Ford F-150 Lightning Is Kelly Blue Book’s 2024 Best Electric Truck – CleanTechnica

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Last year, Kelley Blue Book selected the Ford F-150 Lightning as its Best Electric Truck, and did so again for 2024. There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation about electric vehicles online, but Kelley Blue Book has been a trusted information source for decades. It’s not the misinformed social media clamor or mainstream media repeatedly getting EVs wrong.

Where do you go when you want to find a reasonable estimate of the value for a car, SUV, or truck? For some folks, Kelley Blue Book is and has been synonymous with vehicle valuation. In fact, the first Kelley Blue Book was published in 1926.

It’s impressive that KBB has a Best Electric Truck Segment at all, because it is an acknowledgement that electric trucks are beginning to establish themselves in the marketplace.

Its blog post about the 2024 Best Electric Truck characterizes the F-150 Lightning this way: “The all-electric version of the perennially best-selling Ford F-Series is a great buy for its reasonable pricing, impressive range, and advanced tech features.”

Previously, KBB recognized the Lighting for being one of its 5-year Lowest Cost to Own Vehicles. The Chevy Bolt, Bolt EUV, Tesla Model 3, and Tesla Model Y are also on this list.

Its review also notes that powering the Lightning could cost about $150 per month less than buying gas for a standard non-electric F-150, according to EPA estimates. One of the anti-EV myths is that EVs “cost too much” and yet there may be many people who are unaware of what the true costs are. Additionally, the most expensive gas Ford Raptor costs more than the highest priced electric Lightning.

The Lightning’s frunk — front trunk — has four Pro Power On-Board 120V outlets, a USB-C outlet, and a USB-A outlet. There are also two 120V outlets in the cab and up to 4 in the bed. KBB wrote that it’s like having a generator in your truck without the gas.

Though the Lightning resembles the gas F-150, it has an appealing and useful technology the fossil fuel burner does not — regenerative braking. The KBB review states, “We liked using the one-pedal driving mode on city streets with stop-and-go traffic; it’s one of the better and more natural-feeling systems of its kind that we’ve tested in an EV.”

Regen braking doesn’t create a huge amount of electricity, and yet it does add a little boost. It also helps reduce the use of the standard brakes, as noted by the Department of Energy, “The more you use regenerative brakes, the less you need to use traditional friction brakes. That means fewer trips to a service center for brake pads, rotors, and shoes. With regenerative braking, some hybrids and EVs can go around 100,000 miles between brake services.”