Ford Just Announced a New F-150 Lightning, and It’s Going to Be a Hybrid

Power is still entirely electric, however. The engine will have no physical connection to the wheels, so power delivery will be entirely dependent on the electric motors. (We fully expect a two-motor powertrain, one on each axle, for all-wheel drive.) It functions a lot like a plug-in hybrid because the battery gets power from both a gas engine and an EV charger. 

Ford pledges that the next F-150 Lightning will have more than 700 miles of range before both the battery runs out of juice and the gas tank runs dry. Some compromises obviously come with packaging an engine, a battery, and electric motors into the same car. Buyers won’t get a big frunk anymore, and the battery will likely be smaller. 

That said, truck buyers who aren’t used to a big front trunk likely won’t miss it. It’s also a trade-off most will be happy to make in order to ensure their pickup can still reliably tow without decimating its total range figure. Plus, the new Lightning will still be made in the U.S. and will still be able to power heavy-duty accessories (like appliances in the event of a power outage), just like the current F-150 hybrid and Lightning models can.