The Ford Project T3 Electric Pickup Truck: Everything You Need to Know

The F-150 Lightning is only the beginning.

ford f150 lightning pickup truck sketch front view

Published January 11, 2024

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Ford did masterful work with the F-150 Lightning. The electric pickup was a no-brainer pick for our game-changing vehicle of the year. But in EV terms, the truck is effectively old tech — a reworked edition of the 14th-generation F-150.

Going that route was beneficial; Ford got an electric pickup to market far sooner than competitors. But the F-150 Lightning is hamstrung by its combustion-oriented platform. With competitors like the Silverado EV, the GMC Sierra EV and the Ram 1500 REV, GM and Stellantis are skipping the “F-150 Lightning” development stage to build new, ground-up electric trucks on dedicated EV platforms. Those trucks — when they get to market — will exceed the range and capability of the F-150 Lightning. But Ford has no plans to be caught flat-footed.

During the production launch for the F-150 Lightning, Ford CEO Jim Farley confirmed that Ford was already working on a new EV truck to match competitors. For now, Ford is publicly referring to the truck under code name “Project T3,” which stands for “Trust The Truck.” We expect the truck to receive some form of F-Series branding.

Here’s everything we know about Ford’s Project T3 electric truck so far.

Patent filings may reveal the platform Ford will use for the electric F Series

In January 2024, Road & Track uncovered a Ford patent for a modular electric vehicle platform granted that same month. The system looks broadly similar to GM’s Ultium platform: a battery compartment in the center, plug-and-play electric motor and suspension units front and rear and the ability to accommodate different wheelbases.

We don’t know whether this is the EV truck platform yet. That said, Ford did include the F-150 Lightning in one of the patent drawings.

The electric F-Series could offer innovative frunk storage options

Motor Trend uncovered a Ford patent application from December 2023 showing storage solutions for an electric pickup’s frunk. Drawings depict cubbies to store tools or other items and, more interestingly, a slide-out drawer integrated into the front fascia.

That design would not work with the current design of the F-150 Lightning. So a presumable application for this design would be on Ford’s next-generation electric pickup. The drawings depict a cab-over design — think kind of like the Tesla Cybertruck — but we think that may be for illustration; the T3 will likely look more like a conventional pickup.

What specs will the Ford Project T3 electric pickup have?

Ford hasn’t gone into specifics yet on Project T3. But the brand has alluded to several items. Expect Ford’s EV truck to have a digital platform for over-the-air software updates, faster charging, a longer range than the Lightning’s 320 miles, the latest edition of Blue Cruise hands-free driving and for the truck to be even better at charging your home.

One interesting contention is that the truck will be “impossibly quick,” which suggests it will be quicker than the F-150 Lightning. Keep in mind that the F-150 Lightning can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds flat.

Ford’s CEO compared Project T3 to the Millennium Falcon

Ford hasn’t really gone into specifics yet about the new truck’s capabilities. But Jim Farley did compare the new truck to the Millennium Falcon.

“PJ O’Rourke once described American pickups as ‘a back porch with an engine attached.’ Well, this new truck is going to be like the Millennium Falcon – with a back porch attached,” Farley said. We assume Farley is not taking the Star Wars reference too literally with regard to the vehicle’s styling, and is just attempting to portray that the truck will be impressively quick and capable.

Production capacity should not be an issue

Ford faced a bottleneck when the F-150 Lightning launched. They planned to build about 40,000 F-150 Lightnings per year and ended up with nearly 200,000 reservations before closing that process down.

That should not be an issue with the Project T3 pickup. Ford’s new Blue Oval City plant will eventually be able to build 500,000 EVs per year.

Will there be smaller versions of the Project T3 electric truck?

One of the benefits of a dedicated EV platform is modularity. And Motortrend believes we may see smaller Ranger and even Maverick-sized electric pickups on this platform. That presumably could mean an electric Bronco-branded SUV as well.

Ford filed trademark applications for “F-150 Thunder,” “Ranger Thunder” and “Maverick Thunder,” which could be a potential name for the trucks. Thunder does come after lightning, after all.

Will the new Ford electric truck kill off the F-150 Lightning?

Eventually, yes. According to Automotive News, the F-150 Lightning may stay in production when the new truck debuts. But their reporting expects the F-150 Lightning to end production in 2026.

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