Ford is planning to nearly double production of the F-150 Lightning pick-up to 150,000 units per year. Soaring demand for the all-electric Lightning has prompted Ford to make the move, with the company reporting it is closing in on 200,000 reservations. With production to start in the first half of this year, it is going to put in a big effort to satisfy demand.

“With nearly 200,000 reservations, our teams are working hard and creatively to break production constraints to get more F-150 Lightning trucks into the hands of our customers,” said Kumar Galhotra, president of The Americas & International Markets Group, Ford Motor Company. “The reality is clear: People are ready for an all-electric F-150 and Ford is pulling out all the stops to scale our operations and increase production capacity.”

The company said that more than 75 per cent of reservation holders for the Lightning – which is member of the F-series family of vehicles, the best-selling series in the US – has been from those new to the Ford brand.

Variants of the Lightning will be offered with Standard Range or Extended Range – with up to 420kW and 1051Nm, and 483km of range available on the Extended Range model. That power will see a 0-97km/h sprint time in around 4.5 seconds.

Towing capacity on the Extended Range battery models equipped with the Max Trailer Package is aimed to be 4536kg. Payload is up to 907kg on the Standard Range battery model with 18-inch wheels.

With enhanced Pro Power Onboard, customers can take advantage of built-in electrical outlets to directly power a variety of tools, electronics and appliances away from home. Standard on base trims is 2.4kW of power, up to 9.6kW on top models – a combination of up to 2.4kW available through the (400 litre) frunk and up to 7.2kW through outlets in the cabin and bed.

At its swiftest, the F-150 Lightning will charge at 150kW when plugged into a DC public fast charger and offer an estimated 40-minute 15-80 per cent charging time. A choice of 11.3kW single or 19.2kW double home AC chargers is offered.

In addition to scaling Lightning production, Ford has also said it will triple production for the Mustang Mach-E and expects to reach 200,000-plus units per year by 2023.

The company is putting plenty of resources, and billions of dollars, into its electric vehicle push. It has said that it aims to have global capacity to produce 600,000 battery electric vehicles annually within the next two years.

VIDEO: F-150 LIGHTNING

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (February 2022) 

9 February 2022