Ford has filed a trademark application for the name "Lightstream," and the filing hints it could be used for a future EV.
The application, which was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Nov. 22, covers "motor vehicles, namely, passenger automobiles, four-wheeled motor vehicles, sport utility vehicles, off-road vehicles, electrically powered motor vehicles, structural parts and fittings thereof."
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Another recent Ford trademark filing for the name "Flash" turned out to be a new variant of the F-150 Lightning pickup truck. Ford may be planning yet another variant, perhaps with added off-road capability, as hinted at by the mention of "off-road vehicles" in the filing.
Another possibility is the new electric pickup, codenamed T3, that Ford plans to launch in 2025. This new truck, which Ford CEO Jim Farley has said "is going to be like the Millennium Falcon—with a back porch attached," will be based on a dedicated EV platform. That differs from the Lightning, which is derived from the current internal-combustion F-150.
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The trademark application also mentions "sport utility vehicles," and Ford has a new electric SUV in the works as well. Also scheduled to debut in 2025, it will have three rows of seats and 350 miles of range, Ford announced earlier this year. The automaker claims that range will be achieved with efficiency-focused engineering and design, rather than just enlarging the battery pack.
It's also possible that Ford won't use the Lightstream name for anything. Automakers often trademark names just to block competitors from using them. Given the similarity of "Lightstream" to "Lightning," that might be the case here.