The F-150 Lightning is having quite the impact.
  • Linda Zhang, Ford's chief engineer for the Lightning EV, is a leader behind the all-electric pickup.
  • As the market ramps up for electrification, the Lightning is an important vehicle for Ford and it launched ahead of its major competitors.
  • The Blue Oval expects EV sales globally to reach 50% by 2030.
Linda Zhang is wearing matching earrings and a necklace featuring tiny lightning bolts, a nod to the vehicle she helped bring to life. Zhang is Ford's chief engineer for the F-150 Lightning, the Blue Oval's first all-electric pickup truck, and there's no doubt she is still excited about it after months and months of development. Ford unveiled the Lightning in May of 2021, hoping for a solid response; the result blew the brand's expectations away. In the first four days, nearly 70,000 reservations poured in for the EV.
Three-quarters of Lightning buyers are new to Ford, which is a surge the company didn't expect.
"We have been fortunate to be able to pull a lot of new customers to Ford," Zhang told Edmunds. "And about half of our Lightning buyers are new to trucks, which is very interesting."