Why Ford Is Done Selling The 2022 F-150 Lightning
It’s an exciting time in the EV industry, as the long-awaited days ofelectric pickups for the mainstreamfinally arrive. Unsurprisingly, though, that process isn’t necessarily a smooth one. Announced in mid-2021,Ford’s F-150 Lightningpromised a number of things to motivate pickup buyers into leaving their internal combustion vehicles behind. For a start, the all-wheel drive electric truck should be the fastest-accelerating F-150 so far, with Ford expecting it to potentially do the 0-60 mph dash in the mid-4-seconds range. It also has the most torque, at 775 lb-ft, of any F-150 so far.
To achieve that, Ford has used a pair of electric motors, combined with two different battery pack options. There’ll be up to 320 miles of range,according to the EPA estimates, with the extended battery. Even when the F-150 Lightning is parked up, however, it’ll still be capable of making use of that battery pack: multiple outlets inside and outside of the vehicle can be used to power campsites, tailgate parties, or worksites. With the right charger installed, the truck can evenpower a whole homeduring an electricity outage.
The other big motivation is pricing, of course. Contrary to the expensive all-electric pickups we’ve seen promised from other automakers, Ford’s EV starts at just $40,000 (plus destination); that’s before any federal tax incentives or credits. Options like the bigger battery and Ford’s hands-free driver assistance tech package obviously send that price tag spiraling up, but you’re still getting a whole lot of truck for your money.
But with all those features available, Ford has already closed the order books on its new all-electric truck, and there’s not a single 2022 F-150 Lightning in the hands of owners.
Demand for the F-150 Lightning has been wild
If you were hoping to get in on the first wave of F-150 Lightning production — which kicked off in the US this week — you’ll have to think again. Ford is suffering from an excess of success and closed the order books on its 2022 F-150 Lightning. “Due to high demand, the current model year is no longer available for retail order,” theautomaker’s sitenow warns, directing would-be buyers to contact their dealer for more information.
Ford’s decision doesn’t come as a huge surprise: or, at least, it’s one we could’ve predicted some time back. Demand for the F-150 Lightning has been significant since the automaker opened reservations back in mid-May 2021, with 100,000 refundable deposits by June 11. Today, reservations have reached double that figure, a milestone which presents as much of a challenge as it does a success.
Production of the new EV was always going to be constrained, and the global supply chain crisis certainly hasn’t helped. Ford has increased its aim for theF-150 Lightning’s production, and hopes to be building 150,000 of the electric trucks annually by 2023, but that still means a wait for early-adopters. For now, patience is the key, though it seems likely we’ll see some of the first 2022 F-150 Lightning EVs showing up on car auction sites — and selling for a healthy premium — in the next few weeks.
