Ford took the wraps off of one of the most important vehicle’s we’ll see this year, the F-150 Lightning EV. The Blue Oval promised that a commercial version of the truck would carry a starting price of under $40,000, and now we know what that will look like.
The F-150 Lightning Pro still offers all the same EV goodies that Ford showed off in its unveiling event, albeit tamed down for a price-conscious commercial audience. The trucks will be available in a SuperCrew configuration, which includes four doors and seating for up to five people. Ford says the trucks’ interior will feature vinyl seats and a 12-inch color LCD touchscreen that runs SYNC 4 software. A 12-inch digital gauge cluster is also included, along with Ford Co-Pilot360 2.0, which is the automaker’s suite of advanced driver aids.
The base truck’s price of $39,974 brings with it standard four-wheel drive, an EPA-estimated 230 miles of range, and a max towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. An extra ten-grand upgrades the Pro to the 300-mile extended range version, which bumps power from 426 ponies to 563 and adds the ability to charge at Level 2 speeds over AC power. Ford says that this model can tow up to 10,000 pounds with the optional Max Trailer Tow Package.
The F-150 Lightning Pro also promises to improve fleet tracking and management functionality with a load of onboard data collection and reporting tech. Ford says that the trucks’ standard 4G LTE modem helps it communicate data such as kilowatt-hour consumption, charging speed, range, and more. The Pro will also come with Ford Telematics and EV telematics, which can coach the driver on efficient driving and includes a remote vehicle pre-conditioning functionality. If the truck is involved in an accident, the system will notify fleet operators with data on the driver, crash location, and time.
Shortly after it announced the new trucks, Ford also announced that it would limit the number of F-150 Lightning units it produced in the first year. While we don’t know the exact number of vehicles that will be produced, but it’s safe to say it’s not because of soft demand. The trucks drew over 44,500 reservations in just the first two days.