“Model T moment:” Ford starts production of F-150 electric pick-up

The all-electric iteration of “America’s favourite vehicle” – the iconic F-150 pick-up – has begun rolling off the production line in the US, at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Centre in Dearborn, Michigan.

In what Ford has described as its “Model T moment for the 21st Century,” the company announced the manufacturing milestone on Wednesday (Tuesday, US time) as its first big step to a production rate of 150,000 a year by 2023, and more than 2 million a year by 2026.

The F-150 Lightning pickup – which will be the first and, for a short while the only, full-size fully electric ute available commercially in the US – has generated huge demand in the US, notching up 200,000 reservations since its unveiling mid-way through last year.

For Australia – where it could be said demand for electric utility vehicles is also comparatively strong – there are still no updates on whether the Lightning will be manufactured for the right-hand-drive market.

Ford Australia had not responded to The Driven’s inquiries in time for publication. You can find a rundown on which electric utes might make it to Australia first here.

In the US, however, Ford says that it is not only the Ford or F-Series faithful that are lining up to buy the electric ute, with three-quarters of reservation holders registered as not currently owning or leasing a Ford vehicle.

The F-150 Lightning is also being credited with converting many US drivers to either first-time truck buyers or first-time electric vehicle buyers, drawn by the pickup’s mid-range price, its up to 500km of range and “the freedom of a 10-kilowatt smart power plant on wheels.”

To meet this demand, the auto giant says its spend on the F-150 Lightning, alone, has so far topped $1 billion, and created 1,700 jobs spread across five Ford plants in Michigan, including the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center and the Rawsonville Components Plant, where Lightning batteries are assembled.

“America’s real transition to electric vehicles starts now,” declared Ford President and CEO Jim Farley. (Apparently Tesla’s efforts and its $1 trillion market value don’t count as a “real” transition).

“F-150 Lightning is just the beginning of our ambitions for growth and leadership in digital, electric vehicles.

“We continue to expand our EV manufacturing footprint across the US, including the start of site preparation at BlueOval City, which will enable us to meet the ever-increasing customer demand for our exciting EV line-up,” Farley said.

The electrified version of “America’s favorite vehicle for 36 years straight” does have a lot to like about it, including lockable storage for up to 400 liters of cargo in what Ford has dubbed a “Mega Power Frunk,” which doubles as a cooler.

The Lightning also has 2.4kW of exportable power which, combined with the power available from the 5.5-foot bed and cab, brings the truck’s Pro Power Onboard total to up to 9.6kW from 11 power points.

Paired with a home integration system, Ford says the Lightning will be able to power a house during an outage for three days and, evenutally, will be able to offer power back to the grid. It can also charge other electric vehicles.

“It’s not every day that you get to launch a truck that will change the way Americans feel about electric vehicles,” said Linda Zhang, F-150 Lightning chief program engineer.

“The team has done a phenomenal job ensuring we are offering customers unique features only made possible by the electric power unit. But it’s the drive experience that will blow people’s minds. It is simply effortless.”

To that end, the F-150 Lightning accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in the mid-4-second range with the extended-range battery, making it the fastest-accelerating F-150 yet, and has the most torque of any F-150 ever (at 775 lbs.-ft.), which alllows it to offer what Ford calls “effortless towing.”

The offers 320 EPA-estimated miles (500-plus km) of range and customers have access to the BlueOval Charge Network, the largest public charging network in North America offered by automotive manufacturers. Home charging is supplied in the US by SunRun.