• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • EPA Releases Alfa Romeo Tonale Ratings
  • First Look: 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison
  • NHTSA End its Tesla Gaming Inquiry Without a Recall
  • Bridgestone Puts Recycled Plastic into Indy 500 Tires
  • The Rearview Mirror: Triumph of the Bean Counters
  • VW Teases U.S. Version of ID.Buzz — and Here’s What We Know About the Electric Microbus
  • Make Sure You're Good to Go for the Holiday Weekend
  • Hyundai, LGES Building $4.3B EV Battery Plant in U.S.
  • New Vehicle Sales Set to Rise, Used Vehicle Sales Expected to Drop in May
  • Ford Teaming with Tesla to Make Charging Even Easier
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium RWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige
    • A Week With: 2023 BMW XM
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 4Matic
    • First Drive: 2024 Audi Q8 e-Tron Prestige
    • First Drive: 2024 Volvo C40 Recharge Single Motor
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition
    • First Drive: 2024 Kia Seltos
    • A Week With: 2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Ford CEO Farley Says F-150 Lightning a Referendum on EV Acceptance

        Ford CEO Farley Says F-150 Lightning a Referendum on EV Acceptance

        Automaker confident in public reaction to new truck.

        Michael Strong
        Michael Strong , Managing Editor
        May 20, 2021

        (This story has been updated with information about the number of reservations Ford received overnight.)

        Ford rolled out the 2022 F-150 Lightning last night amid plenty of fanfare, but after the flood lights shut off, the loud music faded and the internet stream ended, Ford CEO Jim Farley talked about the importance of the new truck.

        Farley with Lightning at debut
        Ford CEO Jim Farley is optimistic about the company’s latest EV, the 2022 F-150 Lightning.

        “I am looking at this vehicle as a test for adoption of electric vehicles,” he told reporters after the event. The company is already selling one long-range EV, the Mustang Mach-E and the early results are strong.

        The entire allotment of the battery-electric SUV is sold out but converting the F-150 to an all-electric platform represents a different type of challenge, a different type of affirmation — or rejection. Within in the first 12 hours of taking $100 reservations for the new truck, Ford had more than 20,000 online refundable deposits, Farley told CNBC Thursday.

        “It’s a mainstream segment. It’s the highest scale we have of any vehicle globally,” he said, referencing that its gas- and diesel-powered siblings have been the top selling vehicles in the U.S. for more than four decades.

        Price plus performance equals commitment

        This isn’t just some flier the company is taking for the sake of its image or to curry political favor — President Joe Biden’s ringing endorsement of the truck Tuesday afternoon aside — but a serious attempt to produce a profitable, viable EV that the public can afford.

        “You saw the price, right?” Farley said. “We’re going to launch at less than $40,000. We want to give the customer … a chance to try this new technology.”

        2022 Lightning front at debut
        Farley said the Lightning is a “test for the adoption of electric vehicles.”

        Farley said it was important to see how the truck does as a predictor for future acceptance of more electric vehicles. He noted the Mach-E was sold out, and the company was pleased with that result, but the F-150 Lightning represents a different scenario. 

        He declined to make the leap that because it was the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. market that the electrified model would then become the best-selling EV as well.

        “I think the customers will decide that,” he said. “All I will say is that we should all watch very carefully how this does in the market. Because to me, as we’re talking about 2026, 2030 emissions requirements, this would be a great test for the majority of customers.” 

        Lightning offers advantages over ICE-powered siblings

        Farley made the case that the Lightning offers advantages it’s combustion-powered siblings can’t match, starting with the price. Once the $7,500 tax credit and any other state and local credits are added in, there’s a significant chance that the Lightning will be the less expensive option.

        Its overall capability raises its value as well, he noted, including being able to use it to power tools and appliances on job sites, camp sites or game-day tailgates make it a versatile tool. However, there’s still one overpowering selling point for the truck.

        2022 Lightning rear at debut
        The F-150 Lightning comes with a sub-$40K price tag before federal tax credits.

        “When you stomp on that accelerator,” he said, “and when you drive with the independent rear suspension, the standard four-wheel drive, the battery’s low (position under the floorboard), the zero to 60 in four seconds, I mean that’s going to put a smile on everyone’s face.”

        Outlook in chips hasn’t changed

        Farley also offered an update on the status of semiconductor production and its impact on the automaker, saying the situation “was playing out the way we said in our first-quarter earnings. This is going to be our worst quarter.”

        He noted that Renesas, the Japanese chip maker that was shut down for nearly two months due to a fire in its facility, was back up and running. He noted while the chip maker wasn’t at full capacity yet, it was on “the glide path” to that goal.

        “We won’t know until the end of this quarter where they stand,” he said. “So I would say we continue to be smarter and smarter about the engineering module. That’s going well, but it only takes one module to stop the build of the vehicle, so you know, it’s difficult. Now we’re reaching the stage where many of our dealers are running out of product. It’s a different reality now.”

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        EPA Releases Alfa Romeo Tonale Ratings

        Today
        2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison - racing in sand

        First Look: 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison

        Today
        Tesla game on video screen

        NHTSA End its Tesla Gaming Inquiry Without a Recall

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: