2022 has been the year of hybrids and all-electric vehicles. With so many different hybrid and electric options coming out, it’s been hard to keep them all straight. Honestly, they’re all kind of blending together a bit! However, there is one that has been sticking out from the pack quite a bit. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is one of the best all-electric trucks out on the market right now. Ford gave the Lightning some really cool features that we are super excited to share. These features really elevate the Lightning above all the rest and really make it worth the buy if you’re planning on going electric this year.
Intelligent Backup Power
We’ve never even heard of this as an option before, but Ford has enabled the 2022 Lightning to act as a charger for your house in the event of an unexpected power outage! Usually, you think of plugging into your home, and your house charges your vehicle, but you can plug into your home and use your truck to charge your house as well! This is a completely unexpected function of the Ford Lightning, and we think it’s really neat.
When the power is out, and you aren’t driving anywhere, it makes sense to transfer that energy back to the house as needed. Ford’s listed the amount of time the Lightning can power a whole house as three days or up to ten if you properly ration out your power usage. Hopefully, you would never need to use that feature for the whole ten days, but it’s good to know that an energy resource is available during an emergency situation.
The Front Trunk
The front trunk, lovingly called the frunk by many, of the 2022 Ford Lightning is 14.1 cubic feet of storage space. That means it can hold around 4 or 5 suitcases. This is a huge trunk to have sitting on the front of the vehicle, and we love that Ford didn’t cut into the cabin or bed of the truck to give drivers a covered cargo area. If you pair the frunk with the bed of the truck, the Ford Lightning can accommodate up to 66.9 cubic feet of cargo. That’s a lot of suitcases! Or it’s a couple of suitcases, some kayaking gear, and a tent for some awesome camping adventures. Whatever it is you’re trying to fit into the Lightning, it can hold it.
Pro Power Onboard
If you’re always hard at work and like having your power tools with you, then this Ford Lightning feature is for you. It is able to deliver up to 9.6 kilowatts of power through 11 different outlets. These outlets aren’t just for tools, though. They can run a mini fridge, a small air compressor, charge a tablet, and even power a microwave. That’s a lot of different jobs that just this one truck is capable of. The Pro Power Onboard option for this truck makes it easy to take your whole life with you on the road and keep it running.
Intelligent Range
Putting more computers into vehicles can be a risky business, but Ford has really perfected the art of it all with their intelligent range feature. This option allows the Ford Lightning to take note of driving habits, weather patterns, and other roadside features. The Lightning then takes this information and figures out how far you can go on a single charge. It even is able to factor in the weight of the vehicle and any payload or towing weights, and whether you’re driving up or down hills.
In fact, the Lightning is so efficient at figuring out the expected range that it will even begin to predict future considerations to battery use. This is an awesome feature to have. Let’s say, for example, you put point B into your navigation and have the Lightning set a course for it. It will consider the weather and terrain in between where you are at now and where point B is and determine how much of your battery is going to be used to get there. That’s some good information to know when you’re going on longer trips and are trying to decide whether or not you’re going to need to charge along the way.
SYNC 4
The SYNC 4 system is a great feature for drivers and passengers alike. The cloud-based technology allows drivers access to features such as navigation, voice recognition, weather service announcements, and traffic updates. All of these things you would typically need to check your phone for, your Lightning can do for you. This is great to have when you’re heading somewhere you’re not familiar with or if you’re planning a trip and need to have an idea of what the weather is going to be like along the way. This also allows you to utilize Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which means you can play car DJ while using your voice command to select songs. A bonus piece of tech that will help you stay connected to your vehicle is the FordPass app, which connects your vehicle to your phone so you can use the remote start and unlock/lock functions with ease.
Enhanced Zone Lighting
Have you ever gotten to a campsite late or run behind out on the trails, and it’s so dark you can hardly see to set up or pack up? Ford knows about this, and they are determined to end that experience one Lightning at a time. They’ve enabled the 2022 Lightning to have enhanced perimeter lighting to make it so you can see in the bed of the truck, under the truck, in front and behind the truck, and just about ten years into the future with the truck. Ok, maybe not ten years into the future, but you get the point. They’ve surrounded the Lightning with LED lights to provide illumination of every angle and area. This makes those late night pack ups or setups so much easier for everyone, and we appreciate Ford keeping us from banging our shins on the hitch.
Towing With Confidence
“Electric vehicles can’t tow!” If you’ve ever heard that, feel free to first let them know that they are wrong and then direct them to the Ford Lightning for proof that electric vehicles can tow. In fact, we are convinced that the Lightning is probably a better towing vehicle than most other trucks are. That’s because the Lightning is equipped with tons of standard and available features to make towing a breeze. From the backup assistance that the Lightning provides on its 15.5-inch screen to the smart hitch checklist, the Lighting is equipped to get you hooked up and hauling before most other trucks even have their hitches in place. The onboard scales are another cool aspect of the towing package that allows you to know exactly how much weight your truck is pulling.
A Truck That Lights the EV Way
Ford has really made an effort to make the 2022 Lightning stand out from the other hybrids and all-electric vehicles that came out this year. Even without all these neat features, the Lightning is a great truck with the ability to work as hard as a standard gasoline engine truck can. But with these features, the Lightning is shining a light on itself, making it stand out in front of some of the most popular trucks. We really love how much the Lightning can do, and we are excited to see what the future holds for this all-electric truck.
