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There has been a pile of EV threads here lately so I thought I'd pile on. I figured I'd share my initial experience with the Ford Lightning EV and go through some things as objectively as possible.

Its a 2022 F150 Lightning SR (standard range)
First the elephant in the room:

Range:

The range "sucks" I said it so you don't need to.

The official EPA range is 230 miles. The truck has a 98 kWh battery so this comes to a bit over 2.3mi/kWh.

My personal experience thus far in cold weather highway driving (65-70mph) is about 2.0 miles per kWh so 198 miles. I've seen from 1.7-2.7 mi/kWh. As the weather warmed into the 50's 2.3-2.4 has been achievable in mixed city/highway driving.

The recommended daily management of the battery is to charge to 90% then drain to 20% for the best battery longevity. So, using 70% of the battery gets you about 140 miles in daily use in the winter.

I typically drive 60-90 miles a day so I have no issues with it.

The truck stuff:

At its core the truck is a standard F150 body dropped onto an application specific frame. No surprises with the interior it's just standard F150 for the most part with a different cluster and modified center screens. The floor seems slightly raised so the seat feels a bit closer to the floor than normal.

The truck has Motors front and rear, full time AWD. There is a selectable rear locker. It has front and rear IRS. ground clearance is 8 inches. This is about .2" less than a standard F-150 however unlike a traditional pickup it's 8" under the majority of the truck due to the battery location not just under the centerline of the rear differential. The "off roading" that I do consist of Farm fields and logging roads on public and private land so It's sufficient for me.

Where this thing shines is winter driving. It weighs about 6100 pounds with an even weight distribution front to rear. It drives better on snow covered paved roads than any vehicle I've ever driven.

Payload is 2100 pounds. Tow rating is 7,700 pounds with the "max Tow" package on a Standard range truck.

Towing:

I haven't towed with it at this point but from what I gather from folks that have expect the range to drop 30-50% in the real world. Frontal area matters far more than weight. A camp trailer or tall enclosed trailer is going to be far worse than a boat. Yes, this means your towing range might be an honest 100 miles towing your camp trailer. If you tow long distance frequently DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE unless you have plenty of free time.

Charging:

Charging at home is a a major plus. I installed a 48A 240V charger. I typically charge to 85% daily. because the range covers all my daily needs, I don't waste any time charging unless on a trip. I have a Time of Use plan with the electric utility. Overnight and weekend cost of electricity is .074 per kWh. This puts the cost per mile for energy at just under 4 cents per mile.

As far as long-distance trips go I decided what I'd be willing to put up with for my most common trips (visiting family) is charging once in each direction. This vehicle meets that requirement for my use. Ford claims it takes 41 minutes to charge from 20%-80% on a public "level 3" 150 kW charger. My experience is that's correct. Grab lunch and take a piss and your back on the road.

If you're the type that likes to piss in a Gatorade bottle with one hand while fueling with the other while you yell at your wife across the fuel island to hurry the fuck up so you can hit the road this thing isn't for you.
I've travelled long distance on Marathon runs in the past, I've driven 24 hours straight on a couple occasions, and my dad has travelled with a "must get to the destination as fast as possible" bent my entire life. I hate it and it sucks the enjoyment out of travel for me. Generally, If I'm driving long distance, I'm on vacation. I don't give a shit if it takes an extra 2 hours to get there.

Power:

The truck has 452 horsepower and 775 lb/ft of torque. It's fast as hell for a pickup, and with AWD it has no issues launching. 0-60 in a touch under 5 seconds.

I didn't buy it for this but It's defiantly nice to be able to merge up steep onramps with a load in the bed regardless of traffic conditions.

Everything else:

With the coil over IRS it rides smoother than any pickup I've driven. The reason it matters to me is I had a 2022 F350 4x4 and about a month after I got it, I started getting dizzy whenever I drove it. I had a stroke between Order and delivery, so it royally fucked up my plans.

For a Daily driver that can still haul and tow stuff this thing is awesome. Spending $100 a month on electricity instead of $500 on gas is nice and allows me to use one vehicle as both a commuter and for everything else I need to do. All the towing I do is local, so the lack of long-distance towing ability doesn't affect my use.

I paid 56K for the truck. It was a dealer demo with 900 miles on it. Basic interior vinyl seats/rubber floor. "Pro" trim. Has "max tow" package which just consists of and additional cooling loop for the battery and motors, the suspension is the same. Also has Blind spot warning, 360 degree cameras, "pro power" 120V 20A plugs in the cab, Bed, and in the front trunk. In addition to a 30A 240V plug in the bed.

You can get a larger battery for 320 miles of EPA range but it forces you into the higher trim packages to get it. It ends up being a 25K upcharge if all you actually want is a larger battery. I don't care for luxury pickups, and I tend to get in them filthy so the lowest trim I can get is preferable.


I didn't buy this thing to "save the earth" or any else. It's just a pickup with the operating costs of an economy car.  

Cool truck, btw.

My god you are fast on these threads. It's like the term EV is sent directly to you for approval before the thread clears.

Nice truck. Around town, it seems to make sense.

Traveling & living in the middle of nowhere, it doesn’t seem to make much sense at all.

You got it. If you need to drive over 140 miles a day frequently or a bunch of long distance travel then it would be terrible. The ER (extended rage versions are typicaly over 80K for 320 miles of range and to me defeat the purpose of a do all vehicle at a reasonable price.

From a visual perspective, the sidewall on the tires looks to small. Enjoy in good health

If the trucks does what you need it to, that’s great. I enjoy the 550 mile range on my Ecoboost Raptor’s fuel tank.

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From reading the arfcom EV threads, this is the majority of arfcom PU owners. You forgot the 20,000 pound trailer they all pull everywhere, though.

I'm sorry.

You could put a big ass gas generator in the back of that thing

Fuck ev’s

I will buy an EV when the last US refinery closes down

Any interior pix?

Wife and I were interested in one when they first came out.   Talked to the dealer and got put on a wait list.  Then Ford came out and said they were raising prices so we called and took out name off the list.  Dealer called like a month or so later asking if we were still interested in it.  I asked the price and it went up a few $1000 more since the last time, so I said no.  They called again a few months back, same thing...price was even higher.  I told them to stop calling.

Eww


And Oof. I wouldn't even be able to go visit my nearest family with that. It would not make it and there are ZERO places I could charge in the middle for the trip.

ET THREAD

Lift it.

Big wheels & tires.

Darker window tint.

As you said, for a daily driver that can haul stuff I'd certainly consider it.  Except for the price point.  For that reason I'm leaning towards a Maverick instead (should they become available again).

I have no issues with it not being a "real truck".  I've got a 1 ton dually for "real truck" needs.  For driving less than 100 miles a day with the ability to throw shit in the back while avoiding gas / oil change costs, I think it looks great.  If I were considering a true EV in that price range, I'd probably consider it over a Tesla.  

Nope.

Can you tow a diesel generator to charge it or do you rely on coal or nuclear power plants to charge it?

I'm curious when they'll start marking multifuel bring-along chargers.

GM & others experimented with them heavily in the 2000s.

They had several hybrid-type drivetrains that would run 60-80mpg similar to how a diesel locomotive works (People generally don't realize that diesel locomotives don't run on diesel, they run on electric with a diesel turbogen).

GM at one time had a vehicle that would do 60-80mpg on almost anything : propane, gasoline, kerosene, natural gas, avgas, jet-A, diesel and more. I loved (generally) the idea of having a vehicle that could run on anything, similar to a Modern M35a2.

Eventually someone will make a small-format combined cycle turbine generator for these kinds of vehicles and it'll be game over. It's silly we use ICE engines utilizing only 45% of the energy in fuel, when for power plants they can get 90%+, heck some cases are 95% right now.

Nice truck OP.

Thanks for the writeup

I was considering one but when my order came up they were jacking prices up and getting rid of features so I said no thanks.

How does it not run on diesel if diesel is the original source eof energy that is converted several times before used for propulsion within the same vehicle? I mean, you put diesel in and movement comes out.

It's diesel powered, just uses diesel to run a generator to make electricity to move the whole mess. Very efficient being able to run the diesel at a constant RPM in its efficiency range.

Good luck, I HAD a 22 XLT SR.  First three months were great, then we had a battery module fail 4 hours from home.  It took ford 3 weeks to send a new module, and the one they sent was bad so it was another 4 fucking weeks.  I got a settlement out of them and decided to keep the truck instead of a buyout.  Last week, more issues. Heat was not working and then after starting the truck to drive home it threw up a ton of errors including another drivetrain and service soon error.  I am fucking done with Ford, I am waiting on my buyback check now.

I don't hate EVs, but that range is atrocious.  It is fine for a little commuter car that will stay in the city, but if you ever have plans for any real truck stuff it just doesn't make sense.

Payload isn't bad, the towing capacity is on the low end.  It's not a bad looking truck.

The range only gets better over time

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for the rest of us I suspect the hybrid F150 would be be the best of all worlds(except the the sticker price).  My son has a friend with one and he loves it

Thanks!

It's a risk for sure. Hopefully it works out. If not, hopefully It fails spectacularly under warranty.

EV THREAD

Dang beat

Your truck is trash

I hate it

If I see you I will unplug you

I live in western Oregon... Where is your family? Southeast Oregon would be a bitch, most everywhere else is doable.

FIFY

If it works for OP, it works.

I appreciate his clear description.  It makes me even less likely to buy one, if that's possible.  But that's what information is supposed to do - inform.

Thank you OP.

This and the Rivian truck are the only EVs I would look at. Also I want to own a frunk.

Why wouldn't you get a cool logging truck and go blublublublub down the logging trails

Sounds like EV pickup owners want a car that's shaped like a truck, but never really intend to tow or haul anything.

The whole point of owning a truck is to tow/haul.  Otherwise it's just an expensive, inefficient car that doesn't do car things very well.

FWIW I used to own a truck and I did haul my ATVs and camper with the truck for long distances when I had it.  But why even have a camper if you can't take it long distances?  The whole point of a camper is to "get away".  If your tow vehicle runs out of power before you even leave your county, it's just not going to cut it.

EV's are far more toxic to the environment than IC vehicles.

That sounds perfect for me!

Overall absolutely. But I did my best in a cat deleted cammed srt8 300. Attached File

Based

8 cylinders minimum. Porsche gets the only 6cyl waiver

I will wait for you hidden from view with a bow. I will shoot you with a giant foam tipped arrow.

How's the locker work? Is it a conventional axle with a motor on it? I don't really know how electric cars are setup

I accidentally found a 1954 Chevy 1 ton flatbed with a 3-53 Detroit diesel on facebook marketplace a few days ago. If I had a place to store it I would have bought it and  done just that.

How did you know my weakness

Based

No. It's set up with Independant suspension with the drive motor mounted in the center similar to a Front wheel drive car, I guess. Not sure how it's mechanically set up to "lock" both sides or if it's just software based to not allow slip on one side.

Watch 2:30-3:00 here: