The Ford F-150 Lightning is the future of the entire F-Series lineup. Eventually, all of these hot-selling trucks will become fully electrified. No exact date has been set but it will happen. In the meantime, the F-150 Lightning has a lot to prove and Ford knows it. And the good news is that it has plenty of takers. It's been a while since we've received an update regarding the reservation count, which was last at around 150,000.

Thanks to a Twitter account known for uncovering accurate information that has posted a reservation update, the Lightning Owners fan forum has learned that the Blue Oval has received over 160,000 reservations and counting. Now, it's important to remind everyone that these aren't firm orders.

It's up to dealers to convert these reservations, which only require a $100 refundable deposit, into real orders. Thing is, Ford only plans to build around 20,000 units for the 2022 model year. This will increase to at least 50,000 for 2023, and 80,000 by 2024. Chances are fairly high over 20,000 orders will come from those reservations, and that means some buyers will have to wait until at least 2023 for delivery. Orders will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis. It's the only fair way to do it.

And speaking of placing orders, the last update we received was that the online order banks are scheduled to open sometime in December instead of the originally scheduled October 26. No reason has been provided.

The growing reservation count is certainly music to Ford's ears. It previously announced an additional $250 million investment for the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, where production will take place. Another 450 jobs are also being created. Aside from the cool factor, the F-150 Lightning's appeal comes from its downright affordable price tag. Base models will start at just under $40,000, not including some tax credits. A fully-loaded Platinum trim, however, will cost over $90,000.

Ford beat both General Motors and Stellantis to the EV truck market and, at this rate, the Tesla Cybertruck as well. You gotta give credit where credit's due.