2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures, Engine, MSRP – Look, there’s no shame in having a half-ton for a family hauler, but if you’re mostly using it for the kind of stuff a Toyota Camry can do – shuttling the kids to school, or stopping for groceries after work – then it’s time to get serious about electrification. Heck, even if that’s not the case, there’s no time like the present to consider switching to an electric vehicle (EV). And if you are, the F-150 Lightning EV just so happens to be a very good one. 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures
That’s because it combines all the best parts of the gas-powered truck it’s based on, like outstanding outward visibility and tons of space inside, with a few features that are unique to this EV version. Since the Lightning EV only comes in a crew cab configuration, there’s ample room in the back for two – or even three – passengers to stretch out, while the 5-foot-5 bed is the same as the one bolted to the back of most half-tons these days.
2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior and Interior
In fact, most physical controls have been ditched in favour of the same oversized touchscreen found in the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E. It’s certainly the kind of showpiece that’s expected in a modern EV like this one, but it lacks the eyes-free simplicity of a bank of buttons on the console. Interestingly, I had the same iPhone connectivity issues as my first Mach-E test, with the wireless Apple CarPlay sporadically losing contact while driving.
Beyond the massive 15.5-inch screen stuck to the dash, the steering wheel buttons are as straightforward as the ones in any other F-150, providing control over the digital instrument display as well as the standard adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems. It even allows a connected phone to function as a key with the Platinum trim (it’s optional with the Lariat). 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures
2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Specs
More so than any other F-150 in the lineup, this all-electric model is teeming with features. A big touchscreen (12-inch in the XLT; 15.5-inch in the Lariat and Platinum) with wireless connections for both Android and Apple devices, the built-in inverter and various outlets, and a host of advanced safety features are all standard. Opting for the Tow Technology package ($1,200) adds onboard scales that measure payload in real time, as well Ford’s trailer back-up assist system that simplifies the task through the use of a small dial on the dash; simply turn it in the desired direction, and that’s the way the trailer goes. 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures
Otherwise, there’s a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot (that requires a subscription, of course), a folding work surface that turns the centre console into a makeshift desk, and connected navigation with a free three-year trial. The truck is also capable of over-the-air updates. The smaller of the two batteries features an 11.3-kW onboard charger, while the bigger pack gets a 19.2-kW unit. Regardless, it takes a little more than 40 minutes to boost the battery from 15 to 80 per cent when using a 150-kW DC fast-charger. And with a companion 80-amp charger, the Lightning EV’s battery can even be used to power a home in the event of an outage.
Engine and Performance
Every F-150 Lightning EV features a pair of electric motors, with all-wheel drive as a result. (That’s an important distinction, as most trucks feature selectable four-wheel drive systems.) Torque comes in at the same 775 lb-ft regardless of battery size, while the 98-kWh unit makes 452 hp and the long-range 131-kWh pack spins up 580 hp. With electrified urgency, this truck is quick – and water’s wet. 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures
2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV EV Fuel Economy
Of course, the benefit of the bigger of the two batteries isn’t just the stuff it can be used to power but the distances this truck can travel between charging. While opting for the 96-kWh pack yields a claimed 370 km of range, that number jumps to 515 km with the 131-kWh unit. It also gives this F-150 the ability to cover upwards of 400 km even during highway-dominant drives, where EVs are far less efficient.
Even so, the indicated 27 kWh/100 km I averaged across 420 km or so of testing was better than I expected. So was the 70 kWh of energy I added in 47 minutes spent hooked up to a fast-charging station.
Time spent on city streets allowed me to tap into a regenerative braking system that proved to be as good as any other. Barring emergency there’s almost no need to use the mechanical brakes beyond shifting between park, drive, and reverse; with one-pedal mode engaged, the regenerative system brings the truck to a halt time and again thanks to an easily modulated throttle. 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures
2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV EV Safety Features
When it comes to advanced safety features, everything from forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking to lane-keep assist and blind-spot monitoring that extends the length of an attached trailer is included. Likewise, there’s lane-centring, rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control that works in stop-and-go traffic.
Available optionally with the Lariat trim and standard with the Platinum is an upgraded adaptive cruise that boasts hands-free functionality. Dubbed Blue Cruise by Ford, the system works on pre-mapped stretches of highway by automating steering inputs without driver intervention. While not quite as advanced as the same system from rival General Motors (GM), which also automates lane changes and works with a trailer hooked up to the back, Blue Cruise worked well during this test, travelling along construction-riddled stretches of highways 401 and 403 in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) without issue. 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures
Worthy of note, however, is that the hands-free functionality won’t work until the truck is registered with a companion smartphone app. It’s something of a bizarre addition to the process, as there are no acknowledgements or extra steps required; it’s simply something of a gate-keeping exercise by the engineers at Ford. (In addition to Blue Cruise, the upgraded system also includes self-parking for both parallel and perpendicular spots, and that phone-as-a-key functionality.)
2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Price and Release Date
Determining the value of a vehicle that currently makes up a segment of one is more than a little difficult. Even so, the $82,095 including freight this Lariat trim starts at seems reasonable – although the big battery adds a significant $13,380 to that asking price. Add in this tester’s few features, and its asking price of $99,815 before tax is eye-watering at the very least. (Interestingly, it’s also a shade less than the federal government’s new luxury tax).
That’s a lot of money, but then this is a lot of truck. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning EV retains all its conventional counterpart’s finest traits, including spaciousness and simplicity, but adds better driving manners and emissions-free efficiency. Maybe it can’t do typical truck stuff with the same sort of pay-no-mind proficiency as a gas-powered pickup, but this all-electric one is part of the precipice of a fundamental shift in the way we’re going to have to approach how and what we drive, tow, and haul. 2026 Ford F-150 Lightning EV Pictures