Ford CEO Teases Next-Gen EV Pickup During F-150 Lightning Launch

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Speaking during Ford’s livestream kickoff event for the production of the F-150 Lightning, CEO Jim Farley made a rather tantalizing sentence about the future of the Blue Oval electric truck. In short, you can expect different F-Series from Ford’s new Tennessee manufacturing facility. Are we talking about a new off-roader? HD models? Something else? Let’s plug in some variables and see where it goes.

First, let’s see what Farley has to say. Towards the end of the 42-minute presentation, the CEO spoke about the electric ambitions of Ford and the Tennessee plant, which is very new and still being built.

“I wish we could get all of you there, but we’re already pushing the ground at BlueOval City in Tennessee for another electric pickup that’s different than this one.”

We have a video embedded below to get you started just before his statement. We included it because it wasn’t just what Farley said, but how he said it that caught our attention. His emphasis and tone of course opens the door to interpretations of what it really is different mean here.

Announced in September 2021, Ford’s new Tennessee facility (officially called BlueOval City) will be the factory for the next generation of electric F-Series trucks, as well as state-of-the-art batteries. Ford specifically stated F-series production here, not a Ranger, Maverick, or any other electric vehicle. However, it may not be the F-150 either. A Ford spokesperson confirmed to Motor1.com that it will be the next generation of electricity truck. Mention of the F-150 or heavy-duty pickup is conspicuously absent from this discussion.

Directionally, the F-150 Lightning is a performance-oriented pickup truck for the road. Ford of course advertises the new Lightning as a capable off-roader, but you won’t find an FX4 or Tremor package available in the configurator. The electrification competition, particularly from Jeep and Rivian, offers a glimpse of the advantages of electric power in an off-road setting. Furthermore, the success of the F-150 Raptor has shown that truck buyers love sturdy pickups. The expansion of full-size electric trucks into off-road territory is sure to be a trend.

When the Chevrolet Silverado EV goes on sale in 2024, it will be a significant change from the rest of the combustion-powered Silverado lineup, taking advantage of an entirely new architecture. Early designs for the Ram 1500 electric truck suggested it would follow a similar path. Meanwhile, the F-150 Lightning shares quite a bit of its fuel-sucking sibling. When Ford’s Tennesse plant is operational, Chevrolet and Ram should have electric trucks on the road. This would be the perfect time for Ford to launch a brand new full-size electric truck, combining a signature design with an entirely new structure from the ground up.

What we do know for sure is that Ford’s current work with the F-150 Lightning is setting the future for the F-Series. And that future is moving fast toward electric power.

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