SAN ANTONIO — Ford Motor’sNew F-150 Lightning pickup trucks are electric. It may be obvious that it is a pickup truck, with electric motors and an electrical battery pack. But it must be stated.

Why? Ford’s success with a battery-powered pickup is a key step in the EV transformation.

Although industry leader TeslaIt has been proven that electric cars will be purchased by consumers. Rivian AutomotiveThe F-150 has demonstrated that there is demand for electric lifestyle cars. It’s the biggest test yet to see if EVs are able to move beyond niche trucks and compliance vehicles to become mainstream vehicles.

Although the market for electric pickups is not yet established, it will be an important area to invest in over the coming years. Edmunds, an auto intelligence company, estimates that trucks account for 20% to 20% of all vehicles sold in America.

LMC Automotive predicts that the U.S. market for electric pickups will grow from approximately 25,000 vehicles in this year’s market to around 1 million by 2030. The market will have five models of electric pickups this year. Over the next decade, it’s projected to grow to 21.

Ford’s F-150 Lightning, a traditional pickup truck, is the first one to get electric. It isn’t a GMC Hummer E-V. “supertruck.”It is not a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s not an Rivian R1T “adventure car.” It is a pickup truck that has been electrified.

The benefits of the F-150 Lightning are similar to the Hummer EV and Rivian R1T, but these electric pickups — the only ones being sold currently in the U.S. — are not created equal. They drive different and appeal to different buyers, once they are sold beyond early adopters.

Function and form are both true to F-150’s F-150, with the Lightning serving as a bridge between traditional pickups people love and an electric vehicle. It is a beautiful vehicle. shares many of its design and partsWith its older sibling, there are some design tweaks as well as a 15.5-inch optional control screen.

You can also expect it to be priced as a pickup truck, with prices starting at $40,000 and going up to $90,000. It’s comparable to Ford’s current large-four-door pickup lineup and is in line to the $61,000 average for a full-size pickup pickup according to Cox Automotive.

Ford had the unique opportunity to create an affordable electric pickup that was accessible to all customers. The F-Series, F-150 and F-Series models have been the best-selling. best-selling vehicle in AmericaThe top truck is good for up to 40 years, and for as long as 45 years.

It was a company’s goal to create an electric F-150 pickup truck. It can be used as a truck. But electrification has additional advantages, such as instant torque, greater storage and increased efficiency. massive front trunk, or “frunk,” where an engine would traditionally be — and it removes the burden of having to fill up on gas.

Lightning handles like an F-150. That’s not bad. Ford and other carmakers are making pickups more comfortable and capable of moving smoothly both on- and off-road.

A large battery gives the vehicle a more stable ride. It also provides balance and a close 50/50 weight. EVs are also easier to tow than traditional vehicles, as they don’t need to change the transmission, which is especially important when hauling cargo.

While the Lightning is capable of scaling hills or even a little rough terrain, it doesn’t match up to the Hummer or R1T in that regard — but that’s by design. The truck is intended for the mainstream market, and not niche buyers. Ford might offer something similar in the future, but not this truck.

F-150 Lightning can produce up to 580 horsepower, and 775 foot-pounds torque. The top-end, 131-kWh model starts at $72,500. It can go up to 320 miles per one charge. Its towing capacity is up to 10,000 pounds —between that of the Hummer and R1T. The vehicle’s towing capacity is up to 10,000 pounds, which is comparable with the Hummer and R1T. However, it costs less but offers lower performance.

The Lightning has the unique advantage of being able to generate on-board electricity, which is something that sets it apart from the R1T and Hummer. Ford fitted the vehicle, with outlets and a bidirectional charger system. The charging system can be used to power either a residence or office for up 10 days in case of an energy outage.

Ford shipped the F-150 Lightning to select fleet buyers earlier this month. more than 200,000 reservation holders. It hasn’t yet announced the date it will open its order bank. However, it expects to boost production to 150,000 units by mid-2023.

The Rivian R1TThere is a slight advantage for electric pickups, with production starting last fall and slowly ramping up. Both performance and off-roading are possible with the R1T. It can go from 0-60 mph in three seconds, much like a sports car. However, it is capable of scaling large hills or rocks like a Jeep SUV.

With vegan leather and real wooden exterior stylings, it is more Tesla-like in style than its off-road counterpart. It’s also a much smaller vehicle — about 16 inches shorter, in fact — than the F-150 Lightning, making it more comparable to a Ford Ranger or Jeep Gladiator.

It speaks to the way Rivian describes its products, which it calls “adventure cars.” Rivian has been using this description of its SUVs for many years. It makes Rivian seem more dangerous to the customers. StellantisThe F-150 is a SUV brand.

Rivian CEO RJ Fearinge says that for now the pickups are “pretty much different.” The cross-shopping rates between the Rivian R1T (Hummer), and F-150 are very low, he stated.

Edmunds has found that shoppers who are looking at R1T often compare the Ford Mustang Mach-E Crossover and other EVs to be more popular than buyers of pickups.

Scaringe however, has hinted at plans to have a complete Rivian vehicle lineup, which could theoretically include a bigger truck.

Prices for the R1T start at $67500-$85,000 Current vehicles can go 314 miles with one single charge of a 128.9-kWh, “large” battery. Four motors combined to create 835 horsepower and 908 foot-pounds torque in performance versions. The vehicle can tow up to 11,000 pounds — an important metric for many pickup owners.

It doesn’t guzzle gas but drains a lot of energy. According to reports, the electric Hummer has 47 MPGe which is equivalent to a range of miles per gallon. Compare this to 70 MPGe for both the R1T and F-150 Lightning. But it is Hummer so you can’t really expect anything.

The Hummer is also a more capable off-road vehicle than the two other pickups. This helps to explain why it has a lower fuel efficiency and a weight of over 9,000 pounds.

It can climb rock walls with ease. The Hummer also provides exceptional highway driving and smooth off-road experiences. GM’s Super Cruise system. You can also remove the roof panels and fit them into your vehicle’s trunk.

GM poured all it could into Hummer off-road parts and performance parts. The Hummer’s starting price of $110,000 is testament to this, well ahead of the lower-priced versions expected in years ahead, which could be as low at $79 995.

Although it’s heavy, the top-of-the-line Hummer can hit 0-60 MPH in three seconds. its “Watts to Freedom,” or “WTF” mode. The motor can produce up to 1,200 feet-pounds and 1,000 horsepower. With a 213-kWh pack of battery (of which 205 can be used, GM states), it has a range of 329 miles on a single recharge. The lowest-lifting of all three electric pickups, it can haul 7,500 pounds.

Edmunds says that the Hummer’s electric motor can be used to cross-shop with its more rugged counterparts, unlike the Rivian pickup. For buyers interested in purchasing the Hummer, they should look at the R1T or the Lightning more than any other model.

The crossover is still about 9% for truck hunters.