THUNDER STRUCK

THE F-150 LIGHTNING ELECTRIC TRUCK IS ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST SIGNIFICANT VEHICLES. GOOD THING FORD NAILED IT.

- SCOTT EVANS

Pickup trucks were the longest holdout in the transition to electric vehicles, and for good reason. Their use cases are different, more diverse, and more challenging than anything a car or SUV deals with. They need to tow and haul off-road as well as they commute, and those all take radically different skill sets. They're also the bestselling vehicles in America and huge profit and loyalty centers for their makers. Ford absolutely had to get its first-ever electric truck right, and with the 2022 F-150 Lightning, it damn well did.

No joke: The Lightning is one of the most important pickup trucks-vehicles, really in history. Forget early adopters, environmentalists, and technophiles. This truck has to convince construction workers, farmers, ranchers, surveyors, and everyday truck fans that electric pickups aren't just viable but also desirable. That an EV truck not only can do the work but also do it better. Mission accomplished.

To get to brass tacks, the Lightning is the best-driving, best-riding, and best-handling F-150 you can buy. The only reasons not to buy one over a gas- or diesel-powered F-150 are that you have nowhere to charge at home, you actually tow hundreds of miles at a time on a regular basis, or you simply don't like-or won't let yourself like-electric vehicles. All other reasons are invalid.

You certainly can't complain about the power. Even the base truck with the small battery makes 452 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful F-150 short of the big-battery model, and it cooks. Ford estimates a mid-five-second sprint to 60 mph, and that feels conservative behind the wheel. It's already as quick as the quickest combustion-powered F-150, and there's no waiting on engines to rev, turbos to spool, or gears to swap. You put your foot down at any time, and it leaps forward.