Since its debut, the innovative and efficient F-150 Lightning has been winning over truck drivers with its high torque, futuristic features, and smooth, quiet ride. As EV technology continues to evolve, the Lightning evolves alongside it, gaining upgrades that make it better and better. Among other updates, the 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning is getting a host of new features that will improve your charging experience so you can drive stress-free, whether you’re commuting to work or heading out on a road trip. Let’s dive into the details and see what’s new for this full-size all-electric pickup.
DC Fast Charging Faster Than Ever
There are different ways to charge electric vehicles like the F-150 Lightning, so let’s start with a quick refresher. Level 1 charging is essentially plugging the truck into an ordinary power outlet, like the ones in your home. This makes for very slow charging, but it’s good to have as an emergency option in a pinch. Get a Level 2 charger installed at home, and you’ll be able to charge at a much more reasonable speed, adding plenty of miles to your range if you leave your truck plugged in overnight. Get a compatible charger installed, and you can also run power the other way, using your F-150 Lightning to power your home during a power outage.
When you’re out and about, you can also find Level 2 stations that are great for charging while you spend a few hours working, shopping, or playing. But if you’re on a road trip or another situation where you need to add a lot of miles in mere minutes, Level 2 can be too slow. In that case, you’ll want to look for a DC fast charging station, which you can easily do by searching the BlueOval Charge Network. Once you find one, you’ll find that fast charging is even faster in the 2025 model than it was in the past. Ford has brought the truck’s maximum charging current from 450 amps to 500 amps, so you can get the range you need and be on your way.
Customize Your Charge Settings
Every driver has their own priorities when it comes to charging. Whether you prioritize charging speed, battery longevity, or spending as little on energy as possible, you should be able to easily charge your truck in a way that works for your needs. That’s why the updates for the 2025 F-150 Lightning are giving you even more ways to customize how you charge. You can now access real-time charging information in the in-vehicle app so that you can see not only the current battery percentage and range but also the current charging speed, so you know exactly how fast you’re getting power.
There are also more tools for setting a charge limit. This might not feel intuitive to those who haven’t owned EVs before, but it’s not always a good idea to charge your battery all the way up to 100%. While this can be fine on a road trip, where you’re pretty much immediately going to use the power, it can hurt the lifespan of the battery if you leave it at 100% for a longer period of time.
The F-150 Lightning has had a feature to help you with this since before the current model year, but it required you to set a charge limit for each individual charger you used. This makes sense because you probably want a different limit for a DC fast charger than you do for your home charging station. However, some drivers would rather have a single limit that they can set and forget. Responding to this, Ford now allows you to set a universal charge limit for all locations. You can still set different limits for individual chargers if you prefer—this option simply gives you more freedom to charge your truck your way.
Finally, you can now set location-based preferred charge times. This lets you take advantage of off-peak times, when electricity is cheaper either at home or at a public charging station. By setting up a timer, you can plug in your F-150 Lightning right when you get home (or to work, or to another place where you regularly charge), but wait for the actual charging to kick in until the price is right. This helps you get the most bang for your buck, so you can enjoy the financial benefits of going electric.
NACS Charging
For a long time, Tesla charging stations could only be used by Tesla vehicles. That’s because the automaker developed its own charging standard (called NACS) instead of using the more universal system that EVs made by just about every other automaker in the United States (CCS). This was frustrating for non-Tesla EV drivers who were unable to use the network of Tesla Superchargers, which are often conveniently located for road trips. Luckily, things are different now.
Back in 2023, Tesla and Ford reached a deal that allows Ford EV drivers to use Tesla charging stations. And now, for the 2025 model year, an NACS charging adapter will be included as standard equipment with every F-150 Lightning. With this convenient little piece of equipment, you can pull up to any Tesla Supercharger and get the extra range you need to continue down the road.
You don’t need to find these charging stations on your own, either. If you use Apple CarPlay, you’ll have them loaded right into your maps. EV Routing makes it easy to plan trips with charging in mind—the app will let you know how much battery level you can expect to have when you reach your destination and suggest charging stations along your route if necessary. For the 2025 model year, NACS fast chargers will be included, so you can see all of your options at a glance and have ultimate flexibility when planning your next long-haul drive in your F-150 Lightning.
If you don’t use Apple CarPlay, don’t worry. You can also plan your trip using Android Auto and Google Maps EV or through the FordPass app, which also lets you activate charging remotely and keep track of your energy usage on your phone or smart watch. Ford has long been a company that gives its drivers the freedom to conquer the road in their own way. In the era of electrification, this spirit is as strong as ever, and you can drive into the future on whatever path is right for you.
The Future Is Bright With the F-150 Lightning
Already a fantastic truck, the F-150 Lightning is becoming even better for the 2025 model year. Charging is one of the top priorities for EV owners, and Ford has done a lot to improve the way this truck gets its power. On top of the new charging features, the truck is also getting an updated version of BlueCruise. The hands-free highway driving feature will now handle curves more smoothly, provide more in-lane stability, and be available as a one-time purchase as well as a subscription.
As the F-150 Lightning continues to change year after year, Ford is listening directly to drivers and letting the truck’s fans influence its future. This means that new models don’t just have high-tech gimmicks or flashy appearance packages designed to lure customers in. Instead, they have improvements that really affect your experience behind the wheel, making it better and better. If you want to see that for yourself, visit us here at Future Ford of Sacramento and get behind the wheel for a test drive. We’re sure that the more you get to know this electric pickup, the more you’ll love it.
