Join each day information updates from CleanTechnica on electronic mail. Or comply with us on Google Information!

The Ford F-150 Lightning had a surge of gross sales on the finish of 2023, however I’ve to confess that its manufacturing and gross sales usually are not ramping up as rapidly as I’d hoped. It appears American pickup truck shoppers nonetheless want some extra time to get accustomed to plugin their vans in at house slightly than taking them to a gasoline station to get robbed.

As you’ll be able to see above, the F-150 Lightning had just a bit greater than 24,000 gross sales within the US in 2023. It had almost 12,000 within the 4th quarter, which was a pleasant enchancment over the 2023 quarterly common, however that’s nonetheless removed from the 150,000 or so annual gross sales the corporate’s focusing on. A lot must be executed to enhance consciousness and advertising and marketing within the US, little doubt.

However there’s one other avenue for F-150 Lightning gross sales progress, although. Exports. There are numerous nations aching for a superb electrical pickup truck (or “ute,” as they name them in some components of the world). The Ford F-150 model is famend globally, and certainly Ford might discover completely happy prospects in lots of markets which are extra mature within the electrical automobile transition than the US. There isn’t any extra mature EV market than Norway, and it’s the place many automakers are fast to ship new electrical fashions. Practically 94% of recent automobile gross sales have been plugin automobile gross sales final month in Norway, and greater than 92% have been full electrics. And, surely, many Norwegians have been ready for an awesome electrical truck just like the Ford F-150 Lightning!

With the nation’s first homeowners taking supply of the F-150 Lightning this previous week, let’s see how briskly gross sales there ramp up and the way lots of the electrical vans Ford can promote in Norway!

“Dag Ødegaard from Lier, Norway, fell in love with Ford F-Collection vans whereas touring within the U.S. Now, he’s the primary Norwegian buyer to take house an electrical Ford F-150 Lightning,” Ford writes.

“It’s becoming that Ødegaard is the primary in Norway with the truck, given his connections to America. His spouse is from Texas and he owns a retailer in Norway that sells American grill and barbecue tools.”

Effectively, that could be a becoming pair, or trio. The one query I’ve is: Is that this household associated in any strategy to Martin Ødegaard? Or is Ødegaard only a tremendous widespread title in Norway?

The Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat Launch Version mannequin that Ødegaard selected has a rated vary of 429 km (267 miles) on a full cost (WLTP score system). That ought to be lots for most traditional driving. For longer journeys, properly, Norway certainly has a few of the greatest EV charging infrastructure on this planet — perhaps one of the best (although, I feel the Netherlands would really like a phrase on that).

“It is a dream automobile for us particularly as we love the USA and Texas a lot,” Ødegaard stated. “Lastly we don’t need to drive two vehicles to move two teenage kids, my spouse and all our baggage to our cabin in [the ski town of] Trysil. Particularly, the truth that it has 5 seats signifies that we will lastly afford to purchase ourselves a correct household pickup, which can be absolutely electrical and filled with new expertise. It’s completely excellent each by way of consolation, area and driving.”

“This is a crucial day for Ford in Norway,” stated Per Gunnar Berg, CEO of Ford Motor Norway. “As the primary nation outdoors America to get F-150 Lightning, we get the chance to ship one of the crucial talked about electrical automobiles on this planet in recent times to our prospects. We look ahead to going full throttle to offer much more Norwegians the chance to expertise an all-electric truck not like the rest on provide right here. It’s each larger, stronger and extra succesful than most you’ll find on the Norwegian market, and is simply nearly as good as a household automobile as it’s for work.”

Certainly. The F-150 Lightning was truly the 2022 CleanTechnica Automobile of the 12 months (by no means thoughts that it’s a truck). It’s an outstanding automobile and deserves all the adore it will discover in Norway, different components of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and different markets the place I anticipate to see it delivered.

CleanTechnica‘s not the one media outlet to heap reward on the F-150 Lightning, although. In truth, not too long ago, Edmunds named the Ford F-150 Lightning the “2024 Edmunds High Rated Electrical Truck.” That’s the second 12 months in a row that the Lightning received the award, too.

“Constructing on the enchantment of the gas-powered F-150, the Lightning combines further versatility with easy efficiency,” stated Alistair Weaver, Edmunds editor-in-chief. “With its broad functionality and rugged enchantment, it feels much less like an electrical truck and extra like a truck that simply occurs to be electrical.” I’m unsure what that final line is meant to imply. Electrical vans have extra on the spot torque, extra energy, extra functionality in lots of regards than non-electric vans. However hey, no matter it takes to reward the truck and make it extra interesting to consumers hesitant to make the change to an electrical mannequin.

Naturally, Norwegian consumers received’t want as a lot convincing with regards to the potential or ruggedness of an electrical pickup truck. What I’m very curious to see is how the F-150 Lightning, the Tesla Cybertruck, and the Rivian R1T compete once they’re all in the marketplace in Norway and manufacturing and exports are ramped up. In a market with out almost the pickup truck historical past or model loyalty as the USA, and with consumers who’re rather more open minded about electrical automobiles, which truck and its capabilities will enchantment extra to Norwegians?

In fact, we received’t see big volumes of gross sales in Norway. It’s a comparatively small nation (by way of inhabitants), its auto market can be thus comparatively small, and solely a small portion of auto consumers are ever in the marketplace for a pickup truck — electrical or in any other case. Although, perhaps the effectivity of electrical vans will make vans a much bigger portion of the market in time. We’ll see.