We Bought a Ford F-150 Lightning

written by Mike Schmidt^{Associate Director, Vehicle Operations
Mike Schmidt has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. He has written nearly a thousand car-related articles and has been responsible for the upkeep of countless test fleet vehicles over the course of his career. Mike is associate director, vehicle operations at Edmunds and got his start working behind the scenes on the car manufacturer side of the business. Mike spent many a weekend working on the family car with his dad and was promoted from flashlight holder to tool gopher at a young age. He's had an appreciation of cars ever since.}
10/26/2022
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We got in line back in May 2021 for $100 — before the price hikes.
Our F-150 Lightning finally arrived in late September 2022.
This is our fifth long-term F-150 in the past seven years.

Join us out here on this limb: The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is the biggest Ford truck news since the company built the first pickup truck some 100 years ago. In gasoline form, the F-150 has outsold every other vehicle for the past 30-plus years. More recently, electric vehicle (EV) technology has risen to prominence. The union of these two forces was bound to be a historic event. So we jumped at the opportunity to reserve an F-150 Lightning of our own back in May of 2021 for a cool hundred bucks.

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EV ownership works best if you can charge at home (240V outlet) ^{This typically means a 240V home installation, or other places your car is parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice.}
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Edmunds is partnering with Treehouse, an independent provider of home EV installation services. Learn more ^{Edmunds customers receive a 10% installation discount and 4% smart charger discount. Discount excludes permit, hosted inspection, and load management devices. Valid for 30 days.}

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How we specced our F-150 Lightning

We formally placed our order in January of this year, but it wasn't until the end of last month that our Lightning touched down in the Edmunds garage. We got the four-door SuperCrew in Lariat trim with dual-motor four-wheel drive and the extended-range battery. Atlas Blue metallic paint was our top choice, with a black interior.

There's plenty of standard equipment on the Lariat. Notable features include a power tailgate and power front trunk, a 360-degree exterior camera and a long list of driver safety aids, among them evasive steering assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and pre-collision braking.

We added some options. One was the Tow Technology package, which throws in on-board scales, Ford's Smart Hitch system (which helps balance trailer weight) and an onboard brake controller. We also sprang for a twin-panel moonroof, all-terrain tires and a spray-in bedliner. Finally, we grabbed the optional BlueCruise assisted-driving system with an eye to comparing it against its market rivals.

Total cost: $80,014

Edmunds says

We'll say it again: We think the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is the most significant truck from the Blue Oval since Henry's Model A. Stay tuned to our long-term test to see if this really is the electric messiah, or just another EV truck.

by Mike Schmidt

Mike Schmidt has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. He has written nearly a thousand car-related articles and has been responsible for the upkeep of countless test fleet vehicles over the course of his career. Mike is associate director, vehicle operations at Edmunds and got his start working behind the scenes on the car manufacturer side of the business. Mike spent many a weekend working on the family car with his dad and was promoted from flashlight holder to tool gopher at a young age. He's had an appreciation of cars ever since.

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We Bought a Ford F-150 Lightning

Is it the future of trucks? We have one year and 20,000 miles of testing to find out

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How we specced our F-150 Lightning

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