The Ford F-150 Lightning is the newest addition to the EV truck world, and it’s currently the most practical.
Because Ford is backed up with orders and this truck is in such high demand, some dealers try to take advantage of this demand by jacking up the prices to well above the MSRP. While it’s not hard to understand a dealer offering these trucks at MSRP without any discounts or rebates, some locations are preying on customers waiting for this truck to be available. Let’s look at some alarming numbers.
When is the Price Gouging Out of Control?
How much should you have to pay for the electric F-150? The base model is supposed to be priced at nearly $40,000, but some proof of a much higher price has been found. One Ford dealer showed a cost of $145,309, which is a ridiculous number. This price was for the base, Pro model is absurd. Why should any customer pay more than three times the MSRP for this truck? The only answer is that the dealer knows they will get it because this truck is in such high demand.
These Ridiculous Prices Have Gotten the Attention of Ford
It didn’t take long for the news of the ridiculous prices of the Ford Lightning to reach Ford headquarters. Recently, Ford announced that dealers engaging in price gouging of the high-demand vehicle would lose future allotments of these vehicles. Additionally, if a dealer sells a demo vehicle before they’re supposed to, these dealers can be fined $25,000 for each demo sold. This could be a real problem for the ten percent of Ford dealers in America engaged in this awful pricing practice.
What Can You Do to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Price Gouging?
If only ten percent of the Ford dealers in America participate in price gouging, that means 90 percent are not. Suppose you find that a local dealership falls into the ten percent crowd, head over to another dealer location, and find the truck you want to drive. You don’t have to miss out on the Ford electric truck because a dealer is trying to empty your pockets and fill theirs. Of course, you might want to know why you’ll want to drive this impressive electric truck.
What Does the Ford Lightning Bring to the Market?
This electric F-150 is an all-electric full-size pickup truck to give you the drive you’re after. The base trim is called Pro, and it gives you everything you need to use this truck as the workhorse you love at the job site or be the truck that takes you and your boat to the lake. With this truck, you’ll have up to 320 miles of driving range and the torque needed to take off from a stop quickly. Of course, this F-150 comes with several specialized features you don’t find in other trucks.
What is a Frunk?
The frunk is a front trunk area which is the open space in the front of this Ford electric truck that offers you some additional storage area for your stuff. Because the electric powertrain resides under the vehicle, this area is left open for you to have an excellent place for some gear. The frunk in the Lighting measures 14 cubic feet, can hold 400 pounds, and has some powerful features you’ll admire. These power features include four 120-volt outlets and two USB ports while also giving you a 2.4-kW Pro Power Onboard package to provide you with the charging and power you desire.
A Bit More of What You Want in the Cabin
The interior work surface you find in the XLT model of the Ford Lightning offers you a retractable sift lever covered by an unfolded armrest section. This gives you an excellent place to place your laptop for the work you want to get done in your cab. Moving up to the luxury levels, you’ll find the Max Recline front seats that fold back nearly 180 degrees to let you relax and take a break while the batteries of the truck recharge.
This F-150 Looks a Bit Different
From the XLT trim on up, the LED strip goes across the hood and connects the LED headlights. Moving to the Lariat trim, a red LED strip does the same in the rear of this truck. The Pro trim doesn’t have running boards, but the XLT on up has these items on each side. The top two embellishments add power to this feature. The bed area brings you a tailgate that offers you a work surface that gives you a wonderful place to set your tools or laptop when you need to do some work outside of the cabin.
Plenty of Power to Get the Job Done
This electric version of the Ford F-150 gives you payload numbers of 2,235 pounds with the standard-range battery. If you opt for the extended-range battery, you can carry up to 1,800 pounds in the bed. The two rating goes in the opposite direction. Using the standard battery, you’ll have 7,700 pounds of towing, while the extended-range battery offers 10,000 pounds of towing.
Regardless of the trim, you’ll have a pair of three-phase fixed-magnet AC electric motors. The standard-range battery models deliver 452 horsepower, 775 lb-ft of torque, and 230 miles of driving range. Moving to the extended-range battery pack, you’ve got 580 horsepower,775 lb-ft of torque, and 320 miles of driving range.
Should You Buy the Ford Lightning Right Now?
You have no reason to avoid the Ford F-150 Lightning, especially if most dealers are offering this truck at the MSRP rather than jacking up the prices to a ridiculous level. This truck delivers an impressive group of electric performance, giving you the features you want when you take a drive.
As the first EV truck to market, Ford faces the challenges first, including the price gouging happening with this truck. Thankfully, other automakers will learn from these challenges and set the bar higher right from the start.
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