Isn't Ezra Miller already using that name?
Ford has filed a trademark application for “F-150 Flash.” CarBuzz discovered the trademark on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website. It was filed under International Class 12, which includes automobiles, pickup trucks, electric vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and their structural parts.”
Thanks to the first part of the nomenclature, we know it will be an F-150 pickup truck. Since flashes are intrinsically linked with lightning, we might be looking at the name Ford will paste to the rear of a Ford Performance F-150 Lightning.
The American automaker alluded to a go-faster Lightning earlier this year during the official announcement of its partnership with Red Bull Racing, and Ford said Red Bull was already helping to develop a new EV.
CarBuzz Ford United States Patent and Trademark Office
Ford used an image to explain the two-way tech transfer between itself and Red Bull. Ford and Red Bull will work together to design and refine battery technology, software, analytics, and aerodynamics. However, Ford will only join the grid when the new regulations come into effect in 2026. In the meantime, it's building several EV Performance Demonstrators, including the all-electric van that will tackle the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this weekend.
The image included the silhouette of an F-150 Lightning with the words “coming soon” on it. That's why we think the F-150 Flash will debut as a performance demonstrator before eventually going into production boasting technology designed in conjunction with the Red Bull F1 team.
Looking at how well Red Bull is performing, it's the ultimate marketing move. It could be Max Verstappen's next company car.
Ford
Does the world need a faster F-150 Lightning? Of course, it does. America intensifies every time Hennessey announces a 1,000-horsepower truck, so why not build a tri- or quad-motor Lightning with a thousand horses? The most you can currently get is a measly 580 hp and 775 lb-ft, suitable for a 0-60 mph time of four seconds.
Before the electric revolution, those figures would have been impressive, but we now live in a world where a three-box electric sedan can hit 60 mph in less than two seconds. (We do love that ICE is still king, however.)
We don't expect a production version of the F-150 Flash to arrive anytime soon, with battery technology being the limiting factor. Building a performance demonstrator is one thing, but a production model would need at least 300 miles of range. That's what you get with the current dual-motor setup, and adding more horses will see that figure tumble drastically.
CarBuzz
Battery technology is constantly evolving, and Ford invests in all the right places. It's building a $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan that will produce LFP batteries for entry-level models, and partnering with industry leaders like Solid Power, currently working on solid-state technology. Solid-state cells are far from production ready but are the most viable solution for a 1,000-hp truck with a usable range.
The only thing we're not sure about is the name. Obviously, Ford couldn't trademark a common word like “flash” because there's a 99.9% chance the USPTO would have turned it down. And “The Flash” is unavailable because Ezra Miller is using it.
Perhaps Thunder would have been better. Unfortunately, Ford already shot itself in the foot by using the “Thunder” badge in a rather half-hearted attempt to make an aging pickup more attractive. What a pity.
CarBuzz
Keyword: Ford F-150 Flash Coming As New High-Performance Pickup Truck