Ford Announces F-150 Lightning Pro For Commercial Customers

It will start at $39,974. The Extended-Range Battery will cost $10,000 more.

Ford has introduced today an additional version of the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck, purpose-built for commercial customers – called Ford F-150 Lightning Pro.

It has the same configuration: full-size four-door, five-passenger SuperCrew and is very similar to the general version for the retail market, but envisioned for fleets. It means entry-level equipment (easy-to-clean vinyl seats, SYNC4 with 12-inch color LCD touch screen and 12-inch productivity screen) and some special solutions like telematics (an EV telematics dashboard and OEM-grade EV data support fleet management).

Technically, it appears that the Pro version will be the same in terms of battery capacity, range, powertrain, charging, payload and towing (see Ford F-150 Lightning specs here).

Ford is aware that one of the best features that might attract a lot of customers is the Mega Power Frunk. Ted Cannis, general manager, Ford North America commercial business said:

“When we first showed this design to our commercial truck customers, they were floored. They appreciated the ability to quickly lock their tools and gear up front, while saving their cargo bed for supplies and other equipment to get the job done. So much more easy access space means commercial customers can rethink the way they work, like moving toolboxes to the frunk for unobstructed bed space.”

Prices

The entry-level version with the Standard-Range Battery will start at an MSRP of $39,974 (the same as the general version). The Extended-Range Battery will start at an MSRP of $49,974 (Ford hasn’t revealed the price of the general retail version with this battery option yet). However, at least now we know that the difference is $10,000.

“Starting at an MSRP* of $39,974, F-150 Lightning Pro offers value and performance with standard range battery and dual motor power 4×4 targeting 426 horsepower** and a targeted EPA-estimated 230 miles of range†; available extended-range version targeting 563 horsepower** and a targeted EPA-estimated range of 300 miles† starts at an MSRP* of $49,974”

We guess that the two battery options (230 and 300 miles of range) are respectively: 115 kWh net/125 kWh total and 155 kWh net/170 kWh total. It would mean a 40-45 kWh difference (about $222-250/kWh).

According to the message from Ford, the F-150 Lightning Pro with Extended-Range Battery is “available only for commercial customers – regardless of fleet size”. The smaller battery version will be available both for fleets and retail customers.

Registrations open today, while the market launch is scheduled for 2022.

Ford says that for the average F-150 commercial customer in the U.S., 95% of their daily travel is less than 174 miles, which means that even the base version should be enough for many applications.

The manufacturer expects also 40% lower maintenance cost over the first 8-years and 100,000 miles:

“To help gauge potential purchase and operating cost savings, Ford commercial customers have exclusive access to a new Ford digital fleet planning tool that calculates a variety of factors including purchase and lease costs, federal and regional tax incentives, and regional fuel and energy costs. F-150 Lightning Pro targets reducing scheduled maintenance costs by 40% over eight years and 100,000 miles – with potential for further operational cost savings through lower fuel costs.”

Ford EV Telematics

Ford EV Telematics offers a lot of interesting features for fleets. We especially like the log and pay for public charging events centrally, which should be quite convenient for drivers.

With the Ford EV Telematics dashboard active, vehicle data is shared seamlessly over the cloud so fleet managers can track vehicle health, status and range, log and pay for public charging events centrally, reimburse employees for home charging, remotely pre-condition the cabin while plugged in, and generate alerts and reports for depot and operational efficiency.

Intelligent telematics and electric vehicle data tools to manage your fleet

When activated, the standard 4G LTE modem unlocks a number of seamless connectivity services to help fleets optimize efficiency and lower operating costs. Electric vehicle-specific data, such as kilowatt-hour consumption, charge speed, distance to empty and more, are available to better understand how trucks are operating in real-time to optimize running costs and uptime.

Additionally, the Ford Telematics and EV Telematics dashboard offer in-cab driver coaching, remote vehicle pre-conditioning and severe incident notifications to inform operators should their vehicles be involved in an accident where the airbag is triggered. Email and in-app alerts can relay the driver involved, as well as location and time of crash.

Gallery: Ford F-150 Lightning Pro


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