AusEV is an Australian company that is important Ford’s F150 Lightning and converting them to right-hand drive. Australia’s EV landscape is significantly lacking in the utility space and given Utes regularly top the new vehicle sales charts in Australia, all EV Utes are welcome. I the latest episode of The Explore Life show, they got the keys to the first Electric RHD Ford F150 Lightning.
This vehicle has been in development in Australia for over 12 months and has just launched. The team take the vehicle out for an offroad day trip and give you our thoughts on this new 4WD.
The 38-minute video is certainly worth a watch for anyone considering an electric ute in Australia.
The F150 Lightning offers impressive performance with a 0-100km/h time of just 4.0s from the dual electric motors which produce a combined 433kW / 1050 Nm. The Extended Range Battery can power the car up to 515km of range and recharging with a 150kW DC Fast Charger you can charge from 15% to 80% state of charge in 41 minutes.
These specs are impressive for a vehicle of this size and the video does a great job of showcasing that, with a trip to the beach, a good look at the massive powered frunk and the foldable rear seats. The pair even showcase the charging experience at a BP Pulse DC Fast Charging station, showing it takes just seconds to get charging.
When it comes to technology, the F150 lightning offers:
- Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0 Technology
- 360-Degree Camera
- Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control
- Lane-Keeping System
- 12 Inch Digital Display Infotainment Centre
- Wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto
- Intelligent Access including Approach Detection
- Power Tailgate
- Smart Tailgate Step Rail System
As good as this car is, there’s one major challenge, the price. In America, the car starts at US$62,995 and ranges up to US$84,995. If we convert these figures to Aussie dollars, we land at A$95,982.33 – A$129,502.63. These numbers need to have GST of 10% added, as well as taxes like stamp duty an luxury car tax applied which would realistically have these numbers north of $100k, a price point some, but not many buy at.
This is a vehicle that is built internationally, then put on a boat and shipped to Australia, then torn down so a bunch of parts can be exchanged for RHD components (chiefly steering and pedals), then reassembled, after many hours of labour, the car is ready for a customer.
AUSEV offers the F-150 Lightning Standard Range, for a starting price of $AU224,990, before on-road costs are added. The Extended Range battery models are priced from $AU254,990 before ORC, so you’ll likely pay more than $AU300,000 once. That’s a lot for even the most avid EV fan to pay, so let’s hope we see a factory RHD model of the F150 Lightning soon.
