The most important EV of the decade? We drive the F-150 Lightning

Americans love pickup trucks more than any other four-wheeled vehicle, and when it comes to pickup trucks, they love Ford's F-series enough that it has been the nation's bestseller for almost as long as I've been alive.Making a fully battery-electric version of its favorite pickup therefore seems like a good way to spur adoption of electric vehicles in a country that's lagging behind Europe and China. The battery pack, encased in its protective shell, is isolated from the frame rather than just being bolted in—better to resist the shocks and vibrations that may occur, according to Ford's engineers.Redesigning the frame rather than just taking out internal combustion bits and shoehorning electric ones in their place means that Ford hasn't filled the nose of the truck with the air conditioning parts and other ancillaries we too often find in European BEVs. Rather, there's an impressively useful frunk, big enough for sets of golf clubs or a bunch of carry-on suitcases, which can be locked away from prying eyes.The F-150 Lightning can be ordered with a choice of batteries. Torque is identical to the standard-range pack, but in addition to the larger-capacity pack, Ford also fits an onboard AC charger that can accept up to 19.2 kW and output 17.6 kW.You must login or create an account to comment.Join the Ars Orbital Transmission mailing list to get weekly updates delivered to your inbox.