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Ford is readying a new off-road-flavored trim for the Ford F-150 Lightning, bringing over some visible bits from the ICE F-150 parts bin, along with some unique design details. We caught this lightly disguised prototype doing some dusty trail testing, likely prepping for addition to the EV truck’s 2026 model-range.
The Blue Oval made a lot of EV news last week: First, the announcement of Ford’s new Universal EV Platform (commencing with a midsize EV pickup in 2027), followed by news of the next-gen F-150 Lightning’s delay until 2028. The appearance of this new F-150 Lightning variant shows Ford is working to inject some new life into the current range—and getting a little dirtier in the process.
Off-Road-Focused Footwear
This new F-150 Lightning prototype is fitted with Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires—bringing improved off-road traction to this Lightning’s repertoire. The new ATs are modestly sized at 275/65R18, so they’re not massive rock-conquerors, but they will yield better off-tarmac performance. The All-Terrain rollers are not as efficient as the Lightning’s usual selection of tires, but their rather conservative size shouldn’t keep the impact on the EV range to a minimum.
Parts-sharing From F-150 Tremor and Rattler Evident
We can see that this Lightning prototype has a new set of running boards, taken from the F-150 Tremor. We also see that its new set of wheels have actually been resurrected from the F-150 Rattler—a budget off-road trim that graced the F-150 lineup for the 2022 and 2023 model years. We can’t see what else lies underneath, but its clear from the new visible bits that an off-road vibe is definitely the mission for this new Lightning model.
A New Face, and Some New Camo
The Lightning prototype had it’s “grille" covered by a camouflage panel, but it was eventually removed, allowing us to see its all-new front-shield design. The “grille” fascia's sculpting is all-new, as is a new bright blue horizontal strip that bisects the Ford oval. While the Tremor has its trademark orange accents, it looks like this off-road-flavored Lightning is getting a blue accent. Speaking of blue…
A New Blue for the Lightning Lineup
This prototype is painted in a bright blue unlike anything currently available on the F-150 Lightning. It’s much more vibrant than the Antimatter Blue currently available on the configurator. Is it the Atlas Blue migrating over from the ICE F-150, something sportier like Ford’s Velocity Blue, the still unreleased Argon Blue coming on the 2026 Super Duty, or something unique to the Lightning? We’re not exactly sure, but it’s definitely a more expressive blue hue than what’s on tap for 2025.
Electrified Rattler? (In Its Makeup, Not in Name)
This Lightning prototype does without an aggressive front skid plate, opting instead for a stock F-150 Lightning front bumper, with its integrated tow hooks and aerodynamically-minded chin deflector. The front-end treatment makes this dirt-focused Lightning look like it follows the more humble path of the F-150 Rattler, which maintained a traditional F-series FX4 front bumper set-up.
What’s It Called?
Exactly what name will christen this new off-road Lighting trim is a mystery. The camouflage wrap likely hides special graphics that will announce the new trim. The fender badging is heavily covered, and we can see that all of the interior seating is covered. Ford’s Tremor models get special seat branding stitched in, and it looks like this new Lightning trim will follow suit. Ford has trademarked the name Thunder, with many speculating that that moniker would make a lot of sense for an off-road-minded Lightning. We’ll see if those prediction were right, or if Ford’s brand specialists go a different route for this more trail-minded Lightning.
It’s nice to see some new energy injected into the F-150 Lightning. Sure, it looks far more conservative than the Silverado EV Trail Boss, but that thing is more than $72K. With its Universal EV Platform announcement, Ford is proving to be increasingly price-conscious in the EV space. While an electrified Raptor or Tremor would really get the blood pumping, Ford looks to be bringing some off-road enhancements to the masses. That doesn’t seem like such a bad thing when the price of EV entry is already a pretty steep mountain to climb.
Things distinguishing on the F-150 Lightning "Tremor" off-road prototype:
- lifted
- 275/65 Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires
- off-road running boards
- possible beefier independent rear suspension
- unique grille
The Blue Oval made a lot of EV news last week: First, the announcement of Ford’s new Universal EV Platform (commencing with a midsize EV pickup in 2027), followed by news of the next-gen F-150 Lightning’s delay until 2028. The appearance of this new F-150 Lightning variant shows Ford is working to inject some new life into the current range—and getting a little dirtier in the process.
Off-Road-Focused Footwear
This new F-150 Lightning prototype is fitted with Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires—bringing improved off-road traction to this Lightning’s repertoire. The new ATs are modestly sized at 275/65R18, so they’re not massive rock-conquerors, but they will yield better off-tarmac performance. The All-Terrain rollers are not as efficient as the Lightning’s usual selection of tires, but their rather conservative size shouldn’t keep the impact on the EV range to a minimum.
Parts-sharing From F-150 Tremor and Rattler Evident
We can see that this Lightning prototype has a new set of running boards, taken from the F-150 Tremor. We also see that its new set of wheels have actually been resurrected from the F-150 Rattler—a budget off-road trim that graced the F-150 lineup for the 2022 and 2023 model years. We can’t see what else lies underneath, but its clear from the new visible bits that an off-road vibe is definitely the mission for this new Lightning model.
A New Face, and Some New Camo
The Lightning prototype had it’s “grille" covered by a camouflage panel, but it was eventually removed, allowing us to see its all-new front-shield design. The “grille” fascia's sculpting is all-new, as is a new bright blue horizontal strip that bisects the Ford oval. While the Tremor has its trademark orange accents, it looks like this off-road-flavored Lightning is getting a blue accent. Speaking of blue…
A New Blue for the Lightning Lineup
This prototype is painted in a bright blue unlike anything currently available on the F-150 Lightning. It’s much more vibrant than the Antimatter Blue currently available on the configurator. Is it the Atlas Blue migrating over from the ICE F-150, something sportier like Ford’s Velocity Blue, the still unreleased Argon Blue coming on the 2026 Super Duty, or something unique to the Lightning? We’re not exactly sure, but it’s definitely a more expressive blue hue than what’s on tap for 2025.
Electrified Rattler? (In Its Makeup, Not in Name)
This Lightning prototype does without an aggressive front skid plate, opting instead for a stock F-150 Lightning front bumper, with its integrated tow hooks and aerodynamically-minded chin deflector. The front-end treatment makes this dirt-focused Lightning look like it follows the more humble path of the F-150 Rattler, which maintained a traditional F-series FX4 front bumper set-up.
What’s It Called?
Exactly what name will christen this new off-road Lighting trim is a mystery. The camouflage wrap likely hides special graphics that will announce the new trim. The fender badging is heavily covered, and we can see that all of the interior seating is covered. Ford’s Tremor models get special seat branding stitched in, and it looks like this new Lightning trim will follow suit. Ford has trademarked the name Thunder, with many speculating that that moniker would make a lot of sense for an off-road-minded Lightning. We’ll see if those prediction were right, or if Ford’s brand specialists go a different route for this more trail-minded Lightning.
It’s nice to see some new energy injected into the F-150 Lightning. Sure, it looks far more conservative than the Silverado EV Trail Boss, but that thing is more than $72K. With its Universal EV Platform announcement, Ford is proving to be increasingly price-conscious in the EV space. While an electrified Raptor or Tremor would really get the blood pumping, Ford looks to be bringing some off-road enhancements to the masses. That doesn’t seem like such a bad thing when the price of EV entry is already a pretty steep mountain to climb.
Things distinguishing on the F-150 Lightning "Tremor" off-road prototype:
- lifted
- 275/65 Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires
- off-road running boards
- possible beefier independent rear suspension
- unique grille
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