What Can You Expect from the 2023 Ford Lightning in Sellersburg, IN?
We all know that America’s best-selling pickup truck has been the F-150 for quite some time. Well, it’s about to become available as an electric vehicle (EV) if you haven’t heard. The all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning had its reveal in 2021 and will soon show up in dealer’s lots and showrooms as a 2022 model. So, for the 2023 Ford Lightning in Sellersburg, IN, we don’t expect many changes besides some new colors or a few new features.
A growing number of electric pickups are in the works and will be on the market in the next few years. Rather than target die-hard off-roaders and premium buyers, like some other truck makers are doing, Ford is getting the game started with a traditional-looking truck that just happens to be battery-powered. It’s also the first electric pickup truck from the big three Detroit automakers. And with a surprisingly affordable price, the company is expected to have the upper hand when it comes to selling, but it’s too soon to be sure.
Performance from the 2023 Ford Lightning in Sellersburg, IN
The Lightning should deliver 563 horsepower with the extended-range battery, and 775 lb-ft of torque is expected for both the extended-range battery and the standard one. Those numbers give it more power than the F-150 Raptor and the most-ever torque for any F-150! It’s even more potent than the 6.2- and 7.3-liter V8 engines in the Ford Super Duty. As for the 0–60 timing, the company says we can expect the 2023 Ford Lightning in Sellersburg, IN to do it in around 4 seconds! However, consider that these numbers represent the extended-range battery Lightning. The model with the standard-range battery pack is slated for 426 hp and will take a little more time to reach 60 mph.
Will it be as Good as the Gas-Powered Lightning F-150?
If you, by chance, are one of the many drivers worried about how the all-electric Lightning will stand up to real-world roads and weather, the engineers at Ford did some testing on a fleet of pre-production pickups along an eight-mile section of I-70 in Colorado. This strip of highway is called the Ike Gauntlet and has a 7% grade while ascending to more than 11,000 feet above sea level.
Those signs along the interstate highways that warn of runaway trucks allude to this type of steepness. Automakers usually refer to it as the world’s harshest test for towing.
The Lightning’s off-road and towing capabilities in extreme temperatures were also tested to reassure loyal F-150 customers and new buyers that they can rely on the 2023 Ford Lightning in any situation. It’s called “torture testing,” and it strives to make all trucks more rugged by putting them through intense conditions to withstand severe abuse.
Just How Tough is It?
According to Ford, the test began in Boulder, Colorado, and ended in San Francisco. While engineers investigated the Lightning’s 10,000-lb towing capacity, outside temperatures dropped to negative 2 degrees, and two inches of snow was on the ground.
On the flip side, during the summer of 2021, Ford testers brought the Lightning to Arizona to tow across Davis Dam, between Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam. Driving 11.4 miles in desert temperatures reaching 118 degrees, the Lightning climbed from 550 feet to an elevation of 3,500 feet!
Experts at Ford say five days of testing is the same as ten years or 150,000 miles of usage. This is a regular occurrence in the truck industry and is crucial for sales.
What will it take if this isn’t enough to convince you that the 2023 Ford Lightning in Sellersburg, IN is enough to do any job you throw at it?
Ask Us
Come over to Jim O’Neal Ford at 516 S. Indiana Avenue in Sellersburg, IN to learn more about the 2023 Ford Lightning and see what other new models will be coming.
