Ford F-150 Lightning power and payload confirmed

Less than two months after releasing its EPA range estimates and power targets, Ford has released the confirmed outputs and payload capacities of its 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pick-up.

And, spoiler alert, most of the numbers are higher than expected.

In terms of power, Ford’s preliminary figures for the F-150 Lightning ‘standard range battery’ (98kWh) powertrain were 318kW/1051Nm.

For the production spec, torque holds firm but the power output is higher at 337kW.

For reference, that’s 1kW more than the rabid Ford F-150 Raptor and 52 per cent more torque.

But the star of the show is the ‘extended-range battery’ model’s confirmed outputs of 433kW/1051Nm – more than enough to see the EV crowned the most powerful Ford F-150 to date.

Ford initially quoted a 420kW peak power figure for its gruntiest Lightning powertrain.

In terms of payload capacity, the Blue Oval has confirmed a “properly equipped F-150 Lightning” has a maximum payload of up to 1014kg – some 107kg more than preliminary spec.

There are no details yet on how exactly this capacity can be achieved, but the final figure isn’t far off double what General Motors has promised for its Chevrolet Silverado EV (590kg).

If GM’s other claims ring true, the big Chevy will comfortably out-muscle the Lightning in terms of power with a promised 495kW output from its top-spec dual-motor powertrain.

By comparison, the Rivian R1T offers a maximum payload of 798kg but thrashes both the Ford and the Silverado in terms of power with up to 623kW on offer from its flagship quad-motor set-up.

Nevertheless, Ford executives are over the moon with the Lightning’s final figures, with vehicle engineering manager Dapo Adewusi revealing there will likely be further improvements.

“We were seriously focused on raising the bar on this truck, including after we revealed it, so we can deliver more for our customers,” he said.

“And our drive for continuous improvement will get a big boost when we start getting feedback and ideas from customers when they receive their Lightnings.”

All of these output and payload figures bode well for the highly anticipated Ford Ranger Lightning which was teased last week by none other than Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley.

It’s unclear whether the electric version will be able to match the carrying capacity of its combustion-engined stablemates, but it should comfortably outmuscle them in terms of output, including the new 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6.

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