2022 Ford F-150 Lightning: A workhorse adds a new (green) trick

The Lightning name is returning to Ford showrooms this spring on an electric F-150 crew cab truck that promises impressive power and strong work capabilities.

It is initially offered in two power configurations: 452 hp and 580 hp. The standard-range battery gets an EPA estimated 230 miles, and the extended-range battery is rated at 320 miles.

Ford has engineered and designed the 2022 F-150 Lightning to do what its gasoline-powered counterpart has accomplished for generations: outwork — and outsell — all rivals.

The Lightning is equipped with standard four-wheel drive; the F-150's first independent rear suspension; an enhanced onboard generator that can power a house or worksite for three consecutive days; and the industry's largest front trunk, which comes with four power outlets and space for even two sets of golf clubs — 14.1 cubic feet of space, to be exact.

Ford claims the truck can outrun an F-150 Raptor, and its dual electric motors provide 775 pound-feet of torque, making it more powerful than any F-150 before it, including V-8-powered Lightnings from the 1990s to early 2000s.

The pickup can also tow up to 10,000 pounds and haul up to 2,000 pounds.

It has a starting price of $41,769 with shipping — roughly $10,000 less than what average buyers paid for a gasoline F-150 truck before the chip shortage distorted final transaction prices. Pricing for the top Platinum trim starts at $92,669 with shipping.

We've collected some early reviews.

"The Lightning represents an American manufacturing triumph, a brand resurrection, a win for working people, a vehicle segment stepping out of the darkness into the light. I can't believe they got all those smart people to move to Michigan. ...

"OK, Trucker McTruckster, I know you have questions. Can the Lightning trailer a large and heavy powerboat up and down a hilly two-lane at Texas speeds? Dude, yeah, literally like it wasn't even there. ... The Lightning is a land locomotive. I really like the optional onboard scales feature, which measures the load and tongue weight and helps calibrate brake bias for truck and trailer, baking in both regen and friction-braking force.

"What about range? Eh, it's enough. Yes, you can expect to draw down the battery faster when towing/hauling, depending on the burden. You can expect a comparable hit to efficiency in a gas-powered truck, too.

"Charging? At a DC fast charger (150 kW) the Lightning can pack up to 54 miles of electro-range in 10 minutes. Homeowners with the optional Ford Charge Station Pro on their garage walls can fully recharge the ER battery in 8 hours — overnight, like a cellphone."

— Dan Neil, The Wall Street Journal
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"To get to brass tacks, the Lightning is the best-driving, best-riding, and best-handling F-150 you can buy. The only reasons not to buy one over a gas- or diesel-powered F-150 are that you have nowhere to charge at home, you actually tow hundreds of miles at a time on a regular basis, or you simply don't like — or won't let yourself like — electric vehicles. All other reasons are invalid.
"You certainly can't complain about the power. Even the base truck with the small battery makes 452 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful F-150 short of the big-battery model, and it cooks. Ford estimates a mid-five-second sprint to 60 mph, and that feels conservative behind the wheel. It's already as quick as the quickest combustion-powered F-150, and there's no waiting on engines to rev, turbos to spool, or gears to be swapped. You put your foot down at any time, and it leaps forward."

— Scott Evans, Motor Trend
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"A low center of gravity from the floor-mounted batteries means you can actually hustle the F-150 Lightning through corners, if you really want to. This gigantic truck is no sports car, but it'll munch through a back road way quicker than any gas-powered truck on sale today thanks to its seemingly endless corner-exit traction. The steering is lifeless, even in Sport mode, so it's tough to be precise with inputs. Will most prospective buyers care? Probably not. But we're the vocal minority.
"One of the best decisions Ford made when building the Lightning was starting with the gas-powered F-150, rather than from scratch. In addition to driving down costs, it means the truck has the same proportions and interior layout as its ICE-powered counterpart. And that means the perfect ergonomics, wonderful cabin design and great visibility from the normal F-150 are carried over into this truck. The XLT trim uses a landscape-style 12-inch touchscreen to control things like infotainment, navigation, and drive modes. It's easy to navigate and quick to respond to inputs. Underneath the screen you'll find, importantly, physical controls for the HVAC system. Upgrade to the Lariat or Platinum trims, and you get a bigger 15.5-inch portrait-style screen that does everything the smaller screen does, plus climate control. Further down you'll find a traditional gear selector that, when a button is pressed, folds down into the center console, allowing you to fold out the armrest to use as a makeshift work table. It's a wildly practical place to spend time, though hopefully that folding shifter will stay working reliably after 10-plus years of use. That will be answered if owners start to get stranded because they can't put their truck into Drive.
"Another unfortunate downside of the interior is the lack of physical buttons to turn off one-pedal driving and to engage the locking rear differential. Struggling to find those switches buried in the screen isn't very fun, especially while the truck is in motion. On the upside, the Lightning's cabin feels like one of the quietest places on the planet. The electric motors can only be heard under 10 mph. After that, the only things you'll hear are faint tire and wind noises ... and all of the other cars on the highway around you. There's also the Mega Power Frunk, a lockable, drainable, 14.1 cubic-foot front trunk that can handle up to 400 pounds. It's perfect for securely storing things you don't want to keep in the bed, or electronics you need to charge."

— Brian Silvestro, Road & Track

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"The Lightning is a truck with an unusually comprehensive set of skills, but that still leaves the question of what it's like to drive. The answer is that it's quite nice, really. It's quick, of course, with a 0-to-60-mph time somewhere in the mid-four-second range. That's just a few tenths slower than a Mustang GT. Off-road, it's quite capable too; the instant torque and smooth throttle response making it easy to inch up to and over rocks. And with locking differentials at either end, even when opposing wheels are suspended in midair, the truck has no problem moving forward.
"The ride quality is remarkably good, smooth and compliant, and easily the kind of thing I'd see myself wanting to do for long trips. Yes, I know it's an EV, which you may not think would be great for road-tripping, but 320 miles of range is on the order of four or five hours of driving. With the right charger, the Lightning can get back to an 80% charge in just over 40 minutes. That 150-kW charging rate is far slower than we see from products like the Porsche Taycan, but a 40-minute break after 5 hours in the saddle doesn't sound so bad to me. Plus, the truck's navigation system is smart enough to route you to and through those charging breaks.
"If I have one complaint with the ride, it's that the body control is on the poor side. The truck is compliant, yes, but also floaty. That's not the end of the world, as this is a truck that can weigh in the ballpark of 6,500 pounds depending on configuration. In other words, this isn't the kind of thing you'll want to be hustling into corners."

— Tim Stevens, Road Show by CNET

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"A point in favor of the Lightning feeling like it could be a great street sport truck is that, in the extended-range versions I drove, it is quick. We've measured our F-150 Limited hybrid's 0-60 mph acceleration in 5.74 seconds, and Ford estimates that standard-range Lightning models will have a 0-60 time in the 5-second range, while the extended-range will drop that to the 'mid-4-second' realm. It doesn't seem like they're wrong, either. Stomp on the accelerator and 775 pounds-feet of instantly accessible torque will push you back into your seat. Just as important, there are gobs of power immediately available at higher speeds for merging and passing.
"Where the Lightning's performance was a letdown in my driving experience is in the communication from its pedals. Both the brake and accelerator pedals provide a less-than-intuitive feeling that makes modulation more difficult. There's lots of braking power, but it was hard to find a way to access it without lots of abrupt stops. Throttle modulation wasn't as easy as I would've hoped, either, and with one-pedal driving (a feature that applies braking force as you ease off the accelerator) turned on, it was even more difficult. One-pedal driving in the Lightning has lots of bite and no adjustability, and in my driving time I couldn't quite get the feel for operating it smoothly. I think more time behind the wheel would give me that, but it's a steeper learning curve than I've experienced in other electric vehicles."

— Brian Normile, Cars.com