All The Options You Can Buy With The Ford F-150 Lightning's Tax Credit

The standard range of comfort and convenience features is also generous, so accessories it is. Being a work truck, the must-have accessory is Ford's Pro Power Onboard ($1,200), which can power whatever at rates up to 9.6 kW. We've seen this system power a large fridge, projector, and sound system simultaneously, so it should be suitable for power tools.

We'd also add an aluminum cross bed toolbox by Weather Guard for $880, a tailgate step for $430, a tough bedliner for $595, and a hard retractable tonneau cover for $2,200. And to make it stand out from other work trucks, we'd pay an extra $495 for the Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat.

That's $5,800 in extras, so you'll still get $1,700 back from the government after building a work truck to your exact specification.

An Extended Range battery is available for the XLT, but it increases the price from $63,474 to $80,974. According to the government, the price may not exceed the MSRP of $80,000 for a van, pickup truck, or sport utility vehicle. That means you're stuck with a 98 kWh Standard Range battery pack, good for 452 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque. Like the Pro, it can do 240 miles between recharges.

Since more range is out of the question, we spent the money on some comfort and practicality items. Thankfully, Ford offers the 312A Equipment Group, which is basically a best-of list of features. For $5,000, you get 20-inch Dark Carbonized Wheels, Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0, Pro Power Onboard, intelligent access with approach detection, a heated steering wheel, a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, LED lights for the box, a power tailgate, tailgate step, and a tailgate work surface. We'd also add the $2,200 retractable tonneau cover to keep things safe.

This way, you still get $300 back from the government.

Alternatively, you can add the 312A Equipment Group and spend the rest on various bed accessories. Various Yakima racks and carries can be ordered directly from the website, so you only need to add a basic system and the correct hobby.

An adjustable bed rack goes for $1,478, which leaves you with roughly $1,000 to splurge on various mounting accessories. Canoe carrier mounts go for $199, while a small basket goes for $589.

If you want a more elegant look, we recommend Azure Gray Metallic Tricoat at $795.

Starting at $75,974, the Lariat is already dangerously close to the $80,000 cut-off. But the government says that's calculated on the base MSRP, so it should be fine if you go over $80k in options. However, that might depend on how generous the IRS is feeling.

The Lariat has goodies like Pro Power Onboard, a 360-degree camera, reverse sensing, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic assist.

In fact, the only available package is the 511A Equipment Group, which adds $10,000 to the price. That's $2,500 more than you'll get back from the government, but look at it another way. Thanks to the Biden administration's generosity, you can have ALL the luxuries for just $2,500.

The package adds Ford BlueCruise 1.0 with active park assist and phone as a key, the tow technology package, a twin-panel moonroof, an 80-amp charging station, a power tilt/telescoping steering column, and second-row heated seats.

Unfortunately, it also adds the Extended Range battery, which increases the MSRP to $87,719. We thought it wise to offer this package, but you can't dupe the government by classifying the larger battery as an option while keeping the MSRP below $80,000.

Luckily, you can still add BlueCruise 1.0 with active park assist and phone as a key for $2,220 as a standalone option. It's worth having as it has the upper hand over Tesla Autopilot. You might as well blow the rest on the various adventure accessories or pocket the remaining $5,280.