New Lightning Owner Observations, Review & Questions -- Chime in Here

[bp299]

This is my first EV, so go easy on the newbie. I do have a good buddy who is a huge Tesla fanboy and he'll helped me learn a bunch.

This will be a long read bit hopefully it will help others when they get theirs. Some wonky things I'll post and maybe others know a fix or workaround.

I picked it up on the 9th, here in SoCal, and I think it was one of the first few to land on the west coast. Thank God cause $7 a gallon is real here. Got mine in Valencia and I know Galpin Ford got 2 the same day per their insta.

I'll first start by saying that if you ordered the liner tray floor-mats make sure the dealer doesn't just just lay the drivers mat over the carpeted mat, since the carpeted mats below are locked in, it wont lock into the tabs and can slide forward and cause the go pedal to stick. Happened to me and I was almost a runaway EV statistic. Luckily the brake pedal was stronger than the accelerator.
Also, make sure before you go to contract, you check and educate your dealer on any state rebates. Here in Cali, there is a $750 www.cleanvehiclerebate.org but it must be written in to the deal. Had to go back and rewrite my deal. Go easy on your dealer as we all will know more about these trucks then they will.

Cool stuff

• Obviously the acceleration is insane. Not sure I can tell the difference between sport and normal. Both rip. Decent amount if torque steer off the line.
• Frunk is badass. That is all. .
• If you're tall, do watch your head on the corners when open.
• Cameras a plenty. Dig the trailer hitch and bed cam, which will stay on while driving to check your bed.
• Under rear seat fold down storage box is trick and locks down flat.
• Power up on tailgate also a plus. Works from remote or gate button.
• Second set of reverse lights for when the gate is down is clever.
• Seats are amazing. Way better than my Gen 2 Raptor and those are good. The lighter grey inserts look good and seem to stay cooler.
• The auto pilot is pretty cool and works decent but not below highway speeds. Only decent curves in the freeway it does a bit of searching/drunk driving. Distance needs to be set fairly close out here otherwise you'll end up driving slow with all the cars dodging thru lanes.
• There's a reverse tone when backing up. Good for us with 12 year old deaf Labs.

Quirks

• The truck won't come with a written owners manual, only a quick guide and a small supplement but it is easily accessible on the center screen w/ decent search function. Also available to download as PDF.
• I didn't get a keypad master code and the dealer is still trying to figure out how to access that. We tried the place each key at back of center console trick to get it on screen but there's no key slot/holder in the console to get that to work.
• Check your door seals and sunroof glass. Had a bit of factory grease to clean off
• The remote doesn't have an out start function to get the truck cooled down but the Pass app does.
• I wish the driver's charging display would show battery charge % at a glance and not just range. You can change that display to a cool "calm" mode that does or a couple of buttons on the big screen.
• In the app or the truck, I haven't found how to keep it cool/hot if you were say at lunch for an hour like the Tesla "Keep" function? The app will allow you to set daily departure times that will get the cabin temp ready for you.
• On my Raptor, I can decline phone call from the steering wheel but on this it only answers the call or hangs it up?
• One pedal driving is a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it works well. At slow speeds, you will literally come to a complete stop with using the brakes.
• The charging diagram in the pouch shows a holder for the charger but it wasn't included? Dealer said hadn't seen any with any Mach Es

Other notes

• Lariat wheels look very good.
• Ride is very nice and quiet but a bit floaty. My Raptor rides better on the road thru high speed dips and rough road. I'm going to go drive a washboard and rutted road that my Raptor glides over just for comparison. Not expecting it to compete tho.
• I do a lot of off-road moto so I'll report back after loading 2 dirt bikes and gear bags in the frunk.
• Was happy my dealer didn't mount the front plate holder but it was in the frunk.

Charging & Range

• After 143 miles, I'm averaging just over 1.5 mi/kw and that's including many pedal stomps. The giggle factor is just too hard to resist. I did see a high as 5 cruising on the freeway. Downhill.
• At home I have solar, power walls en route and a 50 amp RV plug setup in my garage. I have now charged it twice using the 14-50 adapter that comes with the truck. No word on when the Pro will show up from dealer. The first night I charged it from about 67% to 90% and it took 6hr3min. Last night I charged 64% to 100% and it took 9hr42min. Showing a range of 281 miles @ 100%. For those that don't get Lariat or Platinum w/ Pro charger, you may be fine with just a 50 amp RV plug upgrade. A wonky thing about the Ford Pass charging setting, when you select to choose less than 100%, it only allows the charging to start @ 9PM. Seems you should be able to change start time and charge limit separately?

Field charging

• I drive about 22k miles a year and I bought this truck for mostly daily driving that is typically no more than 100 miles a day so charging in the wild isn't as crucial. I did spend the afternoon pretending I needed to get a charge in my nearest town of Santa Clarita, about 22 miles away. The Ford nav is pretty good about showing you where chargers are and you can filter down 3 types of chargers. I also set up on Electrify, EVgo, & Plugshare.
• First, I tried the local Walmart and only 2 of the 6 chargers were working and they both were being used. One open charger I thought was working went not available when I plugged in and I couldn't get the plug out initially. Not good in 100 degree weather. Not sure what happened there but it finally released. Next spot was our local mall/town center. The Nav said there were chargers in 2 different parking structures but couldn't find one even tho the nav pointed me to a structure but nothing was there? The 2nd spot had 6 chargers but they were all being used. I then tried another spot that showed 2 chargers near about 20 Tesla chargers in an open shopping center. Most of the Teslas were full and the 2 others were out of service. I then dropped into visit buddies at my Porsche dealership but theirs are only for Porsche account holders. The last attempt was on the other side of town at a freeway close Kohl's parking lot. 2 fast chargers and both full. Now I know what they mean by Range Anxiety. Was pretty disappointing. I sure would be pissed if I needed a charge and was in any kind of a hurry. Guess planning and not being in a hurry is crucial in the non Tesla EV world. Hopefully that network opens up some day. We have a trip planned for about 320 miles to Lake Tahoe soon and was gonna give it a shot in the Lightning, but think we'll take the wife's Denali.

Hope this helps those who are waiting patiently.

Feel free to shoot questions, suggestions or answers.

 

[Fast911]

@bp229 very nice truck, congrats! Also nice write up. Thank you. I noticed that u r located in California. Im also in Ca. and have a lariat er on the way shortly.
I looked up the CVRP eligibility and requirements and this is what caught my eye.

Vehicle Eligibility
Eligible vehicles must meet requirements that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Be on the list of Eligible Vehicles
• Be new, as defined in the California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 430, and manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or its authorized licensee. Vehicles considered new vehicles solely for determination of compliance with state emissions standards are not eligible.
• Be registered as new in California. Vehicles may not be purchased, leased, or delivered out of state. Purchases/leases must be made via a California purchase or lease contract. Vehicles ordered online and delivered outside of California are not eligible. The seller's address as reflected on the purchase or lease agreement must be in California.
• Have an odometer reading below 7,500 miles at the time of purchase or lease.

As of February 24, 2022, vehicles must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a rebate:

• Have a base Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the following vehicle categories:
  • Base MSRP of $60,000 or less for vehicles that fall under the Large Vehicles category. This includes minivans, pickups, and SUVs.
  • Base MSRP of $45,000 or less for vehicles that fall under the Cars category. These are all other light-duty vehicles classes (e.g.; hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, and two-seaters).

With the exception of fuel-cell electric vehicles, all vehicles must meet the base MSRP caps according to the listed vehicle categories above. Vehicle categories are based on EPA class. Check the CVRP Eligible Vehicles list to determine if a vehicle is eligible.

THE BASE MSRP OF $60,000 makes the Lariat ER ineligible. Really kind of disappointing.

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

I didn't get a keypad master code and the dealer is still trying to figure out how to access that. We tried the place each key at back of center console trick to get it on screen but there's no key slot/holder in the console to get that to work.

Your dealer can hook up their computer and using FDRS they are able to pull up the master code. Absolute worst case, they can pull some panels to access the BCM and get it off of that

 

[Lightninorian]

THE BASE MSRP OF $60,000 makes the Lariat ER ineligible. Really kind of disappointing

The rebate is based on the lightning model, not the trim level. The Pro starts at $39k so all lightnings qualify.

 

[bp299]

The rebate is based on the lightning model, not the trim level. The Pro starts at $39k so all lightnings qualify.

Thats was my understanding also.

 

[bp299]

Your dealer can hook up their computer and using FDRS they are able to pull up the master code. Absolute worst case, they can pull some panels to access the BCM and get it off of that

Yea, they the salesman started acting like he was going to pull apart something under the glove box but we held off on that.

 

[bp299]

Also forgot to ask…. Any way to set up to watch/stream Netflix,etc on the center screen?

 

[Fast911]

The rebate is based on the lightning model, not the trim level. The Pro starts at $39k so all lightnings qualify.

yes on the lightning model…as stated:

• Base MSRP of $60,000 or less for vehicles that fall under the Large Vehicles category. This includes minivans, pickups, and SUVs.

i hoping I am wrong. I want that rebate too!
any thing <$60,000 will qualify.

 

[Oneand0]

Congratulations and very nice write up! I especially like the details with trying to find open charge slots, comparing it to driving a Tesla for the last year. I put in 15k EV miles a year just for work, so it will be interesting to see how my Lariat ER does, hopefully sooner than later (5/23 build week). I’m planning on taking vacation in Fall with it and spending time at Glacier National Park for fall color photography. Little worried about the fast chargers from Tahoe to there.

If you do take it to South Lake Tahoe, I would love to just look at it. I’ve never seen one. I’ll be in the A51 Bronco with no top on.

Safe travels!

 

[Lightninorian]

yes on the lightning model…as stated:

• Base MSRP of $60,000 or less for vehicles that fall under the Large Vehicles category. This includes minivans, pickups, and SUVs.

i hoping I am wrong. I want that rebate too!
any thing <$60,000 will qualify.

Screenshot from the cvr? Whatever website. All lightnings qualify.

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

Also forgot to ask…. Any way to set up to watch/stream Netflix,etc on the center screen?

Check out this post from the Mach-E forum
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/why-i-bought-the-carplay-ai-box.6676/

 

[Roy2001]

• First, I tried the local Walmart and only 2 of the 6 chargers were working and they both were being used. One open charger I thought was working went not available when I plugged in and I couldn't get the plug out initially. Not good in 100 degree weather. Not sure what happened there but it finally released. Next spot was our local mall/town center. The Nav said there were chargers in 2 different parking structures but couldn't find one even tho the nav pointed me to a structure but nothing was there? The 2nd spot had 6 chargers but they were all being used. I then tried another spot that showed 2 chargers near about 20 Tesla chargers in an open shopping center. Most of the Teslas were full and the 2 others were out of service. I then dropped into visit buddies at my Porsche dealership but theirs are only for Porsche account holders. The last attempt was on the other side of town at a freeway close Kohl's parking lot. 2 fast chargers and both full. Now I know what they mean by Range Anxiety. Was pretty disappointing. I sure would be pissed if I needed a charge and was in any kind of a hurry. Guess planning and not being in a hurry is crucial in the non Tesla EV world. Hopefully that network opens up some day. We have a trip planned for about 320 miles to Lake Tahoe soon and was gonna give it a shot in the Lightning, but think we'll take the wife's Denali.

Congratulations. I also ordered Lariat ER with the iced blue. Do you have max tow package for extra cooling? I am thinking whether to add that feature.

I don't plan to drive Lightning for long road trip, even in California, at least in the near future. I really worry that when I reach the charging station with the last drop of juice in battery, the charger is not functioning. With Tesla it would be much better.

 

[bp299]

Yes, I have the max tow package.

Speaking of cooling, it’s been near 100 degrees here so the fan has been on quite often.
I’ve also noticed the motor temp has stayed right at the halfway mark and the battery temp has peaked just slightly above halfway.

Another little cool thing I found is that you can rewind/skip back songs on satellite radio and btw, the B&O system rocks!

 

[Roy2001]

Yes, I have the max tow package.

Speaking of cooling, it’s been near 100 degrees here so the fan has been on quite often.
I’ve also noticed the motor temp has stayed right at the halfway mark and the battery temp has peaked just slightly above halfway.

Another little cool thing I found is that you can rewind/skip back songs on satellite radio and btw, the B&O system rocks!

Thank you! I will add it.

 

[bg226]

Great post! I got my Lightning the day after you on 6/10 in Socal as well. I wasn't aware that the dealer could give you the California rebate. I'm just going to submit everything online and get a check in the mail. Fortunately, I qualify for the $2000 rebate.

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