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April 7, 2022

by Gerhard Horn Electric Vehicles / Comments

Is the 563-hp pickup up to the task?

This upcoming weekend, Ford will be setting a new milestone in the EV pickup truck segment, though we're not entirely sure how it will play out.

The 2022 F-150 Lightning will be the official pace vehicle for this weekend's NASCAR event at Martinsville Speedway. It follows in the footsteps of the Mustang Mach-E, which was on pace car duty at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021.

Oddly, the very first EV pace car dates back even further. In April 2012, an EV Ford Focus set the pace at Richmond.

The Lightning is much better suited to the task, however. Ford's Focus EV only had 141 hp and 188 lb-ft on tap, which is likely why it failed spectacularly. Also, imagine what it must be like having an angry 900-hp racing car behind you, and all you have is the power output of a coffee bean grinder.

The F-150 Lightning is much better suited to the task, at least according to Ford. "We can't wait to show our Ford fans how capable the F-150 Lightning is. With 563 horsepower, 775 lb-ft of near-instantaneous torque and a 0-60 mph time in the mid-4-second range, I think it will turn some heads out on the track," said Darren Palmer, vice president of Ford electric vehicle programs.

"Ford is fully invested in electrification and the response to Lightning has been so overwhelming that it was an easy decision to bring it to a NASCAR event," said Jeannee Kirkaldy, motorsports marketing manager, Ford Performance. "One thing we definitely know is that our fans love trucks and we're confident that feeling will only grow when they see Lightning out on the track leading the field to green."

The Lightning has been a massive success for Ford so far. It received nearly 200,000 reservations since its launch in May last year. It joins Ford's leading F-Series, which reached another way more critical milestone when it produced the 40 millionth unit in January.

And though the track may not be its natural habitat, the F-150 has been impressive since its debut. Over the past few months, we've learned that it's cheaper to run than a regular F-150 and that the EPA-estimated ranges for the various models are pretty impressive.

"I haven't driven the Lightning yet, but if it's anything like the Mustang Mach-E, it's going to be a blast," said NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney. "I hope it ends up being the only thing in front of me once the race starts."