There are a ton of new electric vehicles in the pipeline. Even if the United States is slower to adopt electrification than the rest of the world, the benefits of going electric are becoming clearer and clearer to more people. But up until now, most of what we’ve seen have been smaller segment products.
Yes, you could argue that the VW ID.4 sits squarely in the most competitive segment of automotive. But VW isn’t the big volume seller in the United States, unfortunately, and the company is unlikely to significantly move the needle.
The same applies for the premium and luxury brands. Yes, the Mercedes-Benz EQS is going to be otherworldly in regards to tech and experience, it’s not a volume seller.
In the United States, the Holy Grail of volume is pickup trucks. Yes, GMC has a Hummer EV coming, but the first edition to hit the streets is over $100,000. There’s a Silverado EV in the works, but we don’t know a launch date. There’s the Cybertruck that is racing the fiery death of the universe to launch. Then there’s Rivian, which is another premium brand.
Per a source, @Ford’s projecting this on its Dearborn HQ ahead of the #F150Lightning reveal Wednesday night: pic.twitter.com/prNs58aynP
— Michael Martinez (@MikeMartinez_AN) May 16, 2021
This week that’s all about to change, at least in my opinion. This upcoming week, on the 19th at 9:30 p.m. EDT, Ford is officially showing off the F-150 Lightning. The Lightning is Ford‘s electric pickup truck.
This is a pretty substantial product for the Blue Oval. If they get everything right, they’ll move the needle on electrification, get people excited, promote fleet buying, and indirectly help in the deployment of more infrastructure.
If they cock it up, they run the risk of setting the entire idea of an electrified pickup truck back for the entire industry.
So to say it’s significant would be an understatement.
We’ve seen the truck here, and we’re sworn to secrecy until the reveal. The truth is, though, what you think of the truck will be more important than what I do. Will you be watching?
