50,000 miles - What a long, strange trip it's been.

[Labs4Lightning]

Great write up! And here I was worried about my 15k miles I've put on my truck since August 1st, the exact same configuration as yours, but now I don't feel quite as bad.

Funny. Got mine within a day or so of you. 10,800. Also spent 57 days at dealer and I drove fewer days after arm surgery put me on the sidelines.
but I’m putting next to nothing on my car. Probably 800 miles since august.

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[Helium]

Funny, informative and entertaining. Nice read! Thanks for taking the time to share.

I was feeling a bit "extra" (I think that is what the kids are calling it these days) today. I've edited it three times and I still keep seeing typos

 

[GunRack]

Im curious how your insurance works. Do you tell them you drive 50k /yr or is that just normal in Missouri? Here I feel like they jack the price up 20% every 1k more miles I drive.

 

[Helium]

Im curious how your insurance works. Do you tell them you drive 50k /yr or is that just normal in Missouri? Here I feel like they jack the price up 20% every 1k more miles I drive.

First of all to be clear, I don't drive this much for work. Primarily it is to support a physically challenged family member as well as "everything is 30 miles away" combined.

Second, I always say I drive at least 15,000 miles when I get a new insurance policy because they don't have a way of indicating more (Progressive).

Third, I just went online while waiting on the paperwork and added it to the policy. The premium went up by over a hundred a month. When the contractor rubbed the bumper, I gave them my mileage as part of the incident report, they made no comment.

Basically I don't do anything to call attention to it nor do I hide the fact either.

 

[detansinn]

Great write-up. I have had mine for a little more than 3 weeks and agree with your observations and charging strategies. This week alone, I will have traveled 2500 miles through 11 states. So, I am catching up to you.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

 

[RickLightning]

Just curious if you reset the “EV driving history” when charging to 100% at 66 degree Temps and got the 312 miles of range. If so then that is great to know that you are only seeing roughly 2.5% (8/320) battery degradation after 50K miles

That is not degradation, since 320 is the EPA number. An OBD adapter and CarScanner can show degradation, but it is not exact.

 

[ChrisCon]

Holy crap! I thought I had to be at the top with 28k miles!

And I was coming here to write a 30,000 mile write up today , but I’ll keep it short now.

Total spent on service and maintenance $190.00 including the new cabin air filter which was $80 including labor .

Only mechanical error - like everyone - air dam (damn that air dam)

I’m around .052 per mile (.11 per kWh charging at home compared to .26 per mile on my old ICE F-150

Or I could charge on a Tesla supercharger and it would be .24 per mile (just to demonstrate how the Tesla super chargers riyou off. )

For a first gen product , Ford has knocked it out of the park with initial and long term quality.

 

[cvalue13]

I'm getting the active air dam fault too, but my dealership says they have a fix for it. Will let you know what it is once it's in stock, (some sort of air sensor).

@ me, too

it’s been in the shop for it and they just say they can’t find codes

@Ford Motor Company - everyone’s air dam glitches constantly, please send help

 

[cvalue13]

More range. I have come home at night with only 5 miles left on the charge. 320 miles of theoretical range is not enough, I have to think too much about range\charging. If caught on a 20F day, into a head wind, on the expressway, I can lose 40% of my range.

great write up, and thank you. I’m on the other end of the spectrum, taking delivery about the same time as you, but with almost exactly only 10% of the mileage

did want to chime in on the quote above

I feel like this is something we BEV truck owners need to better understand and explain to the skeptics

namely, that there is nothing special about BEV’s in these respects of mileage. It is not an issue with the BEVs, it’s an issue only if BEVs having small “tanks” and not enough gas stations.

the short(ish) version is this

• EPA hwy range test has an average speed in the low 50s - and just like and to the same degree as with an ICE vehicle, you won’t get near that EPA range if you’re pegging it at 75mph

• the most fuel efficient ICE F150 is EPA rated at 26mph highway, which means the Lightning’s 320 EPA is equivalent to an ICE F150 with a 12.3 gallon fuel tank - and just like with that ICE, you won’t get far on 12 gallons, especially if pegged at 75mph

• as for towing, ICE F150s also experience an ~50% range reduction with any material trailer - so just like an ICE F150, if you’re doing 75mph with a 12 gallon tank, you aren’t getting far

which is all to say, there isn’t anything materially different about the performance of the Lightning when it comes to range or towing. The difference comes in only with the fact that the Lightning’s “tank” is small, owing to the current state of battery technology, and the frequency of “fuel stations” is limited, owing to the current state of charging infrastructure.

Now at the end of the day, the range is comparatively low, there’s no getting around that. But it’s because modern ICE trucks have massive fuel tanks, and stations on every corner.

And when an ICE driver says “man, a real truck has to have more range than that” you might respond with “go back in time and hop in a 1981 F150 with a V8 and a 16 gallon fuel tank, and tell me how far “real trucks” can tow 7,500 pounds at 75mph” Back then, you towed slow (for fuel economy) and stopped often (of necessity).

We should stop being confused by, and even ourselves propagating the myth that, when it comes to range and towing performance there’s something inherently different from ICE trucks. There’s not. The physics of efficiency and aero are the same on both vehicles.

In that way, a Lightning owner upset about range and towing is like someone who buys an ICE f150 with a 12 gallon fuel tank and is frustrated with the “mystery” of not being able to drive all night long at 75mph.

Current battery technology means these trucks have a small fuel tank. That’s all. And with a small fuel tank, all the normal effects of physics on fuel economy simply means you will notice the effects more than if you were in a ICE truck with a 26 gallon tank. Especially when there’s not a station on every corner.

And if skeptics balk, just say “look, I’m kind of old school - I like a ‘real’ truck like back in the 1970s, when people weren’t so soft, afraid of planing trips carefully and taking it slow”

 

[Beaux]

Dang I thought I was racking miles. Bought mine June 2 last year and have 24k so far.

 

[rlbussard]

And I was coming here to write a 30,000 mile write up today , but I’ll keep it short now.

Total spent on service and maintenance $190.00 including the new cabin air filter which was $80 including labor .

Only mechanical error - like everyone - air dam (damn that air dam)

I’m around .052 per mile (.11 per kWh charging at home compared to .26 per mile on my old ICE F-150

Or I could charge on a Tesla supercharger and it would be .24 per mile (just to demonstrate how the Tesla super chargers riyou off. )

For a first gen product , Ford has knocked it out of the park with initial and long term quality.

Is there a fix for the air dam issue yet. I've had the same problem for months now, it's stuck in the open position. I just haven't taken it in yet.

 

[Helium]

Is there a fix for the air dam issue yet. I've had the same problem for months now, it's stuck in the open position. I just haven't taken it in yet.

I have a service appointment on Monday. They are supposed to be investigating whether the fix that was due in March 2023 was actually released.

 

[rlbussard]

I have a service appointment on Monday. They are supposed to be investigating whether the fix that was due in March 2023 was actually released.

Let us know after your appointment if there is a fix out. If so, I'll make my appointment to get it fixed.

 

[azypather]

Awesome write-up. Thanks for posting. My SR Lariat is also perfect for my needs. Naysayers forget this...everyone's circumstances are different. So what if towing halves the range...just don't buy it to tow.

 

[ZSC100]

Holy crap! I thought I had to be at the top with 28k miles!

I have 25k, got mine in late August 2022 XLT SR EG 311a. This was a fun read, my favorite part: " The front grill is ugly, and it collects bugs like an entomologist." except I don't believe it's ugly and the entire truck "collects bugs like an entomologist." Maybe I've just never owned an F150 before, but I feel like I spend more time at gas pumps cleaning my windshield than anyone else.

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