Using a Lightning for swimming pool routes. Yay or nay?

[SMBJoshy]

So I’m a swimming pool tech of 10+ years, doing chemicals and cleanings for private home pools. I work for a company, have to use my own truck. Currently have a 2017 F150 Lariat, it’s going to the shop next week for cam phasers. I do this job 5 days a week year round, and drive 100 to 130 miles a day, and it def costs me quite a bit in fuel, around 35-40 daily. And it’s by far my biggest expense, more than my monthly payments for the truck.

I know an EV truck would be around a third the cost of ICE truck in energy and that’s what is really drawing me towards the Lightning, because it comes down to I really hate spending what I am on gas at this point, and the additional amount for maintenance, esp this cam phaser/timing set repair that’s gonna cost me 4 grand. But a significant part of me is like “is this gonna be practical for me? Is the charging network good enough in Virginia Beach where I can find a fast enough charger that it won’t interfere much with my work if I’m in a pinch? How is the battery going to hold up after several years and 150k miles?”

Thoughts?

Sponsored

 

[Maxx]

for 100 - 130 miles a day, you should not need DCFC if you can charge at home. In fact if you only do DCFC, there is no cost advantage to ICE.

I would get a Extended range battery so you have peace of mind after a few years if you lose 10-20 percent of range. And you don't have to push the upper and lower limit of the battery. This way you will be OK in winter as well.

Out of warranty, I don't believe Lightning will be cheap for service but there is not as many things that can go wrong and the biggies are covered for 8 years.

I say go for it. You will have a quiet generator with you as well.

p.s. one thing you may want to check on the forum is to see for those that have had their battery pack modules replaced, what was the wait time. Since that time for you is money, you may need a back up plan if wait time is long.

 

[BuzzLightning2023]

So I’m a swimming pool tech of 10+ years, doing chemicals and cleanings for private home pools. I work for a company, have to use my own truck. Currently have a 2017 F150 Lariat, it’s going to the shop next week for cam phasers. I do this job 5 days a week year round, and drive 100 to 130 miles a day, and it def costs me quite a bit in fuel, around 35-40 daily. And it’s by far my biggest expense, more than my monthly payments for the truck.

I know an EV truck would be around a third the cost of ICE truck in energy and that’s what is really drawing me towards the Lightning, because it comes down to I really hate spending what I am on gas at this point, and the additional amount for maintenance, esp this cam phaser/timing set repair that’s gonna cost me 4 grand. But a significant part of me is like “is this gonna be practical for me? Is the charging network good enough in Virginia Beach where I can find a fast enough charger that it won’t interfere much with my work if I’m in a pinch? How is the battery going to hold up after several years and 150k miles?”

Thoughts?

Trucks, like tools, are depreciating assets. I have a down and dirty ‘11 F150 XL that I hung onto after I bought my Lightning. I couldn’t even get $5,000 for it and it’s a great low-mileage work truck. However, it’s paid for itself many times over in service to my construction company.
Hopefully you can charge at home and your gas savings will be huge. My Lightning fuel cost per mile is 11 cents. In my flex fuel ‘11 it’s 31 cents per mile. Once you drive the Lightning, you’ll never want to go back to an ICE.

 

[pullinggs]

Assuming you can charge at home every night, that will work well, especially if you're not doing a lot of highway miles every day. Yes, get an Extended Range battery; probably don't really need it but it will alleviate anxiety. You won't be sorry for switching to the Lightning.

 

[Scorpio3d]

So I’m a swimming pool tech of 10+ years, doing chemicals and cleanings for private home pools. I work for a company, have to use my own truck. Currently have a 2017 F150 Lariat, it’s going to the shop next week for cam phasers. I do this job 5 days a week year round, and drive 100 to 130 miles a day, and it def costs me quite a bit in fuel, around 35-40 daily. And it’s by far my biggest expense, more than my monthly payments for the truck.

I know an EV truck would be around a third the cost of ICE truck in energy and that’s what is really drawing me towards the Lightning, because it comes down to I really hate spending what I am on gas at this point, and the additional amount for maintenance, esp this cam phaser/timing set repair that’s gonna cost me 4 grand. But a significant part of me is like “is this gonna be practical for me? Is the charging network good enough in Virginia Beach where I can find a fast enough charger that it won’t interfere much with my work if I’m in a pinch? How is the battery going to hold up after several years and 150k miles?”

Thoughts?

If you own your home and/or can install the Ford ChargeStationPro and purchase an extended range F150 lightning I don’t think you would ever have any need to DC fast charge!-it needs a 100 amp breaker, but will charge the truck overnight-you can also purchase other chargers, but they will not charge as fast! The other question would be how much is your electricity rate per kilowatt hour?
You would need to factor that into your equation to compare your cost for electricity versus your cost for gas(mpg) It doesn’t have to be exact, but should give you an idea of your savings versus gas.-also no oil to change!
All the battery components are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles(The warranty states that it will have a minimum of 70% of original capacity At the end of the eight year 100,000 miles )You can also purchase an extended warranty if you think you need more(Search this forum for info/pricing on the extended warranty)
2023 warranty link:
https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...rmation/US_Ford_BEV_Warranty_Guide_9.5.23.pdf
This truck is Awesome!
This forum is awesome as well as the people on this forum.
Just about any question you have is probably already answered on this forum.

 

[Randall Stephens]

We generally like our lightnings, and this isn’t a Tesla forum, so we won’t sit here and lie to you how a lightning will make you last longer in bed or whatever they get off on…so keep asking questions. I recommend getting one with the tail gate step though.

 

[SMBJoshy]

If you own your home and/or can install the Ford ChargeStationPro and purchase an extended range F150 lightning I don’t think you would ever have any need to DC fast charge!-it needs a 100 amp breaker, but will charge the truck overnight-you can also purchase other chargers, but they will not charge as fast! The other question would be how much is your electricity rate per kilowatt hour?
You would need to factor that into your equation to compare your cost for electricity versus your cost for gas(mpg) It doesn’t have to be exact, but should give you an idea of your savings versus gas.-also no oil to change!
All the battery components are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles(The warranty states that it will have a minimum of 70% of original capacity At the end of the eight year 100,000 miles )You can also purchase an extended warranty if you think you need more(Search this forum for info/pricing on the extended warranty)
2023 warranty link:
https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...rmation/US_Ford_BEV_Warranty_Guide_9.5.23.pdf
This truck is Awesome!
This forum is awesome as well as the people on this forum.
Just about any question you have is probably already answered on this forum.

Is there a max length of cable that can’t be exceeded for the charge station pro? I live in a 2k sqft double wide mobile home, and my driveway is at the complete opposite side of the house from where the main power line/meter is, way more than 50ft away.

 

[SMBJoshy]

We generally like our lightnings, and this isn’t a Tesla forum, so we won’t sit here and lie to you how a lightning will make you last longer in bed or whatever they get off on…so keep asking questions. I recommend getting one with the tail gate step though.

My boss is a Ram girl, and always jealous of my tailgate step.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Keep the gas truck for a backup, in the rare event you experience a battery module issue, BTW many of us have had flawless ownership, mines going on 2 years August 4th.

Your Electrician can run the feeder line from load center to a post mount of your FCSP adjacent to the driveway.

 

[GoodSam]

Is there a max length of cable that can’t be exceeded for the charge station pro? I live in a 2k sqft double wide mobile home, and my driveway is at the complete opposite side of the house from where the main power line/meter is, way more than 50ft away.

No, it just a matter of using bigger size wires to prevent voltage loss. Consult your electrician.

 

[Henry Ford]

I've always thought a Lightning would be a great work truck. My local municipality and university both have them. If you don't do long distances (>200 miles) and can charge at home it will save a lot of fuel cost @SMBJoshy I think a Lightning would be perfect for the situation you describe.

 

[The Weatherman]

Yes!

 

[Maquis]

Sounds like a near-perfect use case.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

So I’m a swimming pool tech of 10+ years, doing chemicals and cleanings for private home pools. I work for a company, have to use my own truck. Currently have a 2017 F150 Lariat, it’s going to the shop next week for cam phasers. I do this job 5 days a week year round, and drive 100 to 130 miles a day, and it def costs me quite a bit in fuel, around 35-40 daily. And it’s by far my biggest expense, more than my monthly payments for the truck.

I know an EV truck would be around a third the cost of ICE truck in energy and that’s what is really drawing me towards the Lightning, because it comes down to I really hate spending what I am on gas at this point, and the additional amount for maintenance, esp this cam phaser/timing set repair that’s gonna cost me 4 grand. But a significant part of me is like “is this gonna be practical for me? Is the charging network good enough in Virginia Beach where I can find a fast enough charger that it won’t interfere much with my work if I’m in a pinch? How is the battery going to hold up after several years and 150k miles?”

Thoughts?

Generally, it's a great truck for pool service.

Specifically, we need more details. How are your routes arranged typically? Do they make you go 30-50 miles out, then have 5-10 houses to hit up in an area? Do they make you drive 20 miles East, then 40 miles west, and you only knock out 2 houses in a day? Do you have a lot of down time waiting for the next appointment?

These are all factors. I once ran into a guy at a Supercharger, years ago. Tree service, we chatted for almost an hour - because that's how slow they used to be - and he said "This wouldn't be so bad, I'm just waiting for my next appointment anyway. Burning time, I could be charging right now.

While true, DCFC costs just as much as gas. But the point is even in a pinch, you're not necessarily stranded. Around VA Beach, there are plenty of chargers. Green is slow, orange is fast. On an extended range, you will be able to last the 150 miles day out there.

Other things to consider is how awesome the frunk is. While the bulk of your machinery goes in the back, you don't want some of your test kits or even certain chemicals sitting there in the sun. UV can break down some of them, but you don't want them in the cab either. Throw them in the frunk, it keeps them from rolling, shades them from sun, easy to access.

As for, will it last? Depends. Every car is different, and I don't have enough miles to say on the Ford. But I can say I've owned plenty of other EVs some that have eclipsed 200,000 miles and none have needed a battery pack. Most of the time they're typical items (axles, control arms, toe links) every now and then it'll be EV specific (onboard charger, charge port).

Over 10+ years I don't think I have actually saved any money in terms of long term maintenance, but I do save money on short term (oil changes, brakes) items. I will say based on my experience, I'm more worried about the frame holding up long term - especially being near the ocean and an area that occasionally sees road salt - more than I would be of the battery.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

I agree with others, this seems like a near perfect application for an electric truck. I think you could get by with a standard range battery, but I'd get an ER, because you'll likely to want to road trip it once you realize how comfortable it is.

We generally like our lightnings, and this isn’t a Tesla forum, so we won’t sit here and lie to you how a lightning will make you last longer in bed or whatever they get off on…so keep asking questions. I recommend getting one with the tail gate step though.

I mean, this is just anecdotal, and correlation isn't causation, but I will say I've been crushing it in the bedroom the last 7 months. YMMV.

Sponsored