Ford's electric F-150
The electric F-150 seemed to be everywhere last week, even before Ford Motor Co. formally introduced it.
President Joe Biden did hot laps on a test track in front of the White House press corps, Rachel Maddow spent a large portion of her cable TV show discussing the pickup, and on "The Tonight Show," Jimmy Fallon did a lengthy bit about the truck and its "frunk," a term he found amusing.
President Joe Biden takes a break from his electric F-150 joyride to talk to reporters.
"You can put whatever you want — you can put the trunk in your frunk," said Fallon, who drives an F-150. "You can't fake the funk on a nasty frunk."
Maddow, also an F-150 owner, said the battery-powered version could be the tipping point for electric vehicles.
Rachel Maddow discusses the truck and its implications.
"If Ford can transition that particular vehicle to electric — because as an electric vehicle, it's better — goodbye gas cars in America," she said.
Both segments aired in the hours after Biden became the first person not associated with Ford to drive the F-150 Lightning. His joyride was a last-minute request that Ford's communications team had little time to make happen.
Jimmy Fallon uses a “frunk” visual aid.
"It was an audible by the president," said Mark Truby, Ford's communications chief. "It turned out to be pretty serendipitous."
After Biden made a loop and pulled up to the reporters who were watching him drive, he unintentionally revealed the Lightning's 0-to-60-mph time, asking if it was 4.3 or 4.4 seconds. "This sucker's quick," Biden said after rolling down the window. CEO Jim Farley could be heard laughing and saying that information hadn't been released yet.
The president then stepped on the accelerator and peeled away.
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