Manoli Katakis 
Wonder no more. Today, Ford Motor Company has made it official that the “Lightning” name will return as the long-hyped electric F-150 pickup truck. And it will be revealed just next week, on May 19, at the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning reveal will commence at 9:30 PM, EDT on that day, and will be live streamed via the Ford Facebook and YouTube channels, Twitter, national broadcast publications as well as 18 locations such as Times Square in New York City and Las Vegas Boulevard.
“Every so often, a new vehicle comes along that disrupts the status quo and changes the game … Model T, Mustang, Prius, Model 3. Now comes the F-150 Lightning,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley in a statement. “America’s favorite vehicle for nearly half a century is going digital and fully electric. F-150 Lightning can power your home during an outage; it’s even quicker than the original F-150 Lightning performance truck; and it will constantly improve through over-the-air updates.”
Ford’s not usually one to shout out their competition, but if the electric F-150 is truly going to be a game changer, it’s definitely going to be in distinguished company.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Details
The The electric Ford F-150 Lightning will be built starting next spring at the all-new Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. Original production volume targets have since been doubled, as hype for the EV has since grown. The Ford F-150 Lightning will begin its journey down the production line alongside other gasoline-powered F-150 pickup trucks, before the incomplete vehicle is sent to the new facility for powertrain installation and finishing. It’s expected that the truck will feature an independent rear suspension.
Designed to be a work truck as much as personal statement, the electric F-150 will reportedly allow for its its batteries could function as a type of on-site power source (provided it has enough power left for the return journey), while a “toolbox” style range extender could also act as a generator of sorts. Pricing of the truck is also expected to come under the $70,000 range, keeping it away from competing with more premium vehicles like the upcoming GMC Hummer EV in terms of price.
On the inside, the 2023 F-150 Lightning is expected to have a similar, if not identical tablet-style touch screen found in the Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV. Other teasers have given reason to believe that the F-150 Lightning will have its own off-road performance variant similar to that of the 2021 F-150 Tremor or Raptor.
