy for why it’s an excellent vehicle. It is comparable in power to the gasoline F-150, it has a variety of price points that can fit different budget needs, it offers exciting tech and a comfortable interior, and it’s already caught the eye of some of the biggest names in the industry. If you’re looking at getting an EV this year, the Lightning should be at the top of your list.
It’s an exciting time for the auto industry. With electric vehicles rising in popularity in leaps and bounds every year, it’s clear that the future is electric-powered. However, that doesn’t mean we have to abandon the vehicles that have been America’s favorites for decades. The Ford F-150 Lightning is a perfect instance of pairing a beloved classic with electric capability and creating a new, inspired version that is ready to take on the future while still honoring what the past got right.
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