The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is already highly anticipated for its numerous features that promise to make pickup truck ownership more convenient and practical than ever. The built-in power generator that is currently at work in the Ford F-150 hybrid has already proven to be a boon for many owners over the past year. But now, the 2022 Ford Lightning is promising to make towing even easier with a slew of new towing tech. 

How much can the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning tow? 

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning certainly won’t be the towing champ, but it might be many people’s preferred towing rig nonetheless. The massive diesel work trucks hold that crown firmly, but the Lightning promises a respectable 10,000-lb towing capacity. 

As MotorTrend notes, of course, the Lightning’s 300-mile range will be affected by towing. However, Ford has been clever and tuned the computer to take the burden of calculating that away from the driver. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning will notice the extra weight and recalibrate the range depending on how much weight is in tow. 

The Ford Lightning is taking all towing tech and rolling it into one

One of the most important factors in towing is weight. Knowing how much weight that’s in tow or in the payload is key. The 2022 Ford Lightning will have censors in the four corners of the bed to gauge payload weight in real-time. It can also use these sensors to assess the mass and aero load of a trailer. 

The way it works is a driver can input their specific trailer profile, programming in the length, height, mass, etc. Once the rig is driven a short distance, the truck can “verify” the trailer, ensuring the trailer profile info is correct.

Charging is the biggest hurdle standing in the way of EV domination

EVs are quickly getting more efficient and useful than gas-powered cars. Some may be uncomfortable about that change, but that doesn’t make it not true. However, the current charging infrastructure is crippling the EV movement. Ford, along with many other companies, is working hard to expand charging infrastructure. 

Ford has started linking various chargers from different companies by offering easy access using the FordPass app. This app can authorize and handle payment at all participating chargers, no matter who made them. One of the largest EV charging networks, Electrify America, is one of many partners in this infrastructure push.

At the time of this writing, the FordPass network includes roughly 13,500 stations with some 40,000 plugs, but it’s growing all the time, according to MotorTrend. 

Ford Trailer hitch assist is coming to the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning

Ford is currently working on a trailer hitch alignment feature that will be ready for the 2022 Ford Lightning production. Like all the other Ford F-150 Lightning towing features, this trailer hitch assist is another small thing that makes the pressure points of towing just a smidge easier. As Ford systematically takes the annoyances out of towing, towing should get all the more popular for people who don’t have to do it. This will mainly attract customers interested in campers but who were previously unwilling to wade through the hassle.