Ford Motor Company unveiled the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck at an event held at the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn Wednesday night. A couple hundred Ford employees and executives were in attendance — some spaced out in chairs and others tailgating in Ford vehicles.
Among those to speak at the event were Ford CEO Jim Farley, Executive Chairman Bill Ford, F-150 Lightning Chief Engineer Linda Zhang, and UAW Vice President Gerald Kariem. The speakers emphasized the industry-disrupting nature of the all-electric pickup and viewed it as an investment in American manufacturing.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden toured the new Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn and test-drove an F-150 Lightning.
During the visit, Biden emphasized the importance of electric vehicles in reducing emissions and praised the work of United Auto Workers (UAW) members. Biden also said he hopes the United States will dominate in electric vehicle manufacturing, noting the pickup’s domestically-produced battery.
The pickup boasts an up to 300 mile range, a “frunk” (front trunk), and the capability to serve as a home backup generator for as many as three days. F-Series pickups are the best-selling vehicle in America, with the lineup bringing in more than $40 billion annually, according to Ford.
The F-150 Lightning will go on sale in mid-2022, with a base sticker price of $39,974.
Summer Managing Photo Editor Dominick Sokotoff can be reached at sokotoff@umich.edu.