Ford's electric F-150 is coming to a police station near you
Ford announced an electric pickup for police departments.
It's based on the F-150 Lightning Pro, Ford's electric F-150 for fleets and contractors.
Ford says it's for "specialized departmental needs," like towing trailers or responding to car crashes.
Ford on Thursday unveiled the 2023 F-150 Lightning Pro Special Service Vehicle, an electric pickup truck built for police departments.
You may be thinking: Why does a police department need a big, powerful, expensive pickup truck? Ford says the law-enforcement-edition Lightning isn't for routine police work, but rather for "specialized departmental needs."
Those activities could include helping out at a crash scene or towing a boat, Ford says.
The Lightning has a bunch of outlets and can share its power with anything plugged in. Ford says this could come in handy for lightning up dark crash scenes.
As in the regular F-150 Lightning, a big frunk adds lockable storage for all sorts of gear.
The Lightning Pro SSV is more than an F-150 with a paint job. It offers optional red-and-blue lights.
The interior has the same 12-inch screens as some other Lightning models. But it also offers mounting points for police equipment and heavy-duty, easy-to-clean materials.
The front seats have steel intrusion plates to protect officers from the rear.
The Lightning Pro SSV will be sold with a small and large battery pack and will offer up to 320 miles of range, according to Ford.
It promises to hit 60 mph in under four seconds.
Fleet sales are important to Ford's bottom line, so it's no surprise that the company decided to launch a police versions of its wildly popular electric truck.
Ford's lending arm will help departments finance vehicle-charging infrastructure. Later this summer, the company will offer more details about when the 2023 F-150 Lightning will hit streets.
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