AUTO

Ford Upgrades F-150 Lightning Trucks With New Tech at Lower Prices

May 28, 2024

Ford has cut prices on the Flash, XLT, and Lariat trims of its F-150 Lightning trucks.
New technology on the F-150 Lightning trucks includes BlueCruise hands-free highway driving on some trims, an updated charging display, an efficient heat pump, and more.
Ford recently announced cutbacks to its plans for fully electric vehicles and increases in its plan for hybrid vehicles.

In April, Ford silenced critics by stepping up its electric truck game. Its innovative 2024 F-150 Lightning, America’s top-selling electric pickup truck, got a host of new technology and a compelling price cut.

Back in February, Ford had issued a stop-ship on the Lightning to perform quality checks. The quality checks are now complete, and the Lightning is currently shipping from Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan.

Price Cuts of Up To $5,500 on Certain Trims of the 2024 F-150 Lightning

Ford’s powerful, exciting, and functional 2024 F-150 Lightning is now available at compelling lower prices. The new Flash trim got the highest price cut at $5,500, with a new starting price of $67,995.

The XLT trim got a price cut of $2,000, making its starting price $62,995. The Lariat is now offered at $76,995, following a $2,500 price cut.

Prices remain the same as before for the Platinum ($84,995) and Platinum Black ($92,995) trims.

New Technology Added to the F-150 Lightning

On select trims, Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free highway driving is now offered. Pro Power Onboard and a walk-away lock function have been included too. Ford’s Tow Tech Package is now standard. Ford Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch are available as an add-on package for new F-150 Lightning models.

With a significant improvement to charging, an updated charging speed display shows the driver the charging session’s status and speed, including an estimated time to finish charging. A highly efficient vapor heat pump system has been added as well.

Charging Ford EVs on the Tesla Supercharger Network

Following recent concerns about Tesla’s sudden layoffs, including its Supercharger team, the EV industry has seemingly recovered from the shock and returned to business as usual. Tesla recently opened its Supercharger network to Ford and other EVs, in a major win for EV adoption.

Non-Tesla EVs such as Ford use the Combined Charging System (CCS) EV charging technology, and many CCS-enabled EVs are on the roads today. Nearly every OEM and charging company announced plans to convert to Tesla’s NACS, which is being finalized as the SAE J3400 standard for EV charging. Ford, GM, and others announced no changes in their plans to convert to NACS after Tesla’s layoff announcement.

Beginning in 2025, Ford’s EVs, such as the Mustang Mach E, F-150 Lightning, and E-Transit van, will come standard with the NACS port equipped on the vehicle, removing the need for a CCS adapter.

Lightning and Ford EV Sales Strong

Ford sold 24,165 F-150 Lightning trucks in 2023 in the U.S., up 55% from 2022, out of about 750,000 total F-150 U.S. sales. In 2023, Ford was America’s No. 2 EV brand, with Ford’s EV sales rising 18%.

Ford’s Move to Hybrids

In Q1 2024, sales of Ford hybrids reached an all-time high, revealing an increased preference for hybrids among American consumers. Ford announced plans to significantly broaden its EV lineup, integrating hybrid powertrains across its entire product range by 2030.

The lack of charging around the United States is causing many buyers to choose hybrids instead of BEVs. Fortunately, charging is getting installed nationwide at breakneck speed, so the need for hybrids will not continue much longer.

Ford’s EV Cutbacks

Despite a record year for electric vehicle sales in 2023, Ford is scaling back its EV plans. Recently, Ford announced a delay in the production start of its next-generation EVs at the BlueOval City EV campus in Tennessee. The company moved the initial kickoff from 2025 to 2026.

It is also retiming the production of upcoming Ford EVs at the Ford plant in Oakville, Ontario.

Bidirectional Charging Available on F-150 Lightning

Ford’s F-150 Lightning was one of the first EVs sold in America to offer bidirectional charging. Through bidirectional charging, a Ford F-150 Lightning can be used to power a home during a blackout or run power tools at a job site.

During a power outage, owners can tap into 9.6kW of power available at any given time from the truck to backed-up devices. Ford’s F-150 Lightning owners are able to keep the power on at home even during extended outages. The truck offers the storage capacity of more than 10 home batteries, when installed with Sunrun’s Home Integration System and Ford Charge Station Pro.

Ford’s ICE F-Series Sales Remain Strong

For the 47th year in a row, Ford’s internal combustion engine (ICE) F-Series was America’s best-selling truck. It was also America’s best-selling vehicle for the 42nd year in a row.

Ford is tapping into America’s love of pickup trucks to offer the electric version, the innovative F-150 Lightning.