The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning aims to be an electric pickup that still gets work done like the petrol F-150. That said, Ford has still found ways to differentiate its electric truck that improves upon the standard F-150 formula due to its electric powertrain.
There are the obvious differences in design and style, but we’re going to detail the technical and usability features that are unique to the F-150 Lightning in this post. In other words, these are the great things you can get on the electric truck, but not the traditional gasoline pickup.
Ford Intelligent Backup Power
In essence, “Ford Intelligent Backup Power” is Pro Power Onboard on steroids. Like the gasoline truck’s Pro Power Onboard feature, the Lightning can be used as a powerful generator. It can discharge up to 9.6 kW of power from eight 120V outlets and one 240V outlet. The extra party trick that goes beyond the gas truck happens when you’ve hooked up your truck to Ford’s new Ford Charge Station Pro and the home management system you can have installed in your home. With this wiring, the Lightning can act as a power source for your entire home. No tangle of wires or sorting out and choosing devices. Just plug the F-150 into a power outlet as if you were charging it, and it can power a home in the event of a power outage.
Ford says the extended range battery pack version can power an entire home for up to three days for an “average-sized home.” If you ration the power wisely, Ford says the battery pack will last up to 10 days – that’s something Texans could have used with great success not so long ago. Obviously, your mileage here will vary depending on the size and power needs of your home.
Once the power is turned back on, the truck is designed to automatically start charging again to replenish the battery pack. Ford says there will be an expansion of this feature called Ford Intelligent Power in the future. This allows you to use your truck to power your home during expensive peak hours, while recharging the pickup during the cheap nighttime hours. Sounds good, right? YEP. Ford says it is partnering with solar energy company Sunrun to install the Ford Charge Station Pro in people’s homes. And while they are at it, they can have a few solar panels installed to be even greener with your energy consumption.
15.5-inch Sync 4A infotainment system
The largest screen available for the gasoline F-150 is an almost square 12-inch touchscreen. This 15.5-inch display is a vertically-oriented display that surpasses even Ram’s massive screen. You’ll notice it’s a copy of the giant screen in the Ford Mustang Mach-E, complete with the physical volume rocker sticking out from the bottom. Since this is the case, we suspect it will work and function just like the Sync 4A screen in the electric Mustang.
Additional Lightning-related screen details are still limited, but Ford says it offers “natural voice control, cloud-connected navigation and wireless access to your favorite services: Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, integrated Amazon Alexa and SYNC AppLink apps.” ” You can read what we think of the Mach-E’s touchscreen interface in our deep dive here.
It’s also worth noting that the 12-inch screen in the petrol F-150 is the standard unit in the Lightning. You have to pony up for higher trim to get the best dog’s 15.5-inch touchscreen.
Improved built-in weighing scales
Ford introduced a new feature in the 2021 F-150 called Onboard Scales last month, and it’s even more advanced in the Lightning. Essentially, the truck will actively weigh how much cargo you dump into the bed and indicate that weight via LED bars in the rear lights, and more precisely in the infotainment system. This ensures that you don’t put more weight in bed than your specific F-150 is suitable for.
The party trick with the Lightning is the integration into the electric range calculator. Ford can adjust the predicted range by taking the weight of the truck into account. You can drag to your heart’s content without worrying about the displayed range being different due to what you’re carrying, which is a wonderful peace of mind feature.
A frunk!
This one is pretty simple, but it’s a feature that doesn’t perform very well in some EVs these days. Fortunately, Ford has designed an electric truck platform that can accommodate a huge front trunk to take advantage of the fact that there is no engine up front. It measures 14.1 cubic feet of space, which Ford says is good enough for two carry-ons and one checked bag. Or, Ford thinks it can fit two sets of golf clubs as well. It is made to be water resistant and has a drainage floor that easily doubles as a food or drink container.
If you need to plug something in, Ford says there is 2.4 kW of power available with four outlets in the front trunk. You can plug in power tools, laptops, TVs, or any other tailgating device you need.