Final EPA estimates are in, but Ford’s ground-breaking electric pick-up can’t match Chevrolet’s or Rivian’s promises
Ford has finally confirmed the “final EPA-estimated” driving ranges for the Ford F-150 Lightning pick-up range, ‘ER’ variants of which are set to offer a maximum range of 515km.
Broken into four different trim levels, the Ford F-150 Lighting Pro, XLT and Lariat grades are all available in either ‘SR’ (standard range) or ‘ER’ (extended range) guises, with the differing designation reflecting their relative battery capacity and thereby their driving range.
Standard range versions draw power from a 98kWh lithium-ion battery pack, affording them a driving range of up to 370km, according to Ford, while the ERs feature a bigger 131kWh unit, hence their greater driving range.
The same extended-range battery also powers the flagship F-150 Lightning Platinum, but in this application it only affords the top-spec EV a range of up to 483km on account of its extra weight and the extra current drawn by its multitude of standard features.
“We are laser focused on continually improving our energy consumption efficiency for Lightning and the team is really happy to deliver these results for our customers,” F-150 Lightning chief program engineer Linda Zhang said.
How do these figures compare to the competition from Chevrolet and Rivian? Not brilliantly…
At its global debut, General Motors revealed certain versions of the Chevrolet Silverado EV would be able to cover up to 644km on a single charge – 129km more than the Lightning ERs – but it’s yet to be confirmed exactly which testing cycle this figure was derived from, ie: EPA, WLTP, NEDC or CLTC.
The Rivian R1T, meanwhile, goes a few kilometres better again with a claimed 650km courtesy of its huge 180kWh battery.
It’s possible the Ford F-150 Lightning could become officially available in Australia, where the Rivian and Tesla Cybertruck will eventually be offered, if the Blue Oval approves a factory-backed right-hand drive conversion program for the latest F-150.
Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: Ford F-150 Lightning EV range revealed