With window stickers of Ford’s all-electric Lightning pickup having leaked late last week, there were a lot of people interested in having their “Fuel Economy and Environment” estimates verified. Ford CEO Jim Farley has obliged by confirming the figures, adding that the vehicle’s maximum range should ballpark around 300 miles (or better) unless you snub the extended-range models.
The executive confirmed the F-150 Lightning XLT, Lariat, and Pro trims at 320 miles with the bigger battery. Though those running with the standard battery pack only yield 230 miles between charging. Meanwhile, the Lightning Platinum tops out at 300 miles even due to it having gnarly tires and being less aerodynamic than its siblings.
Obviously, those estimates will come down further once payloads come into play. But it’s more or less what people were told to expect from the manufacturer.
While I’ve never found MPGe all that useful, since there’s no direct equivalent for calculating miles per gallon, the EPA had to come up with a unit of measurement that sounded familiar and offered consistency. Some might argue that 33.7 kWh of electricity sourced from any number of sources isn’t directly comparable to a gallon of burnt gasoline. But it’s the standard we have and it remains useful in making direct comparisons between EVs.
In the case of Ford, it shows just how close the Lightning is to Rivian’s R1T pickup in terms of efficiency. The overall range is also fairly close, at least until the R1T Max (400 plus miles alleged) arrives. Though it should be said that the Rivian is a slightly smaller vehicle than Ford’s Lightning, likely resulting in a lighter product in most formats.
Pricing is also extremely close. While Blue Oval’s leaked stickers show the MSRP after EV tax credits have been accounted for, the pre-credit price for an extended range Lightning XLT is $74,169. That’s only a few grand shy of the standard R1T. However, Rivian doesn’t yet offer a low-range model and has fewer choices for people seeking a more bare-bones EV. That also means Ford’s 230-mile pickup will remain a relative bargain until a valid competitor emerges. But Rivian is working on it, saying that it’s anticipating 260 miles between charges on the smaller battery packs.
[Images: Ford]
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