Why Ford Unveiling An Electric F-150 Is A Big Deal

There's a lot riding on the F-150 Lightning, the all-electric pickup that Ford unveiled Wednesday.

For the company, it represents a big strategic bet on the rise of electric vehicles — one that nearly every rival automaker is also making. And it's also a symbol for the vision of America that President Biden has been promoting: made in America, pairing blue-collar roots and high-tech ambitions, fighting climate change without making compromises.

The subtext was made explicit when the president visited Ford's Rouge complex on Tuesday to tout electric vehicles in general and praise this one in particular — even taking it for a spin on the test track.