The F-150 Lightning burst onto the scene a few years back and has become one of the EV world’s biggest success stories. There was a significant period where you simply couldn’t get one. However, there’s more to the electric truck than energy efficiency and rampant torque.
You can obviously use it as a pickup truck. The bed is very handy for transporting things, it’s capable offroad, and while it may affect battery life, the F-150 Lightning does have an impressive towing capacity of up to 10,000 on the better trims. But look beyond the obvious, and you’ll see Ford’s electric pickup is capable of so much more.
It has a writing desk
There’s a good amount of paperwork on a press trip. You need to fill in forms waiving your right to sue if you injure yourself, forms relating to photography rights, and sometimes forms outlining what you’d like for dinner.
I needed to do the latter the last time I went on a trip involving an F-150 Lightning, and it was surprisingly easy thanks to one of the vehicle’s less well-known features. With a push of a button, you can sink the gear selector so it lies flat. Once that’s out of the way, you can flip the top of the center console and create a generously-sized flat surface between the driver and passenger seat.
Theoretically, you can use this for any task that requires a flat surface. You can prepare dinner on it, if you don’t mind the risk of strewing the cab with stray food chunks. With that being said, I heard it described as a “writing desk,” and it functions perfectly well for that.
A frunk that’s worth opening the hood
Frunks are often pretty useless. Yes, there’s nothing inherently bad about extra storage space, but on many EVs, the bit under the hood is so small it may as well not be there. You can maybe store a small toolkit in there at best, and sometimes (as in the case of the Cadillac Lyriq) the manufacturer simply doesn’t bother.
EV Pick-ups seem to be the exception, and the Ford F-150 Lightning is one of those vehicles that gives you more space up front than you get in the back of many SUVs. It can comfortably hold several suitcases if you don’t want to risk leaving one in the bed. I’ve seen one filled with ice and serving food on a picnic, and it’s water-tight so you could theoretically use one as a big punch bowl if you don’t mind the taste of plastic from the liner. Either way, it’s one of the better features on the F-150 Lightning. Even if you do sometimes forget it is there.
Ford’s versatile infotainment system gives you entertainment options
Ford’s infotainment system in the F-150 Lightning is Android-based, so theoretically, anything that works on an Android phone or tablet should work on it too. So you can easily download whatever streaming app you prefer and watch your favourite shows (as long as you’re parked while doing so).
There are some interesting apps pre-loaded into the infotainment system, too. This includes a karaoke app, allowing you to sing along to a surprisingly broad range of tunes. Many of them are technically “covers,” but you’re not “hearing” the original singer on a karaoke track anyway. The words pop up on the screen while the car is stationary, but are obviously not visible when the vehicle is in motion. Still, if you want to sing along on your next road trip your passenger can connect a phone to the vehicle safely and see the lyrics on a smaller screen while the vehicle is driving.
You can camp in the bed
The F-150 Lightning is still a pickup truck at the end of the day, and those are defined by their “beds.” That bed can be used to transport things, but it also makes a great camping spot if you’re overlanding in your truck. It’s well sheltered from the wind and raised a couple of feet off the ground, which is great if you want to stay warm and avoid whatever is living in the undergrowth.
At the right time of year, if the weather looks good, you can camp under the stars. However, if you do want some shelter, there are plenty of aftermarket tents designed to fit perfectly in the bed of an F-150. They usually compact down quite well, and unlike rooftop tents you may find for smaller vehicles, the pickup-camping setup is pretty inconspicuous when the living space is “collapsed.”
Plugs everywhere
If you’re more into “glamping” than camping, you absolutely need electricity to power the various gadgets you’ve no doubt brought into the middle of nowhere with you. The F-150 Lightning is generous with its battery and provides plenty of outlets you can use.
In addition to the standard USB Cs for phone charging, you can make use of up to ten 120V AC outlets (depending on trim and packages). Four of those are in the frunk, two are in the cab itself, and another four are in the bed near the truck’s tailgate (though standard configurations only have two here). A 240V outlet is also available, if you want to get some welding done or rescue another EV that’s run out of juice.
It can power your home if push comes to shove
Arguably, one of the best features of the F-150 Lightning is the fact that you can power your home with it if push comes to shove. The huge 131 kWh battery in the “extended” version of the Lightning has enough juice to keep the average home running as normal for three days. This can (and likely will) be stretched out to ten days if power is “rationed.” This makes the F-150 Lightning one of the best vehicles available if you live rurally in an area prone to power outages. It can also be an absolute lifesaver if a natural disaster occurs.
However, things don’t need to go totally wrong for you to benefit from this feature. If the F-150 Lightning is plugged into your house, you can set it to add power to your system during peak times, then recharge itself in the off hours when electricity is cheaper. Exact savings vary, but it is possible to shave a good amount off your electricity bill this way.
