Ford unveils its first all-electric pickup truck
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Dearborn
FORD officially unveiled the all-electric version of its bestselling F-150 truck on Wednesday, in an eco-friendly reinvention of a flagship American car brand.
The battery-powered Ford F-150 "Lightning" is part of a US$22 billion campaign by the US auto giant to ramp up its electric vehicle offerings by 2025.
Ford is already selling an all-electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E sport utility vehicle, but the Lightning will be the first battery-powered incarnation of the F-150.
The F-150, first launched by Ford in 1948, has long been the top-selling US vehicle and a showcase brand for the 118-year-old firm.
Bill Ford, the great-grandson of the car giant's founder and current chairman of its board of directors, hailed a "pivotal moment" in the company's history.
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The F-150 Lightning is the "smartest, cleanest" model in the lineup, he said. "And it's pretty powerful." In the event of a power cut, the vehicle will be able to supply electricity to a house for about three days, Ford has said. And for professionals using the truck on construction sites for example, the vehicle's electrical outlets can serve as a source of energy for the tools.
Ford avoided releasing details about the car ahead of the official launch at 9:30 pm Wednesday local time.
But President Joe Biden revealed on Tuesday that the Lightning can hit 0-60 mph in about 4.4 seconds, during a visit to Ford's Michigan operation to build support for a US$2 trillion infrastructure plan, which includes US$174 billion for electric vehicle development.
"This sucker's quick," Mr Biden said on Tuesday afternoon following a spin in the pickup at the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, describing the new technology as critical in the fight to save the planet from global warming.
Production of the new F-150 electric model will begin in Dearborn by spring 2022.
It will face stiff competition: start-up Rivian plans to start selling its R1T electric pickup this summer, while General Motors aims to sell its own version, the GMC Hummer EV, from this fall. AFP
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