Will it fit me?

[JRT]

I show Gilbert to Flagstaff as 166 miles, just charge the truck to 100% and no problem as far as range, charging different animal. I never take a trip without 100% charge. I charge to 80% on the road, and sometimes 90% if I want a cushion. I'm not running out of battery by messing around with low states of charge on trips.

Kingman has a Tesla v3, you'll need an adapter but that seems doable, if you start your trip at 100% charge, you should make it assuming 2m/kwh * 131kwh = 262 miles.

https://www.tesla.com/findus

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[invertedspear]

I show Gilbert to Flagstaff as 166 miles, just charge the truck to 100% and no problem as far as range, charging different animal. I never take a trip without 100% charge. I charge to 80% on the road, and sometimes 90% if I want a cushion. I'm not running out of battery by messing around with low states of charge on trips.

Kingman has a Tesla v3, you'll need an adapter but that seems doable, if you start your trip at 100% charge, you should make it assuming 2m/kwh * 131kwh = 262 miles.

https://www.tesla.com/findus

Phoenix to Flagstaff is about a mile difference in elevation. Kingman is 2000 ft higher, but it's a fair amount of ups and downs no matter which route you take. South-Western AZ is the flat desert that we're known for, North-Eastern AZ is mountainous and something of a giant plateau you have to climb up on to. Check out a topographical map, it's really neat if you're into that sort of thing. But regardless geography needs to be considered, not just miles.

 

[Azpt22]

You guys are incredible. Thank you so much. I will, of course, look into this further on my own, but one point of confusion I’d like to clarify, is the v2 versus v3 from Tesla.

It was said above that we are not able to use the v2 charger from Tesla (only v3). Are v2’s more readily available/ common? Any insight?

 

[invertedspear]

It was said above that we are not able to use the v2 charger from Tesla (only v3). Are v2’s more readily available/ common? Any insight?

Exactly that, they're obviously the older gen. There are more of them just because they were around first and V3s cost more to install.

The best way to see is to look at this map:
https://www.tesla.com/findus

You can filter on "super chargers open to other EVs" which are the location equipped with magic docks, the built in adapter to our trucks. And also once you have the A2Z or Ford adapter (seriously, don't bother with anyone else's adapters Ford's is free and A2Z has the best customer service I've ever seen) then you can also use the "superchargers open to NACS" All the other superchargers don't have the communications standards built in to them. They lack the hardware to be able to communicate with our trucks and are only able to work with Teslas. There are other reasons V2 are not as good as V3, but "any port in a storm" means I wouldn't turn down a slower charger if I was in need, but it's not even an option, so can't even be considered.

 

[djwildstar]

I don't know if it makes a big difference, but I went with the max tow package since it adds extra cooling for the battery. I'm thinking this will help in Phoenix, and so far I think it has.

Same here -- I don't do a lot of towing, but I went for the Max Tow package because I figured that extra cooling hardware couldn't hurt for a truck that was going to be working in the Southern heat.

I don't have hard data, but anecdotally I believe it has helped: I've only seen the temperature gauges budge off of dead-center once. After fast-charging in a 100-degree afternoon, they showed slightly warm (but still in the "normal" range). They dropped back down to dead center as I drove the next leg of my trip.

 

[dajohn3]

Hello everyone,

New to the forum and hoping to receive some insight into a big upcoming vehicle decision.

A little backstory - I work in sales and currently have a company vehicle. I am in the process of accepting a new position which does not have this benefit and thus am looking to purchase a vehicle of my own.

I want a 2023 Lariat ER which is why I am here -just curious on how you think it would fit my situation…

I average daily commuting between 60 miles up to 200 miles, and ~3 days per month where I must travel ~400 miles round trip to and from a rural site.

I live in Phoenix, Arizona so it gets hot, but of course avoids frigid winters.

I would be parking the truck outside and likely installing the Ford power pack for home charging. Only charging outside the home on my round trip commutes where it’s unavoidable.

I have read up quite a bit on the Ligtning and here are some concerns:

- Highway driving: In AZ I will be on a highway/freeway a lot due to how sprawling it is here. How much will this realistically crush my range?

- Charging time: Using Tesla’s network is awesome, but sounds like the time it takes to charge a Lightning is painful. Can this ever improve with OTAs or are these models limited like this forever?

- Heat: I know the battery has a protection feature for hot temps, but this is only active when plugged in. During my work day I may travel 200 total miles but this could include visiting 3 different locations and parking (unconnected) in the hot sun. Will this significantly impact my range, overall battery health, etc. to where I am regretting having the truck in a year or two?

I have plenty more questions but wanted to start here. I want a Lightning bad, but also want to be realistic. Appreciate any comments that you all can share.

The range of the Lariat with a 131 KWH battery pack is approximately 240 miles, at 100 percent, and on cruise set at 70 mph. This range will be lower when you get to some of the hills you will encounter. You should only charge at 100 percent when absolutely necessary because it will reduce your battery life but if you plan on trading it in every 2 to 3 years than don't worry about the life of the battery. The heat at my ranch didn't affect the range to much but it was only 100 degrees when I had my truck there so there might be a greater loss while it is 122 degrees in the places you will be driving. When you drive over 200 miles and charge on a fast charger, you will find the range at 70 mph will be a few miles shorter in range and each time you charge that day you will lose a few more miles of range on the same terrain, going the same speed. I have owned many trucks in my lifetime Chevy, Dodge, and Ford and while they were great vehicles for towing and all around fun, they were not as comfortable as the Ford Lightning. So for comfort, I say yes go ahead and take the leap but for range, you might want to take a moment to think about it. To charge to 80 percent takes 44 minutes or more and to charge to 90 percent it takes 66 minutes or more. If you want a 100 percent charge, you are looking at over 2.5 hours to charge it. When you go to a rural area you should probably buy yourself an inverter generator that is at least 9 KW with a minimum of 7.5 KW of continous to put in your truck bed to ensure that you can make it to a charging station because you not only have to figure in the distance to the site, you have to be able to get back if there isn't a charging station nearby. I hope that you have answered a few of your questions.

 

[invertedspear]

Same here -- I don't do a lot of towing, but I went for the Max Tow package because I figured that extra cooling hardware couldn't hurt for a truck that was going to be working in the Southern heat.

I don't have hard data, but anecdotally I believe it has helped: I've only seen the temperature gauges budge off of dead-center once. After fast-charging in a 100-degree afternoon, they showed slightly warm (but still in the "normal" range). They dropped back down to dead center as I drove the next leg of my trip.

One thing I'm reasonably sure of: In the MME during the summer there were times when the AC would lose efficiency when it came to cooling the cabin. I'm almost positive this was because the system was, properly, prioritizing cooling the battery. I figure this will happen if I didn't have max-tow and would love to hear what those without it in the desert are seeing. I think the benefit of Max-tow is probably slightly better battery cooling when under heavy load, but also that it won't steal "chill" from the cabin since they are on separate loops. Best situation in the hot desert.

 

[BlueLightning]

BLUF: Don’t do it, to much EV uncertainty and charge factors that could leave you stranded.

If you have to charge overnight and get the opportunity, at 120v it takes days and not hours!

Sounds like you are better off with the 2024 F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid.

 

[VAF84]

Hello everyone,

New to the forum and hoping to receive some insight into a big upcoming vehicle decision.

A little backstory - I work in sales and currently have a company vehicle. I am in the process of accepting a new position which does not have this benefit and thus am looking to purchase a vehicle of my own.

I want a 2023 Lariat ER which is why I am here -just curious on how you think it would fit my situation…

I average daily commuting between 60 miles up to 200 miles, and ~3 days per month where I must travel ~400 miles round trip to and from a rural site.

I live in Phoenix, Arizona so it gets hot, but of course avoids frigid winters.

I would be parking the truck outside and likely installing the Ford power pack for home charging. Only charging outside the home on my round trip commutes where it’s unavoidable.

I have read up quite a bit on the Ligtning and here are some concerns:

- Highway driving: In AZ I will be on a highway/freeway a lot due to how sprawling it is here. How much will this realistically crush my range?

- Charging time: Using Tesla’s network is awesome, but sounds like the time it takes to charge a Lightning is painful. Can this ever improve with OTAs or are these models limited like this forever?

- Heat: I know the battery has a protection feature for hot temps, but this is only active when plugged in. During my work day I may travel 200 total miles but this could include visiting 3 different locations and parking (unconnected) in the hot sun. Will this significantly impact my range, overall battery health, etc. to where I am regretting having the truck in a year or two?

I have plenty more questions but wanted to start here. I want a Lightning bad, but also want to be realistic. Appreciate any comments that you all can share.

The Pro's have been stated, and I agree with a lot of it; and yes, this is a great vehicle to be in if you spend a lot of time in one.

However, to me this is going to boil down to just because you can, doesn't mean you should. You're situation is a tough one because you're straddling that line where it's just enough driving to where you could be inconvenienced, but not so far where you know where it's a fact you'll be inconvenienced.

I'll ask you a lifestyle question. Do you value time, and are you a busy person. The most frustrating thing to me was getting slowed down. Although I currently have some downtime, I'm the type that's always moving. I've got kids, work, DIY projects, I like getting out of the house and that leaves me for little down time.I also hate wasting time on the highway if I'm commuting between cities alone. I want to get to the destination ASAP. If the is you, I would skip this one, and wait for one of the big battery pack versions like the GM twins that are hitting the market right now.

The amount of driving you do makes me think that you'll end up adapting your lifestyle to that of the EV. Don't worry, I've been beaten into submission for better or worse. I'm less spontaneous about exploring, the joy is gone when hitting that 85mph speed limit on some of our TX roads, and I'll skip visiting one more contractor on my way back from visiting Houston because I don't want to go out of my way to charge again, that type of thing.

Having said that, I'm between projects, and during this slow period I've seen why people love the truck. Working from home, I have plenty of range, the summer warmth offers full EV range. It's great, and I'm feeling complimentary about the LER; it's the amazing vehicle everyone says it is right now. Catch me again in the fall/winter and when my project traveling resumes, and you'll promptly meet Mr. Hyde in his LER complaining again on this forum.

 

[djwildstar]

[O]ne point of confusion I’d like to clarify, is the v2 versus v3 from Tesla. It was said above that we are not able to use the v2 charger from Tesla (only v3). Are v2’s more readily available/ common? Any insight?

There are locations with both Tesla has 5 different kinds of SuperChargers, confusingly named V1 through V4. Here's the scoop on them:

• V1 is the original (circa 2012) SuperCharger, capable of 100kW and now obsolete. As far as I can tell by looking at the available maps, there aren't any V1 SuperChargers left in North America.
• V2 is the upgraded 125kW to 150kW SuperCharger. These are pretty widely deployed, but Tesla is not installing new ones anymore. Unfortunately, they are only available to Teslas -- the V2 units lack the hardware needed to charge non-Tesla vehicles, and can't be upgraded. There are about
• Urban SuperChargers are compact 72kW units located in cities starting around 2017. There are about 164 locations in North America. Like the V2 SuperChargers, these units can't charge non-Tesla vehicles.
• V3 are Tesla's 250kW SuperChargers, deployed starting in 2019. Some are equipped with the "Magic Dock" bulilt-in CCS adapter and are available to all non-Tesla vehicles; the rest are compatible with non-Tesla vehicles using the customer-supplied Ford/Tesla adapter.
• V4 are the newest(circa 2023), 1000V-capable 250kW SuperChargers. All the ones deployed in North America are equipped with the "Magic Dock" built-in CCS adapter, and are available to non-Tesla vehicles. There are about 370 V3 and V4 stations in North America, again most with 8 to 12 chargers each.

The best way to find compatible SuperChargers is to use the Tesla app. Create a profile for your truck, and indicate if you have the adapter (or not). The app will show which stations are compatible with your vehicle. You can also use the app to start a charge session.

Overall I'm showing about 1440 charge locations in North America that are Tesla-only, 1548 locations that are open to non-Tesla vehicles. So overall about half of the Tesla charge locations are open to the Lightning via an adapter. This number should continue to get better as Tesla deploys more V4 SuperChargers, either as upgrades to existing V2 locations or to new locations.

 

[Zprime29]

The range of the Lariat with a 131 KWH battery pack is approximately 240 miles, at 100 percent, and on cruise set at 70 mph. This range will be lower when you get to some of the hills you will encounter. You should only charge at 100 percent when absolutely necessary because it will reduce your battery life but if you plan on trading it in every 2 to 3 years than don't worry about the life of the battery. The heat at my ranch didn't affect the range to much but it was only 100 degrees when I had my truck there so there might be a greater loss while it is 122 degrees in the places you will be driving. When you drive over 200 miles and charge on a fast charger, you will find the range at 70 mph will be a few miles shorter in range and each time you charge that day you will lose a few more miles of range on the same terrain, going the same speed. I have owned many trucks in my lifetime Chevy, Dodge, and Ford and while they were great vehicles for towing and all around fun, they were not as comfortable as the Ford Lightning. So for comfort, I say yes go ahead and take the leap but for range, you might want to take a moment to think about it. To charge to 80 percent takes 44 minutes or more and to charge to 90 percent it takes 66 minutes or more. If you want a 100 percent charge, you are looking at over 2.5 hours to charge it. When you go to a rural area you should probably buy yourself an inverter generator that is at least 9 KW with a minimum of 7.5 KW of continous to put in your truck bed to ensure that you can make it to a charging station because you not only have to figure in the distance to the site, you have to be able to get back if there isn't a charging station nearby. I hope that you have answered a few of your questions.

The range is better than you claim. Here's a straight shot from north Tucson, AZ to Deming, NM from July 3rd. We had to make a quick stop at the pharmacy before we left. I followed semi trucks going between 70-75mph where possible. AC was on high the whole way plus the seat warmer (wife needs the cold air to not get car stick but then got too cold )

Here's Deming to El Paso, forgot to takea pic before shutting off. We charged to 65% and arrived with 32%. Oops, forgot to add the pic.

 

[Azpt22]

Appreciate everyone's comments. After much deliberation I pulled the trigger on a '23 Lariat ER yesterday.

Im in love with the truck, and knew I would be, and hope that it will serve me well. Looking forward to seeing how I can integrate it into my day-to-day. Now time to accessorize!

 

[invertedspear]

The range is better than you claim. Here's a straight shot from north Tucson, AZ to Deming, NM from July 3rd. We had to make a quick stop at the pharmacy before we left. I followed semi trucks going between 70-75mph where possible. AC was on high the whole way plus the seat warmer (wife needs the cold air to not get car stick but then got too cold )

Here's Deming to El Paso, forgot to takea pic before shutting off. We charged to 65% and arrived with 32%. Oops, forgot to add the pic.

Don't even bother dude, he's not interested in reason or logic, he will not entertain any ideas that break with his preconceived notions that the truck is trash and we're all delusional. You will get nothing but wall-of-text rants in response from him. Save your own sanity.

 

[Azpt22]

Appreciate everyone's comments. After much deliberation I pulled the trigger on a '23 Lariat ER yesterday.

Im in love with the truck, and knew I would be, and hope that it will serve me well. Looking forward to seeing how I can integrate it into my day-to-day. Now time to accessorize!

 

[farmtruck]

Congratulations! Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.

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