Many early Ford F-150 Lightnings meant for commercial buyers

SAN ANTONIO — Ford Motor Co. is taking a unique approach to launching the F-150 Lightning as it tries to take advantage of its head start over Chevrolet in the full-size electric pickup market.

The first production Lightnings were entry-level $40,000 models that are en route to commercial buyers. Executives say one in every five of the trucks coming off the line are the fleet-focused Pro trim.

While automakers traditionally begin production of new vehicles with only the most expensive variants to maximize margins, Darren Palmer, vice president of electric vehicle programs, told Automotive News that Ford already is churning out plenty of base models aimed at carpenters, plumbers and other business owners. That contrasts with GMC's decision to launch the Hummer EV with the $112,595 First Edition and with Rivian's luxurious R1T pickup.

"Fleets we will look after; they are the core of our business," Palmer said. "Even though we could sell more vehicles, more expensive, it's not about the short-term profit. We launched with them right at the beginning and we're giving them 20 percent all through."

Ford built roughly 2,800 Lightnings in under three weeks of production, Palmer said at a media event for the Lightning here. On the retail side, he said a "really high mix" of orders are for the Lariat trim, which starts at $69,269 including shipping. Palmer declined to say how many reservation holders have moved forward with a firm order, noting that Ford is working through the more than 200,000 reservations in waves.

"We've done about three or four waves now, and that was the end of the 2022 model year," he said. "We saw a really, really high conversion. At the moment it would be meaningless if I said the number because it wouldn't include those who held on [for the 2023 model year]. But it's pretty good."

Ford has not divulged how many Lightnings it expects to produce this year but says it anticipates it will reach an annual run rate of 150,000 in 2023.

The automaker continues to face production setbacks because of the global semiconductor shortage, but Palmer said the Lightning will be prioritized.

He said the shortage has been focused not on high-tech chips needed for connected electric vehicles but rather on those that power ordinary functions such as backup cameras and wipers. He said Ford works daily to manage the supply of chips it gets and direct them to its most important products.

"The truck's the highest priority, but the electric truck will be higher," he said.

Since the Lightning shares a majority of its parts with the gasoline-powered F-150 — the interior is identical aside from the instrument panel and cluster, as is the bed — Palmer said there's less chance of something going wrong with the early builds, a situation Ford is trying to avoid after it bungled the 2019 launch of the redesigned Explorer and supplier issues derailed the start of Bronco production in 2020.

"It's not a risky launch," he said.

He also said the Lightning factory in Dearborn, Mich., known as the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, has new technologies meant to improve production, including what he called the "gamification of quality." Workers there are scored on how they perform their tasks, and those with the best quality scores receive prizes and other incentives.

"The pride [at the plant] is ridiculous," Palmer said. "That's a historic site, and now it gets our most important new product."

Buyers awaiting the first Lightnings will be getting more capability than they expected.

The automaker said last week that the truck's power numbers have improved over initial estimates as engineers continued to tinker with the product.

The extended-range battery pack now gets 580 hp, up from 563, while the standard-range battery pack will get 452 hp, up from 426. Both produce 775 pound-feet of torque.

Ford also increased the maximum payload capacity to 2,235 pounds from an original estimate of 2,000.

Palmer said Ford's goal is to win over mainstream buyers with the pickup's performance and "take away the excuses" many use for not going electric.

"That truck costs the same as a gas truck and outperforms a Raptor," Palmer said. "If that doesn't get you excited about EVs, then you're not ready yet."