Thanks to its enormous popularity in the United States – it’s been the country’s best-selling ute for 44 years – Ford’s F-150 has become something of a hairy-chested ute icon in New Zealand. So the launch of an electric variant is big news, especially since it delivers more torque than any of its predecessors at a staggering 1050Nm while taking arguably the ultimate workhorse into the future.

And we’re not just talking about changes to the body structure and suspension. This ute allows proper hands-free driving on 160,000km of divided highways in America and Canada. Onboard scales use the truck’s sensors to estimate payload (to a maximum of 907kg) and, as greater payload cuts range, the scales are integrated with ‘Intelligent Range’ to tell you how far you can go before plugging in. Pro Trailer Hitch Assist (tow rating is 4.5 tonnes) auto controls steering, throttle and brake input.

Ford Intelligent Backup Power can use your ute to power your home, with 9.6kW available to keep energy flowing to lights and appliances during an outage for up to three days. Once power returns, the ute continues to recharge its own battery.

Pro Power On Board lets you plug power tools into the ute and use them until the auto cut-off, which ensures enough power remains to reach the nearest charging station.

Given there’s now no conventional engine under the bonnet, the space becomes 400 litres of storage and includes four electrical outlets, two USB ports and a drainable floor.

The F-150 hits LHD sales floors next year at prices promised to match the fossil-fuel versions, though there’s no news yet on whether we’ll see an RHD version any time soon.