Automotive Engineering - June 2022 - 13

ROAD READY
Curb weights for EVs are a current
flashpoint and Ford was cagey about the
Lightning's poundage, electing not to
provide a listing in the truck's specifications.
Various sources said on-site that
weights range from about 6200-7000 lb
(2812-3175 kg). Pickup weights vary widely,
so we'll just say roughly 1000 lb (454
kg) heavier than an equivalent ICpowered
F-150. The weight and its low
positioning - not to mention the
Lightning's independent rear suspension
- help impart a confident effect on cornering,
while, fortuitously, the gutting of
the engine up front, said engineers, leaves
the truck with a nearly 50/50 front/rear
weight distribution. The F-150 Lightning
rolls sweetly and crushingly silently down
the road and accelerates hard enough to
scandalize just about any common IC
vehicle. So-called " one-pedal " driving is a
delight; using it, owners might not need
brakes for years (Ford in fact projects
scheduled-maintenance costs some 40%
lower than a conventional F-150 over five
years or 75,000 miles). The only dynamic
foible we could discern was the damping
seems overworked to control rebound
when humps, bumps and dips were encountered
at highway speeds.
Familiarity mixed with new
features
Mercifully, the F-150 Lightning lineup is
pared-back by pickup standards. There
are just four trim levels: Pro, XLT, Lariat
and Platinum. And compare Lightning's
" single-spec " - a drivetrain setup of a
battery pack, two motors and AWD available
in a crew-cab body - with the five
engine variants, separate transmission,
2WD/4WD, seven trim levels and three
cab-configuration matrix currently available
for the IC-propelled F-150 lineup and
one can see why electrification can liberate
(force?) product-complexity benefits.
There's a certain features reset provided
by the Lightning's nifty new functions,
such as Pro Power Onboard (9.6
kW of mobile power for anything you
want to plug in, including 240V power
hogs), the 14.1 cu-ft " frunk " storage
( " the hardest thing we did, insisted
Darren Palmer, VP, electric-vehicle programs)
and myriad software enablers,
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
There's 14.1 cubic
feet of capacity in
the Lightning's frunk
lockable storage area.
Ford-designed and
-manufactured
traction motor for the
2022 F-150 Lightning.
but maybe the triumph of the Lightning
is that there's nothing " EV recherche "
- most of the Lightning's body and
interior are straight off the IC pickup's
line. There's still the big 'ol T-handle
shifter, after all. Only F-Series watchers
or EV enthusiasts won't have a hard
time identifying the Lightning isn't one
of its fossil-fuel counterparts.
For Ford and its perennially bestselling
F-Series, departing from what's
familiar probably wasn't ever an option.
And for now, it doesn't need to be
- the 2022 F-150 Lightning's " realtruck "
credentials are plenty sufficient,
while the clever and convincing integration
of electric propulsion and all its
feature-facilitating trimmings make it a
thoroughly convincing EV in its own
right. The F-150's gargantuan size
won't be for everyone - particularly
ardent EV enthusiasts - and gilded
versions on the press preview topped
$95,000. But given the sparkling reception
the F-150 Lightning already is
enjoying, Ford need merely transfer its
winning engineering to more-manageable
and less-costly footprints and
there's probably no looking back.
Bill Visnic
June 2022 13
Automotive Engineering - June 2022

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