The world of electric pickup trucks is heating up. The Rivian R1T just began deliveries last month and legacy automakers are gearing up to roll out their own electrified pickups. The Ford F-150 Lightning will be available starting in spring 2022, and to help buyers understand everything the truck has to offer, Ford rolled out a new app. F-150 Lightning: Strike Anywhere offers a 3D experience and the ability to mess around with various features and functions on the new trucks.
The Strike Anywhere app is now available for smartphones everywhere, so you can tour the new F-150 Lightning from the comfort of your couch at home. Ford says the app offers 13 interactive animations to help prospective buyers understand the truck’s different features and functions, such as its frunk, charging system, range, and towing capabilities. Users can also select various paint colors and trim packages on a virtual truck that can be projected onto the real world using augmented reality.
The effort to promote knowledge and learning around EVs is a timely one for Ford. Research shows that almost 80 percent of the truck’s reservation holders have never owned an EV before, and studies conducted by Ipsos and Google show that almost 60 percent of car shoppers in the U.S. that are considering a vehicle purchase in the next six months are looking at buying or leasing an EV or hybrid. What’s more, the brand will experience an influx of customers that have never owned a Ford before, giving it a make-or-break opportunity to attract and keep those people as loyal customers down the road.
If you’re hoping to get your hands on Ford’s first all-electric pickup truck, you could be waiting for a while. The Blue Oval has received over 160,000 reservations for the truck and we’ll likely still be dealing with the supply chain constraints brought on by the global microchip shortage, so it might be a while before Ford is able to cover all of the reservations that convert to orders.