Some vehicles change the automotive world by being radically different inside and out. Others change it by being different where it counts and familiar where it helps. With pickup trucks being the bestselling vehicles in America by a wide margin, converting them to EVs has the potential to make an outsized impact on everything from air quality to gas prices to global warming—but only if truck buyers want them.
The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is the first EV pickup to appeal directly to the existing truck market, doing its job so convincingly that it’s our 2023 Truck of the Year.
THE LIGHTNING CONNECTS THE FUTURE TO THE PRESENT LIKE NO OTHER PICKUP TRUCK.
While a whole cadre of first-time truck buyers will be drawn to the Rivians of the world, a much smaller segment of the traditional pickup truck market will be interested in making the switch. Beyond their differing expectations of what a truck should do and what it should be used for, there’s enormous brand loyalty among truck owners. Convincing those consumers to switch not only to an EV but also to an entirely new brand is a monumental task.
As much as vehicles like the Rivian R1T and GMC Hummer EV
