Registrations opened Monday, May 24, for the all-new, all-electric 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro, the CV version of Ford’s recently introduced electric pickup.
Purpose built for commercial customers, North America’s leading pickup manufacturer touts the F-150 Lightning Pro as a blend of familiar Built Ford Tough power, capability and durability with a high-tech electric platform that adds new capabilities and features designed to improve productivity and reduce operating costs—while also delivering zero emissions.
“Commercial customers are different than retail, and they want more from a vehicle to help keep their businesses competitive,” said Ted Cannis, general manager, Ford North America commercial business. “These customers are extremely pragmatic and they aren't going to over-index on product features and benefits when it isn't necessary to get the job done.”
Cannis ticked off the key areas Ford has targeted in offering a viable, commercial EV:
- The “right tool for the job,” including upfit readiness, greater productivity, more uptime, localized sales, service, and financing
- A total lower cost of ownership
- 24/7 sales support in this transition from ICE to electric vehicles; and
- Turnkey order-to-delivery right to the doorstep of the business.
When it arrives next year, the pickup will be supported by an established network of 644 electric vehicle-certified Ford Commercial Vehicle Centers across the U.S. offering sales, service, financing and charging solutions, as well as 2,300 EV-certified Ford dealers.
“F-150 Lightning Pro represents so much more than an electric workhorse—it’s made for commercial customers inside and out, it gets better over time, and it’s totally plugged into always-on services that can help business productivity,” said Jim Farley, president and CEO. “As more companies make the commitment to go carbon neutral, they are going to expect electric products that can integrate into their operations easily. Ford is so uniquely positioned to answer this call because we have a zero-emissions pick up and van, many of our customers want both vehicles in their fleet.”
Pricing, power, range
With a starting MSRP of $39,974 before tax incentives, the always-on 4x4 F-150 Lightning Pro with the standard range battery targets an EPA-estimated 230-mile range and includes a complimentary 32-amp Ford Mobile Charger, making the transition affordable for small and medium-size businesses.
Targeted to generate 426 horsepower and 775 lb.-ft. of torque with its standard lithium-ion battery, the base truck has a targeted 2,000-pound maximum payload capacity and is targeting up to 5,000 pounds of towing capability—and up to 7,700 pounds with the optional Max Trailer Tow package. For all models, maximum payload is based on accessories and vehicle configuration.
Where more power, towing and range are needed, F-150 Lightning Pro can be optioned as an extended-range version with a targeted EPA-estimated 300-mile range starting at an MSRP of $49,974 before tax incentives.
This version offers customers a targeted 563-horsepower 4x4 powertrain, while torque remains 775 lb.-ft. It includes an 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro, which, when combined with the included onboard dual chargers, enables affordable Level 2 overnight charging using battery-friendly AC power—negating the need for expensive DC power installation, Ford noted.
Equipped with the optional Max Trailer Tow Package, targeted maximum towing increases to 10,000 pounds.
“More than 145 million miles of telematics data show that for the average F-150 commercial customer in the U.S., 95% of their daily travel is less than 174 miles,” said Cannis. “Commercial customers track their business expenses closely—they buy what they need and not a penny more.”
To help gauge potential purchase and operating cost savings, Ford commercial customers have exclusive access to a new Ford digital fleet planning tool that calculates a variety of factors including purchase and lease costs, federal and regional tax incentives, and regional fuel and energy costs.
F-150 Lightning Pro targets reducing scheduled maintenance costs by 40% over eight years and 100,000 miles—with potential for further operational cost savings through lower fuel costs, Ford added.
“The digital fleet planning tool will help demonstrate how Ford can provide many customers improved total cost of ownership for a full-size commercial electric truck, from favorable purchase costs, lower fuel and maintenance costs plus strong residual values we expect will mirror those of the commercial F-Series trucks,” said Cannis. “Best of all, it comes wrapped in a trusted Built Ford Tough-tested truck that delivers what our customers love about F-Series today.”
Electric-enabled tech
Going electric with the F-150 Lightning Pro brings a host of new technologies and features.
Front and center is the first-ever Mega Power Frunk on an F-Series pickup. Under the hood, where an internal combustion engine used to be, is a spacious, high-tech cargo area complete with four 120-volt AC Pro Power Onboard electrical outlets and two USB ports. It also features a water-tight space strong enough to store 400 pounds of cement bags, Ford reported.
Under the powered waterfall hood with bumper-height opening, this well-lit space can be locked, unlocked and accessed from either the remote key fob, an exterior button or from inside the vehicle. A one-way drain is designed to make cleaning easy.
“When we first showed this design to our commercial truck customers, they were floored,” said Cannis. “They appreciated the ability to quickly lock their tools and gear up front, while saving their cargo bed for supplies and other equipment to get the job done. So much more easy access space means commercial customers can rethink the way they work, like moving toolboxes to the frunk for unobstructed bed space.”
Pro Power Onboard is a built-in AC power source that comes standard with 2.4 kilowatts of capability through four outlets in the Mega Power Frunk, two more in the cabin and two in the bed. Available 9.6-kilowatt Pro Power Onboard—with enough power to rip up to 30 miles of half-inch plywood on a single charge on the extended-range battery, according to Ford—adds two more 120V and a 240-volt AC outlet in the bed. Both versions automatically adjust the truck’s battery range estimates as power is used. Fleet managers can set parameters for power usage.
Should Pro Power Onboard deplete the battery charge level to the point the truck cannot reach a charge location, it will shut down automatically or based on a pre-determined customer setting to prevent the truck from becoming stranded.
F-150 Lightning Pro will be offered in a full-size four-door, five-passenger SuperCrew configuration. It features easy-to-clean vinyl seats along with standard SYNC 4 with 12-inch color LCD touch screen and 12-inch productivity screen, plus standard Ford Co-Pilot360 2.0—a comprehensive collection of driver-assist features.
A full-size spare tire is mounted under the 5.5-foot cargo bed—which has similar mounting points to the current F-150 for easy upfitting along with a standard Class IV hitch.
The truck’s Intelligent Range system reduces range anxiety through an adaptive monitoring system that calculates battery range needed to complete a trip, factoring in terrain, weather, cargo and trailer load, and distance to destination. That data is shared with the cloud-based Ford Power My Trip feature and SYNC 4, so customers can plan their routes and monitor charge use while driving.
Should range become low, the system maps the nearest available charging station from America’s largest public charging network of more than 63,000 plugs—including DC Fast Charging locations—to help ensure drivers are not left stranded.
Onboard Scales are available to monitor payload for even more accurate range calculations, while vehicle pre-conditioning—standard across the lineup—can manage cabin temperatures while plugged in to further optimize range.
Acceleration and speed limiters come standard to further aid with range and driver safety.
Charging solutions
F-150 Lightning Pro comes with a variety of standard and optional smart charging hardware accessories, while multiple available software technologies effortlessly manage charging data and charge transactions for turnkey fleet operation. This includes mapping, driver status and location, and fleet expenses.
Charging hardware starts with the 32-amp Ford Mobile Charger, a 120/240-volt AC charger that’s included with the standard-range F-150 Lightning Pro. An optional higher-capacity 48-amp Ford Connected Charge Station runs on 240 volts while the available 240-volt, 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro further speeds up charge times for maximum AC home and fleet charging.
Ford positions itself as the only automaker to offer an 80-amp charge station as standard equipment with the extended-range truck, helping customers easily charge at home. It takes advantage of the only dual onboard charging system in the industry to cut the 15% to 100% charge time to around eight hours for the targeted EPA-estimated 300-mile-range battery for reliable AC overnight charging that can dramatically reduce charging infrastructure investments and battery wear.
When rapid charging is needed on the road, customers can leverage the Ford Charging Network’s 150-kilowatt Level 3 DC fast charging locations that can deliver a 15% to 80% charge in less than 45 minutes—about the time for a typical lunch break.
With the Ford EV Telematics dashboard active, vehicle data is shared over the cloud so fleet managers can track vehicle health, status and range, log and pay for public charging events centrally, reimburse employees for home charging, remotely pre-condition the cabin while plugged in, and generate alerts and reports for depot and operational efficiency.
Still ‘Built Ford Tough’
F-150 Lightning Pro electric undergoes the same rigorous Built Ford Tough durability testing as all F-Series trucks. This means millions of miles of harsh testing at Ford facilities across the United States and on the road, and in the hands of commercial customers.
The same is true for the battery and powertrain, which will endure a grueling array of tests that includes hundreds of charges and runs across rocks, stones, mud baths, up high grades in desert heat—with trailers attached, and in icy temperatures at 40-degrees below zero.
The military-grade aluminum alloy body and upgraded high-strength steel frame support the advanced battery, while the first F-Series independent rear suspension and low center of gravity help improve isolation from the road, provide a stable ride and reduce steering roll—all while maintaining the durability and reliability expected of an F-150.
Advanced cooling systems help ensure the truck can thrive even through the toughest of ordeals, while thick, high-strength aluminum alloy protects the components and steel underbody shields are added for extra protection of the battery and dual electric in-board motors in the front and rear.
“Ford commercial trucks are the backbone for many of our customers’ businesses, which is why we put them through testing so harsh, some areas can only be driven by robots,” Cannis said.
Telematics and data tools
When activated, the standard 4G LTE modem unlocks a number of connectivity services to help fleets optimize efficiency and lower operating costs. Electric vehicle-specific data, such as kilowatt-hour consumption, charge speed, distance to empty and more, are available to better understand how trucks are operating in real-time to optimize running costs and uptime.
Additionally, the Ford Telematics and EV Telematics dashboard offer in-cab driver coaching, remote vehicle pre-conditioning and severe incident notifications to inform operators should their vehicles be involved in an accident where the airbag is triggered. Email and in-app alerts can relay the driver involved, as well as location and time of crash.
F-150 Lightning Pro will be built by UAW-represented hourly employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich. To register now for the all-new 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro or to learn more about Ford’s newest fleet vehicles, visit Fleet.Ford.com.
