Ford names new F-150 electric pickup Lightning to reveal it May 19

May 12, 2021: -Ford Motor’s next all-electric F-150 pickup truck will be known as Lightning, used by the automaker for performance trucks on the streets in the 1990s and 2000s.

On Monday, Ford released the name and planned to unveil the truck on May 19.  The reveal will take place at the world headquarters of the company in Dearborn, Michigan.

It will be broadcast worldwide and 18 high-profile public spaces like Times Square in New York City and Las Vegas Boulevard, the company says.

All-electric pickups are expected to be significant growth areas for automakers in the coming years, particularly for commercial businesses to rental fleets, companies, and governments. Ford has promised its pickup will be an actual work truck to differentiate it from competitors like the Tesla Cybertruck or GMC Hummer EV.

On Monday, Ford CEO Jim Farley nodded to Tesla and Toyota Motor to contribute to electrification in a press release announcing its plans.

“Every so often, a new vehicle comes along that disrupts the status quo and changes the game Model T, Mustang, Prius, Model 3. Now comes the F-150 Lightning,” Farley added.

The F-150 Lightning would be able to “power your home during an outage; it’s even quicker over the original F-150 Lightning performance truck, and it will constantly improve through over-the-air updates,” Farley said.

Ford said the pickup production to begin next spring at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan. It’s expected to arrive in dealerships by mid-2022.

The F-150 Lightning is due out months after other electric pickups such as the GMC Hummer EV, Tesla Cybertruck, and start-ups such as Rivian and, potentially, Lordstown Motors. All the vehicles aside from Lordstown’s Endurance pickup, which targets fleet customers instead of individual consumers, expect to be “lifestyle” vehicles instead of work trucks.

General Motors also has confirmed plans for an electric Chevrolet pickup that’s expected to focus more than traditional truck customers than lifestyle buyers.