DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. on Monday confirmed its upcoming battery-electric pickup will be called the F-150 Lightning, and it will be unveiled at its world headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., on May 19.
The automaker said the reveal will be broadcast live across Ford’s social media channels and will be shown in New York’s Times Square and on the Las Vegas Boulevard. In all, the company says there will be more than 30 ways to watch either physically or digitally.
“Every so often, a new vehicle comes along that disrupts the status quo and changes the game … Model T, Mustang, Prius, Model 3. Now comes the F-150 Lightning,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “America’s favorite vehicle for nearly half a century is going digital and fully electric. F-150 Lightning can power your home during an outage; it’s even quicker than the original F-150 Lightning performance truck; and it will constantly improve through over-the-air updates.”
Ford previously used the Lightning name on two generations of V-8-powered F-150 performance variants. The first was sold from 1993 until 1995, while the second was sold from 1999 until 2004.
The performance-oriented name squares up with the electric pickup’s stated purpose. Executives have positioned it as a workhorse with new capabilities that can be used on job sites.
Car and Driver first reported last month that Ford would use the badge on its EV pickup. Ford last registered for the Lightning name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2018.