F-150 LIGHTNING EV: 20,000 RESERVATIONS FILED IN 12 HOURS

Last night, the Blue Oval tossed their hat into the electric truck ring with the all-new 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning. This battery-powered version of the country’s most popular pickup brings a ton of performance to the table, thanks in no small part to the available 563 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque on tap. Combine that with 300 miles of range, 2,000 pounds of maximum payload capacity, and 10,000 pounds of towing capacity, and you’re left with quite the intriguing proposition. Following the debut event last night, Ford officially opened up the reservation books for the truck. As it turns out, the Ford F-150 Lightning has impressed quite a few people. Speaking with CNBC this morning, CEO Jim Farley confirmed that the automaker received 20,000 reservations for the F-150 Lightning in just 12 hours.

F-150 Lightning: No Hesitation On Reservations

That is a massive amount of early reservations for a brand new electric truck. Following the debut last night, Farley told a group of reporters that the automaker has made plans already related to the number of trucks they will build during this inaugural year, but he didn’t specify what that figure will be. This isn’t the first time that Ford has decided to go this route, as Mustang Mach-E production will be limited to just 50,000 units during the first year. Now that said, Ford is used to cranking out a ton on F-150 models, which could help drive that number higher than what we’re seeing with the SUV. Regardless, it’s possible not every F-150 Lightning reservation holder will get their truck in the first year or so.

.@Ford has 20,000 orders for new electric F-150 Lightning, @jimfarley98 tells @Lebeaucarnews on @CNBC: "We're off to the races." pic.twitter.com/ILl0TdSe31

— Michael Wayland (@MikeWayland) May 20, 2021

“The response has been great,” said Farley on “Squawk Box. “With 20,000 orders already, we’re off to the races.”

Impressive performance figures aside, the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is appealing based on its pricing model. The truck is slated to start at $39,974 in work-truck spec, which is only about $11,000 more than a base model F-150. That said, the truck qualifies for federal tax incentives, which will bring that number down significantly in the real world. The mid-range Ford F-150 Lightning XLT will carry a price of $52,974, which is also quite reasonable compared to its competitors. In fact, you can buy nearly three entry level F-150 Lightning trucks for the price of a single GMC Hummer EV, which is downright impressive.

Delivery Dates: Targeting Spring 2022

Even though it is really still early to tell, it appears that the Ford F-150 Lightning is slated to be a hit for the automaker. This is the vehicle that everyone has been waiting to see in this growing EV segment, and it has not disappointed. Should everything go according to plan, customers can expect trucks to arrive in spring of 2022. That’s when we’ll really know if the rest of the industry will once again have to bow down to the Ford F-150. They have been doing that for over 40 years already, mind you.