$100 to reserve: Ford’s electric F-150 Lightning packed with surprises, with a "ridiculously low” starting price of $40,000

ALL-ELECTRIC FORD-150 TRUCK UNVEILED: The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck was unveiled on May 19, 2021, packed with innovative features and strong performance — for example, using a military-grade aluminum alloy body and a special reinforced frame, specifically designed to support its advance battery tech. CNET described it as having a "ridiculously low” starting price of $40,000 (Dh146,919) for the base model.

20,000 RESERVATIONS: On May 20, 2021, Ford unveiled that it has already taken 20,000 reservations for its new electric F-150 Lightning pickup— less than 12 hours since the truck was officially unveiled. It starts rolling out of it Dearborn, Michigan factory next year (2022).

PRICE: The base model, which comes with a battery that can supply 230 miles of range, starts at $39,974 for the F-150 Lightning. The price is before any federal or state tax credits. Pricing for the mid-range model begins at $52,974 (Dh194,573), and can go about 300 miles (482.8km).

AN IMPORTANT ELECTRIC TRUCK: The F-150 Lightning won't be the first American EV, but the F-150 pickup truck is legendary, being the most popular vehicle in America. The F-150 Lightning is dubbed as one of the most important trucks ever produced. The F-150 itself is one of the most successful vehicles in automotive history. Now Lightning promises to switch from legendary to revolutionary.

FORD FIGHTS IT OUT: Even in the electric era, Ford has no plans to relinquish the highest-selling truck title without a fight. The figures quoted by Ford for the Lightining are far less than the launch prices for the Lightning’s principal competitors, the GMC Hummer EV (the Edition 1 will start at $112,595) and the Cybertruck (which will initially be available for $69,900).

2022 ROLLOUT: The F-150 Lightning is expected to arrive in dealerships during the middle of 2022. When it goes on sale next year, the new Lightning will offer two battery pack sizes, the smaller of which should provide 230 miles of range and the bigger one about 300. 

INDUSTRY-BEATING PERFORMANCE: The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning can go from 0 to 100 km/h (60 mph) in 4.4 seconds. What’s also cool is that the all-electric pickup truck can power your house for up to 3 days (or up to 10 days on economy mode) during a blackout). It starts rolling out of the assembly line in 2022.

DISRUPTOR: This all-electric F-150 seems like a groundbreaking, industry-changing product, according to auto industry watchers. Intelligent Backup Power is just another killer feature that could put the Lightning ahead of competing all-electric pickups from companies like the Hummer, Rivian and Tesla.

9.6kW OF POWER: The F-150 Lightning can provide up to 9.6 kW of power output. Ford says that's more than enough to fully power a house at any one time. The size of the battery shows could do that for at least three days (based on a daily average of 30 kWh). The automaker says you can make that power last for up to 10 days if you ration the electricity accordingly.

‘MOST POWERFUL F-150 EVER MADE’: Ford said the "Lightning", an always-on 4x4 pickup, is the “most powerful F-150 ever made”. Other unique features include “Onboard Scales”, which uses the truck’s sensors to estimate payload and tell customers how much they’re hauling. Since Payload can impact range, Onboard Scales is integrated with Intelligent Range to help ensure F-150 Lightning gives an accurate estimate of how far you can go.

PACKED WITH SURPRISES: The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck is packed with surprises and groundbreaking innovations, from its independent rear suspension to the Mega Power Frunk (which offers more cargo space than a Toyota Corolla sedan), to its unbelievably low starting price.

POWER OUTLETS: There are up to 12 power outlets for on-board charging.

HITCH ASSIST: The Lightning also debuts available Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, which automatically controls steering, throttle and brake inputs to make hitching trailers even easier.

SUSPENSION: The Lightning is also the first F-Series truck to include an independent rear suspension, which will improve handling on the road and reduce steering roll. There’s unique underbody protection to further protect the battery.

CHARGING SPEEDS: Charging times will depend on both the size of the battery and the charging source. F-150 Lightnings fitted with the standard-range battery are equipped with an 11.2 kW onboard charger; the extended-range versions come with a 19.2 kW onboard charger.

HOW INTELLIGENT BACK-UP POWER WORKS: Provided the Lightning is plugged in, Ford's Intelligent Backup Power system works automatically (though you can manually configure it, too), switching on when there's an electrical interruption.

BATTERY PACK: It feeds power from the truck's battery pack back to the 80-amp, 240-volt home charger, then the juice gets routed to an inverter, which transforms power from DC to AC, and finally that electricity gets routed to all the plugs, lights and appliances in your home. “It's pretty neat stuff,” commented CNET.

BIDEN TAKES F-150 LIGHTNING FOR A SPIN: From US President Joe Biden's visit, it was revealed that one of the two battery packs (presumably the extended-range one) weighs 1,800 lbs (816 kg). And Ford has said that the packs are similar but not identical to those in the Mustang Mach-E, and they will use pouch cells from Korea’s SK Innovations. Packs come with a warranty to retain at least 70 percent capacity at eight years or 100,000 miles. Biden visited the company's new Rogue Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, to promote his infrastructure plan, which would put billions of dollars into EV development.

AVOIDING HIGH POWER TARIFFS: Later, the F-150 Lightning will also be able to power your house during the day when electricity rates are higher and then recharge overnight when electricity costs less. This has the potential to significantly reduce owners' electricity bills. This capability is similar to the F-150 hybrid's Pro Power Onboard system available in its 2021 model-year gasoline F-150s. 

HANDS-FREE HIGHWAY DRIVING: Ford offers "true, hands-free highway-driving system" for its the "Lightning". During the Wednesday debut reveal, the company gave some caveats: "Drive- assist features are supplemental and do not replace the criver's attention, judgement and need to control the vehicle. BlueCruise is a hand-free highway driving feature. Only remove hands from steering wheel when in a 'hands-free Blue Zone'. Always watch the road and be prepared to resume control of the vehicle. It does not replace safe driving. See Owner's Manual for details and limitations."

OVER-THE-AIR UPDATES: Arguably, this EV's most significant innovation is its ability to run your entire home during a blackout. But it also BlueCruise, which will come with over-the-air updates, called "Ford Power-Ups".