High-performance all-electric pick-up tipped to come with wider body and more than 1000kW
Ford has trademarked the F-150 Flash name as it gears up to launch a high-performance version of its battery-electric Ford F-150 Lightning pick-up.
The new Ford F-150 Flash trademark was discovered by CarBuzz and the faster F-150 was teased by Ford CEO Jim Farley in a tweet featuring Red Bull Racing reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo back in February (pictured here).
That preview of the Ford Performance-developed electric truck showed off an all-new lower bumper design featuring a large air intake, what look like wider front fenders and 22- or 23-inch alloy wheels.
.@FordPerformance has built some really special EV performance demonstrators. I gave @danielricciardo a sneak peek of the latest concept at our design studio today. More soon! pic.twitter.com/Bq1CoJihZR
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) February 9, 2023
Other differences include rear-view cameras instead of mirrors and a new sports roll bar or rear cab spoiler.
There’s no word on what will power what is set to be the fastest-ever Ford truck, but the F-150 Flash is hotly tipped to come with a development of the wild 1050kW powertrain that took the Ford SuperVan 4.2 to second place in the latest Pikes Peak hill climb with Romain Dumas behind the wheel.
What won’t carry over to the Ford F-150 Flash is the racer’s tiny and lightweight 50kWh battery, with the flagship pick-up expected to come with either of the F-150 Lightning’s 98kWh or 131kWh battery packs, or a new powerpack altogether to provide a range of around 500km and the ability to discharge current quick enough to deliver the epic power output.
Potentially lending a hand to develop its aero package is Red Bull Racing, which has already announced it will work together with Ford to jointly develop EVs, following news of the Blue Oval’s return to Formula 1 with the Austrian team in 2026.
Farley himself sparked rumours after he revealed Red Bull was working on Ford’s “most strategically important EV” – leading many to suggest that what is now believed to be the F-150 Flash could come with F1-inspired aerodynamics.
V6 versions of the latest Ford F-150 will become available via Ford Australia dealers in coming months and they could be followed on sale here by hotter Raptor R and electric Lightning and/or Flash versions in future.
For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: Ford F-150 Flash trademark paves way for faster F-150 Lightning