It’s no longer just the bad guy who’s being charged when there’s a crime. Ford has unveiled the 2023 F-150 Lightning Pro SSV (Special Service Vehicle), a version of its electric pickup that’s purpose-built for police work.
There’s no word yet on which police fleets will be using them — Ford said it supplies conventional police vehicles to more than 12,000 law enforcement divisions across the U.S. — but earlier this year at the New York Auto Show, the New York Police Department revealed that it has ordered about a hundred police-specific versions of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E for its use. In September 2021, the Mach-E became the first electric vehicle to pass the Michigan State Police evaluation for the 2022 model year. It’s one of two departments that test vehicles and publish the results for other police agencies to use.
The Lightning will include the same features as Ford’s F-150 Police Responder, with heavy-duty cloth front seats and vinyl rear seats, vinyl flooring, steel intrusion plates, reinforced instrument panel tray for mounting equipment, and available LED roof beacons. (We’re assuming it’s also got cop tires, cop suspension, and cop shocks as well, although it obviously doesn’t need to run on regular gas.)
Ford’s specs have the Lightning at 452 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque with its standard battery, which can tow up to 7,700 lbs, and at 580 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque with its extended-range battery. Zero to 96 km/h acceleration is achieved in fewer than four seconds, just in case you were wondering how much of a lead you can get if you’re being chased.
Ford said that in addition to potentially reducing fuel and maintenance costs for police fleets, the Lightning can be used as a “mobile power source” to light up crash scenes at night, and the under-hood “frunk” can be used for extra storage space. In addition to using its quick acceleration in pursuit situations, the automaker said the truck can also help police when they need to tow a trailer or boat, as the Lightning can tow up to 10,000 lbs when equipped with its extended-range battery. The truck’s connectivity features also allow it to be integrated into a department’s existing fleet management software.
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