If you look at the landing page for the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning on Ford’s consumer site, you’ll immediately notice that you can no longer reserve the truck. Why is that? Ford has revealed that it has over 200,000 reservations for its battery-electric truck. Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, told CNBC that they had to stop taking preorders because there’s so many. He also added that the company is “completely oversubscribed” with its battery-electric vehicles, particularly the F-150 Lightning.
Production capacity is capped at 70,000 to 80,000 units for the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, according to Farley. “We’re going to try to double that,” he added. “We’ve done it in the past. Don’t bet against Ford when we have to increase capacity. That’s what we do.” The F-150 Lighting goes on sale in the spring of 2022.
A dealer bulletin posted on the F150gen14 forum revealed that order books will open in Jan. 2022; however, not all reservation holders will get an invitation to put an order in. Reservation holders will get emails inviting them to place their orders in waves starting in Jan. but that will vary based on reservation timing, a dealer’s estimated allocation, and dealer prioritization. Ford will also update the configurator to provide delivery time based on your vehicle’s configuration. Once production capacity for the 2022 model year is met, the remaining reservation holders will be notified that they’ll be able to order a 2023 truck.
When it arrives next year, the 2022 F-150 Lightning will be available with either a standard or extended range battery. The former will be good for 230 miles per charger while the latter is estimated to go 300 miles before needing to plug in according to Ford. Both versions will have a dual-motor setup with a torque output of 775 lb-ft. Battery size determines the combined horsepower with the standard range model good for 426 hp. Opting for the larger pack increases that to 563 hp. Both battery packs will be available in the retail and commercial versions, the latter of which is called the F-150 Lightning Pro and doesn’t have as many creature comforts.
We recently got a ride in a prototype F-150 Lightning with the extended range battery and found this truck accelerates with authority. Despite weighing over three tons, you still got pinned to your seats, and the power kept on coming like a relentless wave. Simply put, the instant power delivery and additional torque effectively canceled out the Lightning’s additional 1,000-pounds over the standard and hybrid trucks. Thanks to the battery being mounted as low as possible, it also had little body rolls, enabling it to defy its size.
The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is just the start of the Blue Oval’s push for electrification alongside the Mustang Mach-E. It aims to electrify its iconic vehicles first meaning consumers should expect to see hybrid and full-electric variants of nameplates like the recently reborn Bronco to join the lineup. Volume products like the Explorer are also getting an all-electric variant. Ford’s luxury division, Lincoln, gets its first EV in 2024. An all-electric Aviator is expected to join the lineup alongside the Grand Touring plug-in hybrid.
