US President Joe Biden test drove the new all-electric F-150 Lightning pick-up truck by Ford on Tuesday, as he championed electric cars as the “future of the auto industry”.
Biden visited Ford Motor Company's electric vehicle plant in Dearborn, Michigan, where he made a speech and got to check out the newest cars in development by the motoring company.
"We need automakers and other companies to keep investing here in America and not take the benefits of our public investments and expand electric vehicles and battery manufacturing abroad," Biden said.
"We're going to set a new pace for electric vehicles," he said, vowing to reverse what he called the Trump administration's "short-sighted" rollback of vehicle emissions standards.
As well as getting a first look at some of the coming vehicles, the President also made an unscheduled stop at a nearby race track to test out the new F-150 truck.
After a spin around the track, Biden pulled up to a waiting pool of reporters, before proclaiming: “This sucker’s quick.”
He then proved it, sticking his foot down for another spin around the track, as his security team raced parallel in another vehicle, struggling to keep up.
The President’s speed caused plenty of conversation on social media.
Biden says the Ford is seriously fast. Then to prove it he asks press to get out the way and floors the accelerator for another burst around the Dearborn testing site pic.twitter.com/dU1sX1JQBA
— Sebastian Smith (@SebastianAFP) May 18, 2021
Biden drives off into the sunset in an electric truck https://t.co/24RV7FBJCR
— Thor Benson (@thor_benson) May 18, 2021
President Biden got to test drive Ford’s F-150 Lightning pickup…and of course he is riding in style with his shades 😎 pic.twitter.com/PDkxxypiK8
— Andrew (@TheRealAndrew_) May 18, 2021
The Ford F-150 Lightning looks very similar to the conventional F-150, which is Ford's best-selling vehicle in the US, however, as Biden demonstrated, it has the potential to be quicker.
The vehicle is set for release on Wednesday, when Ford will be releasing full details of its specs.
