2027 Ford Lightning: Ford is working on electric cars in Long Beach, California, a city the corporation used to live in but has since left. This is where the company’s electric vehicle research efforts are taking shape. Ford’s new Electric Vehicle Development Center (EVDC) will be home to a hitherto secretive skunkworks team directed by Alan Clarke, the former head of engineering at Tesla who joined Ford three years ago.
The EVDC will also be home to hangars that will power the future of commercial air travel and spaceflight. The team is now working on a platform that will support a number of future Ford electric cars, such as a midsize electric pickup truck that is inexpensive and a small SUV that will come out in 2027.
The work being done in the Long Beach facility, which we visited, is meant to change a lot of the company’s old car-making methods.
Clarke’s team of 350 engineers, designers, and other technical staff are working closely with outposts in Palo Alto, California, and Dearborn as they guide Ford’s first second-generation EV, which Ford just confirmed will be a mid-size pickup, to production. This is instead of methodically moving a vehicle from concept to production through various design, aerodynamics, packaging, and engineering teams (and often back again when problems arise).
The team is set up like Clarke’s team at Tesla, with aerodynamicists working with designers, enclosure engineers working with chassis engineers, and body engineers working with powertrain engineers. Clarke informed us that the team’s purpose is not only to question what they think they know and what they can do, but also to comprehend each other’s problems and feel for them.
Other benefits are harder to get, but they are still very essential. “Sometimes [an advantage] can be, ‘Hey, your part does the same thing as mine. This might be one of those parts.
“So, when you start celebrating two people who can eliminate their work by eliminating their component, then they can both work on that component and double the quality, the product becomes cheaper, and the customer doesn’t notice,” Clarke added.
Ford executive Jim Farley gave the EVDC team some big goals: design a low-cost, modular EV platform that starts at $25,000, competes with Chinese EV manufactures and Tesla around the world, and makes money within a year. This is very essential.
Clarke seems sure that Ford’s EV experience, manufacturing skills, and new flexibility will help Ford’s new affordable EV do well in Long Beach, even though there are rumors of a new Chevrolet Bolt, a stripped-down Tesla, a $27,000 Slate pickup, and cheap Chinese cars. “I don’t think being first is going to win here.
I think that the key is to put money into the proper technology, like the right battery technology, the right powertrain technology, the right power electronics technology, and the right software. “You can’t just do one thing.”
With Ford ready to make a big electric car announcement next week that it’s calling its “next Model T moment,” we may not have to wait long to get a glimpse of the new 2027 electric pickup truck, made in Long Beach.
2027 Next-Generation Ford Lightning
Last April, The Blue Oval said that the next-generation Ford F-150 EV, which would probably still be called the Ford F-150 Lightning, would not be made until 2026 instead of 2025 at the company’s BlueOval City Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center, which is still being built.
At the time, the car company said that the change was made because of changing consumer demand. This meant that they thought their resources were better spent on making more hybrids because sales in that segment were rising. The next-generation Ford F-150 EV has been pushed back again.
FoMoCo said today that the next-generation Ford F-150 EV, dubbed Project T3, will not be made until the second half of 2027. This is the second time this has happened. The car company said it is using all the feedback it got from F-150 Lightning customers to make a better product in that area. The list of “features and experiences never before seen on any Ford truck” includes bidirectional charging capabilities and advanced aerodynamics.
The manufacturer is also taking advantage of lowering battery prices as the market continues to evolve by creating its own low-cost EV platform, which should help the next-generation Ford F-150 EV.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has also given us some clues about what we may expect from the forthcoming F-150 EV. He said that the automobile will look like a “Millennium Falcon with a porch,” which is a reference to the famous Star Wars spaceship.
Farley also said that the next-generation F-150 EV would be a better choice than the Tesla Cybertruck, calling it “one of the most thrilling vehicles I’ve ever seen in my career.”
“Its performance is amazing, unlike anything else, and it has features that are completely new for truck customers, like a super-flexible cabin that feels like a lounge or a small office.”
2027 Ford Lightning T3
Ford Model e, a division of Ford, is making a new electric vehicle for the US market. The F-150 Lightning went on sale in May 2022. We know a lot about this next-generation electric truck, which is codenamed “Ford Project T3.”
Ford CEO Jim Farley Jr. revealed during the F-150 Lightning Start of Production (SOP) announcement event on April 26, 2022, that the new Ford electric truck is not the next-generation F-150 Lightning, as was previously thought. Here is what he said:
We won’t stop with this great truck, the F-150 Lightning. By the end of next year, we will be making 600,000 electric cars every year. We wish we could take you all there, but we’ve already started building a different electric pickup truck in BlueOval City, Tennessee. It’s called the F-150 Lightning. In four years, we’ll be ready for 2 million electric cars.
Farley Jr. later chose not to make the Ford F-250 or F-350 Lightning because the Super Duty trucks needed a lot of weight and battery power. We think that the electric vehicle made in Tennessee will be smaller than the F-150 Lightning because of this information.
During the Q3 2023 earnings call on October 26, 2023, Farley Jr. said that the “all-new second-generation full-size pickup truck” was one of the coolest cars he had ever seen. He stated that the next-generation full-size pickup truck will have great performance, new features that people wouldn’t expect, and a “super-flexible cabin” that could be utilized as a tiny office or a lounge.
Farley Jr. even said he would pick it over the Tesla Cybertruck any day. This shows that the automobile would be just as good as a pleasant family car, an adventure-filled recreational vehicle, and a tough workhorse.
- Being smaller than the F-150 Lightning and built on a different platform
- The BlueOval Electric Vehicle Center in Stanton, Tennessee, will start building it in 2028.
- When it comes out at US dealers, it should cost roughly $50,000.
- Said to have an EPA-estimated range of more than 400 miles
The next generation of 2027 Ford Lightning
Ford filed a trademark application for the “F-200” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on August 28, 2023. This news led the media to guess that the “Ford F-200 Lightning” was their new electric pickup truck.
We are sure that Ford will keep the Lightning brand for its Project T3 pickup vehicle, no matter what name they choose in the end. In its earnings call for the third quarter of 2023, Farley Jr. called the next model the next-generation Lightning:
Our items are not the same because they are made for different types of customers. But they are in the same group. We know a lot about how they use their products, but the new ideas will be aimed at different things. I think the F-150 is the best example of a Ford.
Because we have an internal combustion engine (ICE) that is world-class. We have a hybrid that will probably be 20% mixed. Next, we have the Lightning and the next-generation Lightning that we’re working on right now.
2027 Ford Lightning Design and Features
The Ford T3 will look like something from the future, although not as crazy as the Cybertruck. It will have a slimmer shape and better features for reducing drag, making it sleeker and more aerodynamic than the F-150 Lightning. It will have a split cab, which is something that most electric pickup trucks have.
The teaser (below) suggests that the Ford T3 will have a sharper windshield. This will let the air flow more smoothly over the body, which will use less energy and, as a result, increase the range. Because there is less aerodynamic drag, there is also less vibration and wind noise, which makes the ride smoother for the driver and passengers.
Ford filed a patent for a crossbar-mounted lifting device (via f150lightningforum.com) and showed off a futuristic pickup truck that is probably a variation of the T3 concept.
The Ford T3 in our drawings has a very distinct look from today’s Ford pickups, mostly because of its shape and size. Ford pickups usually don’t have a forward-cab arrangement, steeply sloping A-pillars, or a low bonnet. But this clay model also shows that Ford is looking at this idea for future pickups.
The Ford T3 pickup truck might not look anything like the F-150 Lightning or any other Ford pickup truck. The daytime running lights that go from one end of the covered top front fascia to the other make the EV look wider.
There are distinct portions underneath where the low and high beam headlights can be placed. These sections may also be mostly hidden. The front fascia can be much deeper than typical, going almost to the floor. It may also have a glove box that slides out from underneath. The electric truck looks broad and muscular because of its big wheel arches.
Aero that can be used on 2027 Ford Lightning
At the 2022 F-150 Lightning SOP event, Farley Jr. told Laycee Schmidtke of the Miss GoElectric YouTube channel that the Ford T3 electric truck will have a very radical design and be equipped with aerodynamic technology.
Believe me when I say that this vehicle will be unlike any other truck you’ve ever seen or driven. It will be quick, silent, and smooth like Tennessee whiskey.
A Lot of Digital
Farley Jr. said at the announcement that Ford’s next-generation electric vehicle will be a totally digital model. He said that the Ford T3 will be able to get software updates. The company has promised towing capability, power transfer, and other new features for this second electric vehicle, in addition to frequent software updates.
We’ll send software to your truck every week, month, and year to make it better, starting from home. Your vehicle will be comfortable on the job site, able to tow and haul, and it will also be able to carry a lot more than it can now. Your truck will have an endless number of new features that will make it easier and faster to get the job done.
2027 Ford Lightning Self-driving
The Ford T3 will let cars drive themselves on hundreds of thousands of roadways in the US and Canada that are suitable. The F-150 Lightning can currently do this over more than 130,000 miles of split roads in North America, and future models will probably be able to do even more.
We want this truck to be able to take your eyes off the road on a sunny day on the highway. You know how to drive safely, so you can get more work done and get time back every day when you acquire this truck.
More efficient of 2027 Ford Lightning
Farley Jr. also told Schmidtke that Ford’s T3 electric vehicle will have a range difference of 100 miles. The F-150 Lightning has an EPA-estimated range of up to 320 miles. This means that the next-generation electric vehicle might have an EPA-estimated maximum range of about 420 miles.
At Bernstein’s 38th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, Farley Jr. talked more about Ford’s intentions to make its second-generation electric cars work better. He talked about how changes to the car’s braking system and aerodynamics could help:
Every watt and every ampere is important. A full-size vehicle, but one that is made to be more aerodynamic, like a Lightning, which has a range of 75 miles. The battery costs $3,000. Aerodynamics and other braking devices that cost more but work better for recovery, as well as redesigning the car to make the battery smaller because it’s so expensive, would change the game for those cars.
2027 Ford Lightning Platform
Farley Jr. told Automotive News in December 2021 that Ford would construct vehicles that aren’t presently available on a new full-size truck platform at BlueOval City. At Bernstein’s 38th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on June 1, 2022, Farley Jr. told Bernstein Senior Analyst Toni Sacconaghi that Ford is in the last phases of building its advanced electrified architecture.
Farley told Tom Moloughney of the State of Charge YouTube channel in April 2023 that Ford has finished designing its second electric vehicle platform. He said that the corporation is following in the footsteps of Tesla and Apple by bringing as much development as possible in-house.
Instead of hiring other companies to do the task, they will construct the T3’s electrical architecture and all of its software controls. Farley ended by saying that the T3 will be a vehicle that can be fully upgraded with software. He stressed that buyers will be able to update more than just the electronics within the car.
Ford is working on two platforms that will only be used for electric vehicles, even though the F-150 Lightning uses a modified version of a gas-powered truck chassis. The smaller “GE2” platform will support automobiles and crossovers, while the “TE1” platform for trucks will support the Ford T3 electric vehicle.
2027 Ford Lightning Battery for Ford IonBoost+
At Capital Markets Day 2021 on May 26, 2021, Farley Jr. revealed that Ford would make a “IonBoost” lithium-ion battery with specific pouch cells and chemistry. Ford’s own battery control system will be used in this battery, which is good for bigger cars like trucks and SUVs. Thai-Tang revealed at the same event that Ford’s next-generation battery technology will be called “IonBoost+.”
He went on to say that the business thinks IonBoost+ has the highest energy density of cells like it. Nickel makes up 88% of IonBoost’s NMC cathode composition. IonBoost and IonBoost+ are the same thing, however IonBoost+ is the official term.
Ford’s patented battery control system, which uses high-precision sensing technologies, along with this cell chemistry (IonBoost+), gives customers more range and efficiency. Our pouch cell design is one of a kind and works well for powering big vehicles and high-performance items.
Hau Thai-Tang, who used to be in charge of Ford’s industrial platforms, spoke at Capital Markets Day 2021 on May 26, 2021.
Ford will also make the IonBoost Pro battery, which will use lithium iron phosphate cells that are cheaper to make.
Improved charging
People think that the Ford T3 will be able to charge quickly using DC at far faster speeds than the F-150 Lightning. With a 98 kWh battery, the F-150 Lightning can manage up to 120 kW of direct power. With a 131 kWh battery, it can handle up to 155 kW. With a 150 kW+ DC fast charger, it takes roughly 32 minutes to charge from 15% to 80% (98 kWh battery) and 38 to 41 minutes to charge from 38% to 41% (131 kWh battery). Ford probably wants the T3 to charge quickly, maybe in less than 30 minutes.
2027 Ford Lightning Plug and Charge
The T3 will almost probably work with Plug & Charge. Customers won’t have to take out a credit card or smartphone to pay at charging stations that enable it, like Electrify America. The charging station will be able to talk to the EV and charge owners through their registered accounts, thus payment will happen automatically. As soon as customers plug the wire from the charging station into their EV, the charging session will start.
NACS
The T3 electric truck will also have a built-in North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector, which will let it charge at more than 15,000 Tesla Superchargers in the US. The most recent version of the Tesla Supercharger, the V4, can send up to 325 kW of direct current. Ford said on August 21, 2024, that the T3 electric truck would have better bidirectional charging capabilities, but they didn’t go into detail about what they would be.
2027 Ford Lightning Release Date and Production
The Ford T3 truck won’t be out until 2028, and the first prototype is set to be out in 2027. Ford first said that it would start making Project T3 at its BlueOval City car assembly factory in 2026. This plant would be able to make 500,000 electric trucks a year. In August 2025, a Ford spokeswoman said that mass production had been put back to 2028, but the plant was still on schedule to make the first prototype in 2027.
Doug Field, Chief Advanced Product Development and Technology Officer at Ford Model e, said during Ford’s annual capital markets event on May 22, 2023, that Project T3 will have fewer options than current Ford vehicles, but it will get better over time.
“Trust the truck” is what Project T3 stands for. You can trust this truck to work well and do well in the digital age. It can be used again and again. It will keep changing, learning quickly from the time it leaves the factory and its computer is still on and talking to the factory, and even years after it becomes a part of the customer’s life.
Verdict
Ford’s 2027 Lightning and Project T3 are the company’s first steps toward next-generation electric trucks. They combine cutting-edge battery technology, improved aerodynamics, and strong digital capabilities that change what a pickup can be. Ford is ready to take on competitors like Tesla with innovations that matter, such as longer range, faster charging, and unsurpassed adaptability. Get ahead with more powerful car news—check out our other articles and save this page as a bookmark so you never miss an update.
