LIGHTNING CURIOSITY -- Why Did You Choose It?

[EVBill]

Yep! I typically drive 19k miles each year. A truck getting 23 mpg or 4.3 gallons per 100 miles will cost me about that much in fuel. The power company I use at home has free EV charging at night so this saves me a lot of money.

Don't expect the free EV charging at night to stay around very long after more and more see how nice it is to own and drive and EV.

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[Ruination]

There are obviously very real reasons why a lightning would not be suitable for everyone. Specially if you tow long distances. I have no reservations about the power, however.

Live in very cold climates.

Live out in BFE's BFE.

But if you haven't driven an EV, ya don't know.

 

[Sklith]

Don't expect the free EV charging at night to stay around very long after more and more see how nice it is to own and drive and EV.

My power company manages to make money in the long run by charging me more for energy consumed during the on-peak times of each day. So they're incentivizing customers like me to not use a lot of energy when it's expensive. Even as EV adoption continues takes off we'll see more power companies do stuff like this.

 

[Kev12345]

I was curious as to what the draw to the Lightning is and would like to hear feedback on why you chose this truck.

Is this just your commuting vehicle for shorter trips and you have another vehicle for extended trips or?

Ordered a Lightning because Cybertruck keeps getting delayed. I only have one vehicle so it'll be used for city and long trips. Lightning looks amazing. My only complaint is the low range.

 

[Arthur]

want an electric full size pickup truck and right now F150 Lightning is the only choice that does not break the bank (Rivian R1T is mid-sized pickup and also hard to get,)

 

[williams]

My power company manages to make money in the long run by charging me more for energy consumed during the on-peak times of each day. So they're incentivizing customers like me to not use a lot of energy when it's expensive. Even as EV adoption continues takes off we'll see more power companies do stuff like this.

AH HA Really screw them up, charge at night free, then use the truck to power the house during the day!

 

[TF1000]

For sure the range will decrease a lot in cold weather but you don't have to worry about it not starting (my diesel tractors are the worst).

 

[Oneand0]

Don't expect the free EV charging at night to stay around very long after more and more see how nice it is to own and drive and EV.

Yeah, you are right. Unless you’re this guy! I’m determined to build my DIY system with a little help. If you want a quick laugh, go to the 4 min mark.

 

[Fordskeptic]

The 2022 F150 L Pro (assuming 7500 tax credit) is the best value in a full size 4wd truck, possibly any vehicle with 4 wheels IMHO. Unfortunately/consequently , it will be a rare commodity for some time. If I were to get 1, I would use it like any other truck (commute, tow, haul, off road, etc). Having a July reservation my chances of even at 2023-24 are slim to none though.

 

[MickeyAO]

Personally, I have the worst use case for ICE, and a great use case for BEV. My current GMC Denali is 3 years old and has a little over 11k miles as my daily driver. I have to drive it hard just to warm up the engine before I shut it off.

Second, my real job is to research EVs, Li-ion batteries, modules, and cells. I drive a variety of EVs on a near-daily basis. When I'm not driving the EV, I'm subjecting the battery to 'safety' testing...all the things manufacturers tell you not to do, we do them here.

But the reason for the Lighting over Riven, CT, Avalanche EV, or any other EV? I drive luxury trucks and this is the only one that looks like a normal truck. I will be giving up a few interior toys, but that's alright...I'm sure they will be available in the next three years.

 

[swesson]

I have been a Tesla owner for 6 years. I got the Model X when i still had two kids at home and needed to haul a crew around. Now, six years later, I am empty nest and have moved out to the country on 70 acres. I never will go back to an ICE vehicle. (I have the electric Polaris Ranger on order, too!) I have a solor plant on my roof and the sun charges my car. This is the way we should all be going.

 

[REDHORSECA]

California daily commute = 100 miles per day.

Plus California pump prices:



mic drop

Lightning = can drive in HOV lanes, BEV = -50% toll fees.

 

[jfried]

To be fair, I cannot invisage a worse-application than whitehorse for an EV. They don't paticularily like the extreme cold, you presumably do some pretty big distances, and I'd imagine that the public charging infrastructure is nonexistent.

On the flip side, Americans love their trucks... and most of them are rarely used for hauling 8,000# trailers across the country.

These trucks are faster, more exciting, cheaper to "fuel", avoid the "wow factor" at the pump (it just contributes to an unknown uptick on your electricity bill), require very little maintenance, and with credits, can sometimes pay for themselves (versus the ICE equivalent) in a year or two on fuel savings alone. Some states give you other perks like HOV lane access, etc.

To put it simply, these trucks are better in every which way except 1 -- which is of course, range.

The thing is, on a daily commuting basis, the chances of you needing to use public charging is very low, especially with the 300 mile range. Yes, Americans probably travel to "other cities" more often than Canadians do... a large reason for that is because the cities are much closer together.

Even if you've gotta make a road trip, charging is widely available. Going with the 300 mile range, on one stop (lunch), you can probably get around 550 miles. Unless you're doing it for work, who really wants to spend more than 8 hours behind the wheel in a day?

That range, is simply such a minor inconvenience relative to all the benefits.

 

[MTNMN]

To be fair, I cannot invisage a worse-application than whitehorse for an EV. They don't paticularily like the extreme cold, you presumably do some pretty big distances, and I'd imagine that the public charging infrastructure is nonexistent.

On the flip side, Americans love their trucks... and most of them are rarely used for hauling 8,000# trailers across the country.

These trucks are faster, more exciting, cheaper to "fuel", avoid the "wow factor" at the pump (it just contributes to an unknown uptick on your electricity bill), require very little maintenance, and with credits, can sometimes pay for themselves (versus the ICE equivalent) in a year or two on fuel savings alone. Some states give you other perks like HOV lane access, etc.

To put it simply, these trucks are better in every which way except 1 -- which is of course, range.

The thing is, on a daily commuting basis, the chances of you needing to use public charging is very low, especially with the 300 mile range. Yes, Americans probably travel to "other cities" more often than Canadians do... a large reason for that is because the cities are much closer together.

Even if you've gotta make a road trip, charging is widely available. Going with the 300 mile range, on one stop (lunch), you can probably get around 550 miles. Unless you're doing it for work, who really wants to spend more than 8 hours behind the wheel in a day?

That range, is simply such a minor inconvenience relative to all the benefits.

That’s a great reply man!
certainly there are situations and people that this really works for that I understand better thanks to all the comments.

 

[FordLightningMan]

Many of the responses here are from EV owners, going into a second or third EV. Once you move forward with technology, it's very hard to move back. I simply have no interest in ever buying a gas car again, the Lightning will be replacing the last ICE in my garage.

I'm also currently in Buffalo NY, weather here is almost the worst use case scenario for a EV. Not only has it not deterred me, I'm actually going with less range on my Lightning because I realize how much wasted battery is in my Tesla that I paid for and use < 5% of the time.

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