F-150 Lightning

Make
Ford
Segment
Sports Car

At this point in time, it's evidently clear Ford is moving fast with its electrification plans. Earlier this week, it announced the new Ford Model e and Ford Blue divisions, essentially splitting the company in two with dedicated departments running the EV and ICE programs. This will allow Ford to remain competitive in the global market for both powertrain technologies.

But electrification is the long-term goal and now the Blue Oval has released the results of a study it conducted with the University of Michigan regarding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions relative to gasoline-powered pickup trucks. In short, the new Ford F-150 Lightning is more environmentally friendly than its ICE-powered counterparts. The study found that EV trucks will emit 64 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than ICE trucks from the "cradle to the grave," which is from production to, eventually, the junkyard.

Ford says that 58 percent of existing transportation-related emissions in America come directly from light-duty vehicles like SUVs, trucks, and sedans. At the same time, the market share of trucks and SUVs keeps growing. The study's researchers examined three different 2020 model year powertrain options, specifically internal combustion engines, hybrids, and pure battery electrics for mid-size sedans, mid-size SUVs, and, of course, full-size trucks.

The study ultimately found that changing an ICE-powered vehicle for a fully electric vehicle resulted in greater total tonnage of emissions reductions as the vehicles increase in size, due to greater fuel consumption of larger vehicles. Another interesting area the study covered is EV manufacturing.

As many already know, building EVs produces more greenhouse gas emissions compared to ICE vehicles. However, the impact is offset in 1.2-1.3 years for sedans, 1.4-1.6 years for SUVs, and 1.3 years for trucks based on the average US grid and vehicle miles traveled. In addition, charging EVs at home during off-peak hours was found to reduce emissions by an average of 11 percent. Researchers still highly recommend that renewable energy resources like solar and wind should be used as more EVs are introduced to the market.

"This is an important study to inform and encourage climate action. Our research clearly shows substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions that can be achieved from transitioning to electrified powertrains across all vehicle classes," said study senior author Greg Keoleian, a professor at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability.