Aside from proving compelling to a wide variety of retail customers, the Ford F-150 Lightning is also catching on quickly with commercial entities. A number of companies and government agencies have placed orders for the EV pickup in recent months, including the city of Lakeland, Florida, Sunrun, and Fluid Truck, to name just a few. Now, the Ford F-150 Lightning – which is a regular on Kelley Blue Book’s list of the most considered electrified vehicles and a finalist for 2023 North American Truck of the Year – has also joined the U.S. Forest Service Fleet (USFS), according to Outside.
The current USFS fleet consists of around 17,000 vehicles and 8,775 light-duty pickups, though the agency is in the process of converting those ICE-powered machines to fully-electric ones. It must do so to comply with Executive Order 14057 – Catalyzing America’s Clean Energy Economy Through Federal Sustainability – which mandates that all federal agencies must purchase nothing but zero-emissions light-duty vehicles starting in 2027. As such, USFS has begun testing a total of three Ford F-150 Lightning pickups.
This trio of EV pickups have been deployed to three different areas – the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan, and the White Mountain National Forest along the New Hampshire and Maine border. Operating in extreme conditions and on rugged terrain, the EV pickups will help the agency determine not only if the Lightning is up to the task, but will also provide a wealth of data in terms of charging infrastructure, fleet size, and other important factors.
“The Forest Service is embarking on an exciting study of the first-ever use of electric vehicles in a natural resources field setting,” said Jason Kirchner, a U.S. Forest Service spokesperson. “The research will determine the feasibility of electric vehicles in field-work settings, helping the agency determine the right tool for the job when it comes to electric fleet vehicles.”
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Hopefully, it can be fixed and turned out.
Plus, financing and local market lease deals on the off-road SUV.
They're concerned about rising prices and job protection.
A stellar example of a special machine.
In both V6 and V8 versions, with up to 900 horsepower.
Making that process much easier.
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Where did all the comments go?
Robert...comments are as invisible as a Forest Service Ford Lightning F-150 will be on the trails in backcountry Wyoming or Montana!!