Real world experience working the Lightning.

[Mort]

So often, traditional truck drivers opine about the short comings of the Lightning because it can’t tow 10000 pounds 750 miles non stop in a winter blizzard over mountain passes. Regardless of the fact that these are hypothetical benchmarks that statistically no truck or truck driver actually ever performs, they still maintain that the minimum duties of 1/2 ton pickups are beyond the lightnings capabilities.

In this thread I would like to read the real world stories of the extream towing/hauling experiences the forum members have done with their lightnings.

I’ll start with a what I consider a weekend beyond the typical pickup drivers norm.

Two weekends ago I used my 2023 XLT SR Lightning to tow 7000 pounds of depleted lead acid batteries on a 3000 pound trailer with a Combined GVW of 16000 LBS, 50 miles out to the recyclers. On the return trip I stoped for 15 minutes to grab a breakfast sandwich and coffee and top up my Lightning at a DCFC located next door to the Starbucks. During the charging process the truck charged back to 90% we unplugged and drove the 30 miles back to my shop arriving with 75% SOC. Upon decoupling the 18 foot flatbed trailer we grabbed my electric fork truck and loaded my 2000 pound Alaskan cab over camper into the bed of the Lightning. Then my daughter and I drove a 88 mile loop into and through the Olympic national forest roads in the Olympic mountains. During this drive we climbed up to Scarr pass with 3500 feet of elevation gain, camped all night at 30 deg F using the electricity in the trucks battery to heat the cabover with a Ecoflow wave 2 reverse cycle heat pump. Additionally we cooked two meals on our induction cook top, ran the refrigerator, lighting and charged devices all with pro power onboard. The following day we got back to our driveway with 20% remaining in my standard range battery XLT this entire use case cost $8.00 in electricity. By dinner time the battery was back up to 90%

My brother in law accompanied us with his son in their mini van, they had no heat, no cooking appliances, flashlights and a cooler full of ice, the trip cost him $35.00 in gas.

 

[Heliian]

What a great little camper!

 

[Henry Ford]

In three weeks I will have owned my Lightning for a year. I have not yet run into a situation where it was not as good or better than the gas F150 it replaced. I've pulled boats in and out of the water, hauled trailers and the bed full of sand, driven across the state, and loads of small projects.

I didn't max out towing cross-country because that's just not something I do or have ever done. That's why the Lightning works for me.

 

[Hank42]

Awesome report - thanks for that information. Hearing reports like this gives me more confidence why I make the decision rend an F250 "just in case" or give it a go with my Lightning.

 

[mb0220]

I love this story. And I fully agree that uneducated folks try to downplay the Lightning's capabilities by applying absurd standards. Do they really think their ICE engines experience no loss of MPG when towing??

 

[OtterJohn]

So often, traditional truck drivers opine about the short comings of the Lightning because it can’t tow 10000 pounds 750 miles non stop in a winter blizzard over mountain passes. Regardless of the fact that these are hypothetical benchmarks that statistically no truck or truck driver actually ever performs, they still maintain that the minimum duties of 1/2 ton pickups are beyond the lightnings capabilities.

In this thread I would like to read the real world stories of the extream towing/hauling experiences the forum members have done with their lightnings.

I’ll start with a what I consider a weekend beyond the typical pickup drivers norm.

Two weekends ago I used my 2023 XLT SR Lightning to tow 7000 pounds of depleted lead acid batteries on a 3000 pound trailer with a Combined GVW of 16000 LBS, 50 miles out to the recyclers. On the return trip I stoped for 15 minutes to grab a breakfast sandwich and coffee and top up my Lightning at a DCFC located next door to the Starbucks. During the charging process the truck charged back to 90% we unplugged and drove the 30 miles back to my shop arriving with 75% SOC. Upon decoupling the 18 foot flatbed trailer we grabbed my electric fork truck and loaded my 2000 pound Alaskan cab over camper into the bed of the Lightning. Then my daughter and I drove a 88 mile loop into and through the Olympic national forest roads in the Olympic mountains. During this drive we climbed up to Scarr pass with 3500 feet of elevation gain, camped all night at 30 deg F using the electricity in the trucks battery to heat the cabover with a Ecoflow wave 2 reverse cycle heat pump. Additionally we cooked two meals on our induction cook top, ran the refrigerator, lighting and charged devices all with pro power onboard. The following day we got back to our driveway with 20% remaining in my standard range battery XLT this entire use case cost $8.00 in electricity. By dinner time the battery was back up to 90%

My brother in law accompanied us with his son in their mini van, they had no heat, no cooking appliances, flashlights and a cooler full of ice, the trip cost him $35.00 in gas.

I'm going to share this with anyone who comes at me stating that the Lightning isn't a "real truck".

You guys are also really making me want to get a travel trailer...

 

[johnnyonetime]

I’ve pulled my Ember 221 MSL 7k lbs, 600 lb tongue wt on 6 different trips this year. Longest was 700 mi round trip to Florida Caverns State Park.
At 65 mph I get 1.0 mi/kWh, so my 22 Lariat ER can easily get at 100 miles between charges. That speed seems to be the sweet spot for efficiency with or without the camper. I typically use EA dcfc along the interstate highway system and the Ford remote charger with the 50 amp plug at the campground.
The truck tows effortlessly and is more comfortable to drive than my old Class A motor home. Stopping every couple of hours is not that big of a deal.
I retired last year and wanted to see some of the USA, just doing it differently than most.

 

[Mort]

Ok, I have another one for you!
I found the perfect little tandem axle, car hauler, utility trailer for moving the depleted core batteries from our shop to the recyclers. The trailer needed to be capable of moving around 6 months of cores or 7000lbs. The problem is that the trailer was in Beaverton Oregon and my shop is in Port Townsend Washington. And we all know that the Lightning, particularly the standard range can’t go long distances and it can’t even tow short distances! Right???

So not afraid of a challenge I grabbed my 79 year old mom who is always up for an adventure, and we jumped in our fully charged XLT SR and headed to Oregon.

It was a beautiful sunny day so we got away with seat heat for grandma as our only hvac other than a lot of solar gain.
We traveled the short route along the Hood Canal.

This route takes us 214 miles trough Olympia, Vancouver and finally Beaverton Oregon arriving at the apartments where the 2200 LB steel trailer was being sold, we arrived with 5% remaining SOC, averaging 2.2 MPKW

After negotiating (getting ripped off) we headed home with the trailer in tow, hit the Beaverton Target, EA charger and got dinner while the truck charged. After about an hour of stuffing our bellies full the truck had stoped charging at 90%.

We set off on the way home, the Temperature dropped on that clear night to as low as 30 F and we all know that kills an EV range Right?
Not really, with the seat heat and occasional bursts of defrost the cabin remained comfortable and we managed 1.7MPKW
After 123 miles and two ICE teas it was time for a bathroom break so I plugged into a BP DCFC in Olympia Washington for about 10 minutes as we used the restroom. At this point the GOM reported that we did not have enough energy to make it home yet but the 1.7 MPKW told a different story so we headed out for the remaining 99 mile trip , making it home with a comfortable 8% remaining in the battery.

Here we are, a 430 mile road trip, 215 miles towing compleated in the same exact time frame as a gas F150 but in a truck that can’t go the distance or tow anything!!!!

Whoda thunk?

Oh And I should mention that this entire trip, sans trailer and food cost me, about $45.00 compare that to the $88.00 it would cost in the Ecoboost.

Take that Jetters!!