Drivers waiting for the chance to go electric – but in need of a gutsy utility vehicle – might’ve had a moment of elation on Tuesday when Ford announced it would finally bring its F-150 to local roads.
However, the gasp of excitement was short-lived: an all-electric F-150 is not on the cards for the foreseeable future, it would seem.
The F-150 has been one of Ford’s best selling vehicles for the last 40 years, but up until now it has not been sold in Australia. Ford has anow nnounced it will import the F-150 in left-hand-drive format and has signed up RMA Australia to remanufacture it locally to Australian standards.
But these plans, for now, do not include the F-150 Lightning, the company’s zero-emissions utility truck which comes with a wide range of tradie-friendly features such as bidirectional charging that can power a home at a rate of 9.6kW for three days. It also has 11 power outlets that can be used for tools, and charging other battery-powered gear.
From mid-2023, the fully-equppied XLT and premium Lariat will be available from RMA Manufacturing. However, communications director Matt Moran confirmed with The Driven that it will be some time before the Lightning joins them, but that Ford Australia is keeping an “open mind.”
“The F-150 Lightning is an incredibly exciting vehicle for Ford, with huge demand in the US,” said Moran. “We’re excited about bringing F-150 XLT and Lariat to Australia – this has been a long journey and we have a way to go.”
“That’s our focus today, but we keep an open mind to future opportunities,” he said.
Priced from $US52,974 ($A70,548 converted) in its base XLT configuration, Ford also sells a stripped-down “Pro” variant that is aimed at tradespeople from $US39,974 ($A53,235 converted). The Lariat starts at $US67,474 ($A89,859 converted) and the range-topping Platinum starts from $US90,874 ($A121,022 converted; all prices include delivery fees).
Pricing for the remanufactured ICE F-150 in Australia has not yet been announced.
Members of Australia Ford Forums welcomed the news of the arrival of the F-150, but it wasn’t long before the conversation turned to the Lightning.
And, it would seem, there are at least a few that would be keen to see the Lightning added to Ford’s Australian offerings.
“I’d love to see them bring the Lightning here. Really has the potential to get some big sales. Although government policy is a set back,’ said one forum user.
“We are not after a new car for a couple of years at least, and it was going to be an EV, so depending on how Ford prices things … I’d be seriously keen for the Lightning,” said another.
“I’m praying they make a business case for the Lightning version. I’d buy one yesterday if they made that available,” said a third.
However, part of the problem is that the Ford F-150 Lightning is already hugely in demand in the US. In November, the carmaker reported it had taken 160,000 orders after doubling its production targets to 80,000 in August.
“Forward orders of Lightning are massive, I think Aussies will be waiting years to get access to anything like decent BEV supplies of anything,” noted another forum member.
Instead, Ford’s first EV on the market in Australia will be the e-Transit van – which will no doubt be a useful addition for fleets, and is slated to debut locally in mid-2022. Pricing has not yet been announced. Ford plans to add at least five new Ford electrified vehicles by the end of 2024.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.