Ford F-150 Lightning electrical truck reservations surpass 160,000 – TechCrunch

Ford Motor Firm confirmed that reservations for the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck have surpassed 160,000, lower than six months after its debut.

The U.S. automaker has been accepting $100 refundable reservations for the automobile since its unveiling. Ford has seen a excessive stage of client curiosity, bagging 20,000 reservations on the primary day, 44,000 by the tip of the second day and 120,000 by the tip of June.

In a second-quarter earnings name in June, CEO Jim Farley stated that just about 75% of these prospects have been new to Ford.

He added that round 40% of individuals have been planning on buying and selling in an inner combustion engine truck, which “it signifies a transfer slightly bit quicker to full-size truck [battery electric vehicles] than perhaps our optimistic assumptions,” he stated.

In response to the reservation figures, the automaker stated it will earmark a further $250 million and bolster its workforce by 450 to extend the annual manufacturing capability of the Lightning. The vehicles will go on sale to prospects in spring 2022.

The Lightning, which will probably be out there in 4 trims, is a vital a part of the automaker’s technique to transition a larger portion of its fleet to electrical. Ford is becoming a member of newer entrants like Rivian — which rolled its first R1T truck off the manufacturing line in September — in taking purpose on the pickup truck section. The F-150 is the best-selling truck in America. Ford reported it had bought 787,422 F-series vehicles in 2020.

The bottom model of the Lightning will begin at $39,974, whereas the midseries XLT mannequin will begin at $52,974, each excluding taxes.