F-150 Lightning Event

I was invited to the Ford F-150 Lightning event here in Denver, CO. I got to ride along in the new Lightning and get an up close and personal look. They also had an E-Transit on site as well.

Test Ride

Let’s start with the most exciting part. After registration, I walked straight over to the test ride tent. Unfortunately, I was prohibited from recording anything inside the vehicle during the test ride. Here’s the video of the others taking a test ride:

Test Ride Prototypes

I was also able to get some pictures of the 3 prototype trucks they were using for the test rides. The three trucks being used were:

• Silver Pro
• Antimatter Blue Pro
• Red XLT

Lariat Prototype

My next stop after the test ride was the Lariat prototype display.

Exterior Shots

Driver’s side door with the charge port.

Here’s the charge port open.

The Mega Power Frunk with some gear inside. Later in the day a family loaded up 3 kids in here and partially closed the hood. The Ford representative onsite pointed out the glow in the dark open button on the inside just in case you get locked in.

The rubber, non-slip mat came loose from the adhesive during the event.

Here are the plugs inside the truck. They are powering a light and fan.

Found the washer fluid fill cap.

Here we can see some small amber lights next to the headlight.

I noticed the small impression of the roof poking out over some of the windshield.

Here’s the front bumper.

The Lightning badge with some powered accessories for tailgating.

The rear brake light doesn’t have a separate amber indicator. The Ford representative didn’t have any information on whether or not this was final.

This trim seems to include the tailgate bed step common to other gas F-150 trucks.

Here’s a view of the bed behind the TV.

And a close up of the wheel on the Lariat trim.

Frunk Details

Here are some closer shots of some labels inside the Mega Power Frunk.

Seems to indicate some kind of coolant under this plastic cover.

If you peel it back, you’ll see this reservoir with lime green liquid.

Some more icons on the plastic cover around the Frunk. I also spied an indicator for traditional battery terminals on the left side, presumably for jumping in the case of a dead battery.

Powered Accessories

They had a TV in the bed of the truck powered by the Lightning displaying various run times for various use cases.

They had the TV plugged into the side of the bed, as well as a larger circuit attached to a power stand. All the various power tools and tailgating equipment was plugged into this larger circuit.

A cooler, popcorn machine, slow cooker, and electric grill all setup and ready to go.

I think it’s pretty funny the prototype still has the emissions warning from the Powerboost.

Behind the Wheels

I tried to get shots from behind the wheels as well.

Interior Shots

I was also able to get some interior shots as well.

Frame

Adjacent to the Lariat prototype, there was a F-150 Lightning frame that showed off some of its features.

The rear motor is under this sign.

The new independent rear suspension.

Here you can see footprints from someone getting up on the frame to show it’s strength.

The frame might be Ford Tough, but the adhesive on the sign was not.

Here’s a close up of the bolts holding the battery together.

Signs

There were various signs spread all around the event with various information. I don’t expect any of this to be different from the publicly available information, but I’m including them just in case.

Powerboost

I thought it was funny they had a F-150 Platinum Powerboost powering the trailer between the displays.

E-Transit

Finally, I also got pictures of the E-Transit.

Lots of cargo room. Probably ideal for a camper van conversion if it had more range.

This has a similar setup to the generator system on the Lightning and Powerboost.

The driver’s seat was comfortable and gave good visibility.

I was surprised to see this massive screen in the E-Transit.

I think the blue accents on the grill look really good.

If they rearranged things inside the hood, I bet they could include a small storage area. Would be a great spot for a charging cable and adapters.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed the event and I got to have lots of great discussions with the team from Ford, as well as other event attendees. It seems this truck is attracting EV enthusiasts like myself, but also people who’ve never owned an electric vehicle before.

I’m excited for the truck to come out, and more excited to learn more about the various trim level’s pricing when that’s available.

Also, Ford could have made a killing if they’d sold hats, shirts, or other swag at the event. Pro-tip for the future Ford.