As it celebrated the start of production on the 2021 F-150, Ford shared some new details on the upcoming battery-powered, electric F-150 along with a teaser image of the truck’s front end and some prototype testing footage.
While the hood and overall silhouette should be pretty familiar for those who have seen a Ford pickup in the last few years, the distinctive feature of this front end is that lightbar that connects the truck’s iconic F-Shaped headlights.
Plus, as the image attests, Ford says the truck will go on sale midway through 2022, likely making it a 2023 model year truck. The truck will be built in a new plant in Dearborn, Michigan, called the Rogue Electric Vehicle Center.
Ford says this electric F-150 will be its most powerful half-ton pickup to date. Ford says the truck will have dual electric motors to achieve higher horsepower and torque ratings of any F-150, as well as the fastest acceleration speeds the lineup has ever seen. The automaker plans for the truck to offer the most towing and payload of any half-ton while retaining key features introduced on the coming 2021 F-150 Hybrid like on-board mobile power generation and over-the-air updates.
One more benefit of the electric F-150 will be a frunk. That’s right: an honest-to-goodness front trunk will add even more cargo space to this truck.
Ford is well into the process of testing this powertrain on prototype trucks that have the styling of the current generation F-150. In the video below you can watch the truck scream up steep grades—with and without a load in tow—as well as tearing through some off-road test trails.
One thing I did find funny about this video while the truck is splashing through a bit of water was this fine print:
Since Ford has confirmed the hood of the truck will be freed up by the absence of the engine, this truck will likely house the entire electric powertrain in a skateboard configuration with everything integrated into the frame and chassis. And—at least at this juncture—Ford still has some concerns on just how waterproof that whole system will be.
So even though the test course driver gets to make big splashies with the prototype, trekking through deep mud and doing any type of water fording in this truck will likely be off limits at least for the first generation.
