2027 Ford Lightning: Ford Motor Co. has announced a delay in production of its next-generation, all-electric F-150, which is now scheduled for the second half of 2027. This marks the second delay for the next-generation Chevy Silverado EV rival, following the initial delay from 2025 to 2026 announced last April. According to Ford, the decision to delay the launch date was initially driven by changing consumer demand and the company’s current focus on increasing production of its hybrid models.
As reported by our sister publication, Ford Tend, this delay is also part of a broader strategy to respond to customer feedback and refine the vehicle’s capabilities. The next-generation F-150 EV, codenamed Project T3, promises “features and experiences never before seen in any Ford truck.” The current F-150 Lightning, Ford’s flagship electric truck, already boasts innovative features like bidirectional charging, which allows it to charge at home during a power outage, and a highly efficient, aerodynamic body.
The 2027 Ford Lightning electric vehicle (EV) market landscape is evolving rapidly amid falling battery prices and lower-than-expected consumer demand. The decision to delay the F-150 EV will also allow the automaker to refocus on developing a new, more affordable EV platform. This platform, which is unrelated to the existing all-electric vehicle architecture, could potentially be integrated into the next-generation F-150 EV, making it more accessible to a wider range of consumers.
Interestingly, there is speculation that the next-generation F-150 EV may debut with a new name, potentially ditching the F-150 Lightning moniker. Ford CEO Jim Farley has also hinted that the upcoming truck will feature design elements reminiscent of a “Millennium Falcon with a patio inside,” and will offer “stunning performance” alongside a highly versatile cabin “that feels like a living room or a small office.” Production of the next-generation electric pickup is expected to take place at Ford’s BlueOval City, Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center.
2027 Ford Lightning Reviews
The future of Ford’s electric vehicle development efforts is taking shape outside the company’s traditional headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, in a city the company once abandoned: Long Beach, California. Alongside hangars that will power the future of commercial air travel and spaceflight, Ford’s new Electric Vehicle Development Center (EVDC) will serve as home to a previously secretive skunkworks team led by Alan Clarke, the former Tesla engineering chief who joined Ford three years ago. Here, the team is currently working on a platform that will underpin a number of future Ford electric vehicles, including an affordable midsize electric pickup truck and a compact SUV that will debut in 2027.
The development work underway at the Long Beach facility, which we visited, is designed to transform many of the company’s established car-making processes.
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), Clarke’s team of 350 engineers, designers, and other technical staff are working closely with outposts in Palo Alto, California, and Dearborn as they shepherd Ford’s first second-generation EV, which Ford just confirmed will be a mid-size pickup, to production.
The team, which works much like Clarke’s team at Tesla, pairs aerodynamicists with designers, enclosure engineers with chassis engineers, and body engineers with powertrain engineers. The goal, Clarke told us, is not only for the team to challenge preconceptions and constraints, but also to empathize with each other and understand their challenges.
Other advantages are harder to achieve, but no less important. “Sometimes [an advantage] can be, ‘Hey, your component does the same thing as mine. Maybe this could be one of those components.’
“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 said.
This is especially important given the goals set for the EVDC team by Ford chief Jim Farley: build a low-cost, modular EV platform that starts around $25,000, is competitive with Chinese EV makers and Tesla globally, and is profitable within a year.
Despite the challenges, Clarke seems confident that Ford’s EV experience, manufacturing prowess, and newfound agility will set the stage for success for Ford’s newly developed affordable 2027 Ford Lightning EV in Long Beach, even with outside rumors of a new Chevrolet Bolt, a stripped-down Tesla, a $27,000 Slate pickup, and low-cost Chinese cars. “I don’t think being first is necessarily going to win here.
I believe that investing in the right technology to achieve this—the right battery technology, the right powertrain technology, the right power electronics technology, and the right software—has to be the recipe. You can’t just do one thing.”
With Ford set to make a big electric vehicle 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, produced in Long Beach.
2027 Next-Generation Ford Lightning
Last April, The Blue Oval announced that production of the next-generation Ford F-150 EV, which will likely still be called the Ford F-150 Lightning, was being delayed at the company’s under-construction, wholly-owned BlueOval City Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center, from 2025 to 2026.
At the time, the automaker stated that the move was made amid shifting consumer demand, meaning they felt their resources were being better utilized to increase hybrid production amid growing sales in that segment. Now, the next-generation Ford F-150 EV has been delayed again.
Today, FoMoCo announced that production of the next-generation Ford F-150 EV – codenamed Project T3 has been delayed for the second time, until the second half of 2027.
The automaker noted that it is working to utilize all the feedback received from F-150 Lightning customers to produce a better product in that regard, with “features and experiences never before seen on any Ford truck” a list that includes bidirectional charging capabilities and advanced aerodynamics.
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The delay is also intended to capitalize on falling battery prices as the market continues to form, which the automaker is capitalizing on by developing its own low-cost EV platform that is expected to benefit the next-generation Ford F-150 EV.
Meanwhile, Ford CEO Jim Farley has provided some hints about what we can expect from the future F-150 EV. He noted that the car will have futuristic styling reminiscent of a “Millennium Falcon with a porch,” a nod to the legendary spaceship from Star Wars.
Farley also noted that the next-generation 2027 Ford Lightning EV would be a superior choice to the Tesla Cybertruck, calling it “one of the most thrilling vehicles I’ve ever seen in my career.”
“Its performance is extraordinary, unprecedented, capability, unexpected innovation for truck customers that goes far beyond the attributes of a typical truck; a super-flexible cabin that feels like a lounge or a small office.”
2027 Ford Lightning T3
The 2027 Ford Lightning went on sale in May 2022, and now Ford, specifically its Ford Model e division, is developing a new electric truck for the US market. Codenamed ‘Ford Project T3,’ here’s everything we know about this next-generation electric truck:
At the F-150 Lightning Start of Production (SOP) launch event on April 26, 2022, Ford CEO Jim Farley Jr. hinted that the new Ford electric truck isn’t the next-generation F-150 Lightning, as previously rumored. Here’s his statement:
We’re not stopping with this beautiful truck (the F-150 Lightning). We’ll be producing 600,000 electric vehicles annually by the end of next year. I wish we could take you all there, but we’ve already started construction in BlueOval City, Tennessee, on another electric pickup truck that’s different from this one (the F-150 Lightning). So, we’ll be ready for 2 million electric vehicles four years from now.
Farley Jr. later decided not to introduce the Ford F-250 or F-350 Lightning due to the payload and battery requirements of the Super Duty trucks. Based on this information, we believe the electric truck produced in Tennessee will be smaller than the F-150 Lightning.
On October 26, 2023, during the Q3 2023 earnings call, Farley Jr. stated that the “all-new second-generation full-size pickup truck” was one of the most exciting vehicles he had ever seen. He said the next-generation full-size pickup truck would offer impressive performance, unexpected innovations, and a “super-flexible cabin” that could be used as a lounge or small office.
Farley Jr. even mentioned he would choose it over the Tesla Cybertruck any day, indicating that the car would be equally suited as a comfortable family vehicle, an adventure-filled recreational vehicle, and a rugged workhorse.
Being smaller than the F-150 Lightning and using a different platform
Will be built at the BlueOval Electric Vehicle Center in Stanton, Tennessee, starting in 2028
It is expected to start around USD 50,000 when it becomes available at US dealers.
Indicated to provide an EPA-est. range of over 400 miles
Next Generation 2027 Ford Lightning
On August 28, 2023, Ford filed a trademark application for the ‘F-200’ with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This development sparked media speculation that the ‘Ford F-200 Lightning’ was their new electric pickup truck.
Regardless of the final name Ford chooses for its Project T3 pickup truck, we’re confident the company will stick with the Lightning suffix. In its Q3 2023 earnings call, Farley Jr. referred to the upcoming model as the next-generation Lightning:
Our products aren’t substitutes, because our target customers are different. However, they’re in the same segment. So, we understand their usage cycles very well, but the innovation will be directed at different things. The F-150, in my opinion, is probably the best example at Ford.
Because we have a world-class internal combustion engine (ICE). We have a hybrid that will probably have a 20% blend. Then, we have the Lightning and the next-generation Lightning that we’re working on right now.
2027 Ford Lightning Features
The Ford T3 will have a futuristic design, but not as outlandish as the Cybertruck. It will be sleeker and more aerodynamic than the F-150 Lightning, with a sleeker silhouette and enhanced drag-reduction features. It will use a dual cab, a common feature on most electric pickup trucks.
The teaser (below) shows that the Ford T3 will have a sharper windshield. This will allow for smoother airflow across the body, reducing energy consumption and, thus, increasing range. The low aerodynamic drag also reduces vibration and wind noise, allowing the driver and passengers to enjoy a smoother ride.
In a patent filing for a crossbar-mounted lifting device (via f150lightningforum.com), Ford introduced a futuristic pickup truck that is likely a version of the T3 concept.
The Ford T3 in our renderings features a radical design that looks different from current Ford pickups, and that’s primarily due to its format and proportions. The forward-cab layout, steeply sloping A-pillars, and low hood are all unusual for Ford pickups. However, this clay model also suggests that Ford is exploring this approach for future pickups.
The Ford T3 pickup truck may look very different from the F-150 Lightning and all other pickup trucks from the brand. The daytime running lights that stretch from end to end on the closed upper front fascia emphasize the EV’s width.
The low and high beam headlights can be stacked in separate sections underneath, which may also be largely concealed. The front fascia can be significantly deeper than usual, extending close to the floor, and may feature a sliding glove box underneath. Prominent wheel arches give the electric pickup a wide, athletic appearance.
2027 Ford Lightning Aero
Referring to the Ford T3 electric truck at the 2022 F-150 Lightning SOP event, Farley Jr. told Laycee Schmidtke of the Miss GoElectric YouTube channel that the truck will have a very radical design and be equipped with aerodynamic technology.
Trust me when I tell you, this truck will be like no other truck you have ever seen or driven, it will be fast and quiet and yes, it will be as smooth as Tennessee whiskey.
Ford’s next-generation electric truck will be a fully digital model, Farley Jr. suggested at the announcement. He mentioned that the Ford T3 will be fully software upgradeable. In addition to regular software enhancements, the company has promised towing features, power transfer, and various innovations for this second electric truck.
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We’ll deliver software to your truck weekly, monthly, and yearly to enhance its capabilities, and we’ll start from home. Your truck will be comfortable on the job site, capable of towing and hauling, but it will also have far greater export capacity than it does today. Your truck will have limitless innovations that will make getting the job done easier and faster.
Autonomous
The 2027 Ford Lightning T3 will enable autonomous driving on hundreds of thousands of compatible roads in the US and Canada. The F-150 Lightning is already capable of this on more than 130,000 miles of divided roads in North America, and future models will likely expand on this.
We have an ambition with this truck, which is on a sunny day on the highway, you can take your eyes off the road, you know how to drive safely for you, so you can get more work done and you get time back every day when you buy this truck.
2027 Ford Lightning Efficiency
Speaking to Schmidtke, Farley Jr. also said that there will be a 100-mile range difference for Ford’s T3 electric truck. The F-150 Lightning offers an EPA-estimated range of up to 320 miles, suggesting the next-generation electric truck could reach an EPA-estimated maximum range of around 420 miles.
At Bernstein’s 38th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, Farley Jr. further elaborated on Ford’s plans to make its second-generation electric vehicles more efficient. He outlined how improvements to the vehicle’s braking system and aerodynamics could provide benefits:
Every watt, every ampere matters. A full-size truck, just a full-size truck optimized for aerodynamics, compared to, say, a Lightning, with a range of 75 miles. That’s $3,000 for the battery.
Aerodynamics and other braking systems that are more expensive but more efficient in recovery (and) reengineering the vehicle to minimize the size of the battery because it’s so expensive would be a game-changer for those vehicles.
New Platform Ford Lightning 2027
In a December 2021 interview, Farley Jr. told Automotive News that Ford would build vehicles not currently available on a new full-size truck platform at BlueOval City. Speaking to Bernstein Senior Analyst Toni Sacconaghi at Bernstein’s 38th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on June 1, 2022, Farley Jr. said Ford is in the final engineering stages of its advanced electric architecture.
In an April 2023 conversation with Tom Moloughney of the State of Charge YouTube channel, Farley said that Ford had completed designing its second EV platform. The company is following in the footsteps of Tesla and Apple in moving as much development as possible in-house, he added.
For example, they will build the T3’s electrical architecture and all of its software controls, rather than outsourcing the work to suppliers. Farley concluded by stating that the T3 will be a fully software-upgradeable vehicle, emphasizing that customers will be able to change more than just the in-cabin electronics.
While the F-150 Lightning uses a modified version of a gas-powered truck chassis, Ford is developing two platforms dedicated exclusively to electric vehicles. The smaller ‘GE2’ platform will underpin cars and crossovers, while the ‘TE1’ platform for trucks will form the basis for the Ford T3 electric truck.
2027 Ford Lightning IonBoost+ Battery
Ford will develop an ‘IonBoost’ lithium-ion battery consisting of unique pouch cells with special chemistry, Farley Jr. said at Capital Markets Day 2021 on May 26, 2021. This battery will have Ford’s own battery control algorithm, and is suitable for larger vehicles, including trucks and SUVs. ‘IonBoost+’ will be the name of Ford’s next-generation battery technology, Thai-Tang said at the same event.
The company believes IonBoost+ delivers the highest energy density compared to similar cells, he added. IonBoost has an NMC cathode composition, with nickel accounting for 88% of the content. IonBoost and IonBoost+ are one and the same, but the latter is the official name.
This cell chemistry (IonBoost+), combined with Ford’s proprietary battery control algorithm featuring high-precision sensing technology, delivers greater efficiency and range for customers. Our pouch cell format is unique and ideal for powering larger vehicles and high-performance products.
Enhanced Charging
The Ford T3 is expected to support DC fast charging at significantly higher speeds than the F-150 Lightning. The F-150 Lightning can handle up to 120 kW of direct current with a 98 kWh battery and 155 kW with a 131 kWh battery.
Charging from 15-80% takes about 32 minutes (98 kWh battery) and 38-41 minutes (131 kWh battery) with a 150 kW+ DC fast charger. For the T3, Ford is likely targeting a much shorter DC fast charging time, potentially under 30 minutes.
Plug & Charge
The 2027 Ford Lightning T3 will almost certainly come with Plug & Charge compatibility. At supported charging stations, such as Electrify America, customers won’t need to pull out a credit card or smartphone to pay.
Payment is automatic, as the charging station will be able to communicate with the EV and charge owners through their registered accounts. The charging session will begin as soon as they connect the cable from the charging station to their EV.
2027 Ford Lightning NACS
Additionally, the 2027 Ford Lightning T3 electric truck will feature an integrated North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector, allowing it to charge at more than 15,000 Tesla Superchargers across the US.
The V4, the latest version of the Tesla Supercharger, can deliver up to 325 kW of direct current. Finally, the T3 electric truck will come with enhanced bidirectional charging capabilities, Ford announced on August 21, 2024, without elaborating on details.
2027 Ford Lightning Release Date
The Ford T3 truck has been delayed until 2028, with the launch of the first prototype planned for 2027. Initially, Ford stated that it would begin production of Project T3 at its BlueOval City vehicle assembly plant in 2026, and this production site would have an annual capacity of 500,000 EV trucks. In August 2025, a Ford spokesperson confirmed that mass production had been pushed back to 2028, but the plant remained on track to produce the first prototype in 2027.
At Ford’s annual capital markets event on May 22, 2023, Doug Field, Chief Advanced Product Development and Technology Officer at Ford Model e, stated that Project T3 will be available in fewer configurations than current Ford trucks, with continued refinement over time.
Project T3 stands for ‘trust the truck’. This truck can be trusted not only to perform, but also to thrive in the digital age. It’s fully renewable. It will continue to evolve, learning rapidly from the moment it rolls off the assembly line, while its computer is still active and communicating with the factory, and years after it becomes part of the customer’s life.
Verdict
The 2027 Ford Lightning and Project T3 mark a bold leap in Ford’s electric future—combining futuristic design, advanced battery tech, and unmatched performance to challenge rivals like Tesla. Despite production delays, Ford’s strategy focuses on affordability, innovation, and long-term value for customers. Stay tuned for more updates on Ford’s EV revolution, and don’t forget to bookmark this site for powerful automotive insights you won’t want to miss.
