Ford last week discussed the battery capacity for its F-150 Lightning pickup as part of a livestream held for “key stakeholders.” And then following that, it made some numbers for the Lightning’s two available packs official for the first time. 

They are, as mentioned in the presentation, 98 kwh for the standard-range versions and 131 kwh for the extended-range versions, the company confirmed to Green Car Reports. 

A presentation transcript posted at F150Gen14.com, a forum site dedicated to the current 14th-generation version of Ford’s perennial best-seller, added another detail. Versions with the standard-range pack will have an EPA-estimated range of 230 miles, while the extended-range pack’s 300 miles will apply to Pro, XLT, and Lariat versions. Top Platinum versions, which will likely weigh more, may get a separate rating of 280 miles, but Ford didn’t confirm that.

While these are all projections and subject to change when actual EPA ratings are finalized, it gives us a few more insights about efficiency.

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning

Most notably, Ford expects to get quite good efficiency out of the Lightning, which is a half-size larger than the R1T. That amounts to about 2.3 miles per kwh, based on rated range, for either version of the Lightning—versus about 2.4 mi/kwh for the R1T and its 314-mile range, assuming it leaves about 130 kwh as usable (its 135 kwh is a gross figure, it’s confirmed).

In either case, it’s quite a bit better than the mammoth Hummer EV, which goes 329 miles, according to GM, on about 200 kwh of usable range—about 1.6 mi/kwh.

Ford has said that on a 150-kwh DC fast-charger, the Lightning will go from 15% to 80% in 41 minutes with its extended-range battery, or 44 minutes with the standard-range battery. On an 80-amp Level 2 charger with the larger battery pack, it will be able to recover up to 30 miles per hour. 

Ford vehicle-to-vehicle charging

Ford vehicle-to-vehicle charging

The Lightning will also be one of the first U.S.-market vehicles to offer vehicle-to-vehicle charging (shown above with the F-150 Hybrid), as part of bi-directional capability built into the truck. That will be used to effectively make the Lightning a giant mobile power bank for a solar-focused home energy ecosystem Ford plans to sell soon. 

Ford has said that its order banks for the F-150 Lightning will be opening in January—so we’ll have many more details to report on in just a few more weeks.