Ford Motor Company has announced the next generation of the F-150 Lightning pickup truck as an Extended Range Electric Vehicle, or EREV. The company is replacing the existing all-electric F-150 Lightning after the 2025 model year with this new configuration. The EREV designation refers to an electric truck that incorporates an onboard generator to increase total driving range.
The new F-150 Lightning EREV uses electric traction motors to power all four wheels. Electric motors produce torque instantly and provide acceleration typically associated with electric drivetrains. In addition to its battery pack and electric motors, the EREV incorporates a gasoline engine that functions as a generator to recharge the battery while driving. This setup adds fuel as a range extension source.
Ford and other news sources report that the EREV version is designed to increase total range beyond that of the purely battery-electric model. Current battery-electric F-150 Lightning trucks have EPA-estimated ranges between about 240 and 320 miles depending on battery capacity and trim. The inclusion of a generator device is intended to raise overall driving range significantly above those figures.
The conventional all-electric F-150 Lightning entered production in 2022 and has dual permanent magnet motors that deliver between about 452 and 580 horsepower depending on battery configuration. The battery-electric versions offer maximum EPA-estimated range figures up to about 320 miles with a larger battery pack.
The EREV configuration preserves the electric driving experience by relying on the electric motors for propulsion while using the onboard generator to recharge the battery during extended trips. The generator does not drive the wheels mechanically as engines do in traditional hybrids. Instead it provides electrical energy that feeds the battery system, which then powers the motors.
Ford will assemble the next-generation F-150 Lightning EREV at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, the same facility that built the previous battery-electric Lightning. The company has not published full technical specifications such as generator power output, total fuel efficiency figures, or payload and towing capacities specific to the EREV model.
