Lucas Bell 
Earlier this week, the Ford Motor Company officially announced that the F-150 Lightning will make its debut on May 19. Not to be confused with the muscle truck that once wore the same nameplate, this new Lightning is the long awaited electric-powered variant of America’s favorite pickup. And while we won’t have to wait too much longer to finally lay eyes on the first electric Ford truck, the automaker plans to show it off to a certain VIP a day early. President Joe Biden will be visiting the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on May 18, at which point he will get a chance to sneak a peek at the truck before the rest of us.
“We’re honored to host President Biden at Ford Motor Company and excited to preview him the new, all electric F-150 Lightning and the exciting technologies that made it possible,” said Ford’s Vice President of Communications Mark Truby on Twitter. “Electrifying America’s best-selling vehicle is a milestone in our country’s transition to cleaner transportation. The F-150 Lightning will be built by UAW workers at an innovative, green plant on the historic Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan.”
President Joe Biden has been a massive supporter of electric vehicles long before he took his seat in the Oval Office, and has made the proliferation of EVs a big part of his platform. Biden announced earlier this year that he’d like the federal fleet to transition to electric vehicles in the coming years, and has even marked some $174 billion towards helping drive EV adoption as part of his American Jobs Plan. It is no surprise then that Ford wants to show the President what they’ve been working on over the past few years, as the automaker begins the transition towards selling exclusively electric vehicles. The all electric Ford F-150 Lightning has the potential to be a big hit for the automaker, as it is based on the best selling vehicle in the United States.
It is expected that President Joe Biden will make public remarks during his visit to Dearborn, which will likely highlight the work being done by Detroit’s automakers. Ford is of course not alone in their efforts to expand electric vehicle production in the United States, as both General Motors and Stellantis have set goals and timelines related to phasing out internal combustion engines. That said, don’t expect the President to spill any details about the truck for us. We’ll all just have to wait an extra day for the full debut, like normal folks we are. It turns out leading the most powerful country in the world has a few perks, we suppose.
