The Fast Lane (TFL) Studios is one of a number of channels covering the heck out of the all-new Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. In order to compete and keep things interesting, these channels have to come up with new ideas that other channels may not have covered. How about a race between the F-150 Lightning and a Tesla Model 3? To make it especially exciting, the Tesla happens to be the range-topping Performance version.
The Tesla Model 3 Performance is one of the quickest cars on the market today. Sure, that can be said about a whole host of vehicles. To be clear, this Tesla performance sedan isn't as quick as the much more expensive Model S or rivals like the Porsche Taycan or Lucid Air. However, the Model 3 Performance's 3.1-second zero-to-60-mph time is definitely impressive, especially considering its price compared to rivals ($62,990).
The Ford F-150 Lightning clearly wasn't designed with the drag strip in mind, though virtually any EV is going to fare pretty well in these shorter, straight-line battles thanks to the powertrain's instant off-the-line torque and smooth and lively acceleration. In fact, the Lightning has already been proven to pull off a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4 seconds flat.
TFL posted the above video on one of its many channels, and it just happens to be the channel that applies to EV-specific content: TFLEV. They take the F-150 Lightning to a real drag strip, the Bandimere Speedway outside of Denver, Colorado, for a test and tune event. The event basically allows just about anyone to show up, pay a fee, use the track, and get an official time.
Prior to the run, one of the hosts, Tommy, guesses that the Lightning will cover a quarter-mile pass "in the 15s," which would be impressive for a large and capable pickup truck. Tommy just happens to line the electric F-150 up against a Model 3 Performance after watching a Ram TRX pull off a 13.3-second quarter-mile.
The Tesla driver is able to get a much better launch than Tommy in the F-150 Lightning, but the truck takes off with an urgency that's truly remarkable to watch. The Model 3 Performance is the clear winner, but it's not nearly as far ahead of the electric pickup truck as many people might expect. The Tesla's official time is 11.72 to the Lightning's 12.81. The electric F-150's trap speed is 104.57 mph to the Model 3's 113.54.
It's crazy that a full-size pickup truck can pull off a quarter-mile pass with a time that's just a second slower than a Model 3 Performance, and that's after a terrible launch. The Lightning also proves that it's a touch quicker than the Ram TRX Tommy watched prior to taking his turn.
Of course, Tommy makes another attempt in the F-150 Lightning, and while it launches much better, it's not able to accelerate quite as quickly. There seems to be a little bit of power loss near the end.
Check out the full video for more F-150 Lightning runs. Then, scroll down to the comment section and let us know what you think. This is the future, folks!
