Selling because I drive too much.

[TomB985]

I was forced into retirement a few years ago because of a severe hand disability, and I’ve found a sense of happiness by being somewhere else. Anywhere else. I drove 40,000 miles last year, and I’m not slowing down unless/until my hands force me to. This truck has taken me from Minnesota to both coasts and down to south Texas, and it’s been nearly flawless except for a module failure last January. It has 47,000 miles on it, and I’d be over 100K in less than two years. I can’t pay it off that fast, and I’d be one of the first to push past the 100K battery warranty.

I’d keep it if they had a demonstrated history of holding up past the warranty period, but that won’t exist for awhile. I expect it’ll be radiactive on the used market once the warranty expires, so I think I’m best selling now and finding something I can confidently put 200K on.

This is my fourth EV and I hate to go back to gas, but I’ve gotta get my priorities in order. Being somewhere else tomorrow is more important than driving a nice electric pickup. I know this forum isn’t an airport, and I don’t need to announce my departure, but I thought this was worth thinking about for others who drive lots of miles.

 

[21st Century Truck]

I was forced into retirement a few years ago because of a severe hand disability, and I’ve found a sense of happiness by being somewhere else. Anywhere else. I drove 40,000 miles last year, and I’m not slowing down unless/until my hands force me to. This truck has taken me from Minnesota to both coasts and down to south Texas, and it’s been nearly flawless except for a module failure last January. It has 47,000 miles on it, and I’d be over 100K in less than two years. I can’t pay it off that fast, and I’d be one of the first to push past the 100K battery warranty.

I’d keep it if they had a demonstrated history of holding up past the warranty period, but that won’t exist for awhile. I expect it’ll be radiactive on the used market once the warranty expires, so I think I’m best selling now and finding something I can confidently put 200K on.

This is my fourth EV and I hate to go back to gas, but I’ve gotta get my priorities in order. Being somewhere else tomorrow is more important than driving a nice electric pickup. I know this forum isn’t an airport, and I don’t need to announce my departure, but I thought this was worth thinking about for others who drive lots of miles.

The third picture sure looks like Glacier National Park. I wish You a wide open road!

 

[Grumpy2]

I’ve found a sense of happiness by being somewhere else.

Many folks go to their death without the happiness your have found. Best of Luck in your next adventure.

 

[hturnerfamily]

you express what many folks would pawn for... and you are also somewhat 'paying' for that same pleasure with mileage on your machine... but...

I'd look at it from a different light: the truck has not given you any issues, so, why dream that it will. The battery, yes, probably has some type of 'lifespan', but I think you are overestimating your anx to that timeframe, or mileage. Batteries don't just suddenly 'die' just because a manufacturer puts a warranty 'timeframe' on them...

I actually look at the Ford's manufacture battery warranty as the 'minimum' amount of time, NOT the max... and, it's not an either/or situation, where mileage is going to cause it suddenly to stop working, nor would 'years' cause the same. Batteries don't care what we 'think', or the warranty 'guess' that we put on them.

But, even if in 100,000 miles, or 8 years, you had to 'replace' the battery, you'd be ahead of the game to just pay to do that. Flipping your truck to another one, especially right now, is going to cost you a LOT, LOT more.

If it was $15, you'd not be expressing your concern here.
If it was $1,500, you'd not, either.
If it's $15,000, yes, most of us would heavily consider our options... but, the fact is, you don't have that to worry about, right now. Until the truck gives you any reason to, there's nothing to worry about. Maybe never. I doubt you'll be traveling to this degree forever, either.

I've put 50,000 miles on my truck in a short two years...yes, WAY more than I imagined. but, I also am not generally doing that for the rest of the truck's life, or mine, for that matter.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

What fantastically grand adventures! You're living the life I'm hoping to get to soon. We spend a lot of time camping in northern Arizona and southern Utah, perhaps one day we'll see you in one of the many, many beautiful campgrounds.

The evidence is that age is the most important factor in battery life. Somewhere on this site (and/or on the Mustang Mach-E forum) someone is collecting data and presenting a graph that shows that the Ford battery life is almost entirely dependent on age, not miles. This isn't a surprise--that's what the battery science and engineering have been saying for a couple of decades. Yes, more use does decrease overall lifetime, but it's not as direct as simply age. Keep the battery in moderate temperature range and you'll likely be just fine.

Even if it is miles: The cells in these batteries are rated by their manufacturer not to hit 80% state of health until 2000 to 5000 full cycles at a charge/discharge rate of 100% in 1 hour; assume 2000 cycles. If you're always towing and get 150 miles on a charge, that's 300,000 miles, assuming you were driving fast enough to discharge in 1 hour. I expect to get 300,000-1,000,000 miles out of our battery before it's down to 80% state of health. An 80% state of health means you still have 120 miles of range when towing if your original tow range is 150 miles.

Side question:
Do you prefer the teardrop or the a-frame trailer for use with the Lightning?

 

[Newton]

Congratulations on your adventures!

Batteries are not really the issue as far as we know. Most of what I have read from the scientific testing indicates that the car will rust out long before the batteries die.

Out Of Spec reviews is testing (among many other cars) a 2018 Tesla Model S with 120K miles on a “race” from Seattle to Boston. It has about %90 of the battery left. It is apparently not uncommon for them to have 200K+ miles. Where I live, I still see first generation Nissan Leafs (2010) running around and they had terrible battery management systems. When they die, the batteries are used for home backup.


Of course the longevity of the other stuff can vary, I’m not expecting it to live as long as the Ford super duty that I grew up with, but maybe it will.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Hope to see you around a future Ford BEV forum when the technology fit's your life situation better.

 

[Madtroniks]

You can check out Rivian If you're looking for an EV with a high mileage powertrain warranty. There are some really good deals if you're willing to consider pre-owned.

Their warranty for battery / powertrain is 8 years / 175,000 for Quad Motor, whichever occurs first.

https://rivian.com/support/article/...coverage-on-a-new-rivian-in-the-united-states

 

[Maquis]

The battery is very unlikely to die a sudden death. If I were in your shoes, I’d drive it until the range degrades enough to interfere with my travels. Which may be never.

 

[Ragman]

If you are driving that much your savings on fuel should be covering the cost of the truck - maybe replace current with a Pro ER but I cant ever see going back to a gas truck especially if only life expectancy is the concern (towing limits are okay for you).

If you are charging at DC chargers then the gas to electric math is different - but if you are charging at home or off free L2s its pretty much in Lightnings favor.

The used values are hard to predict as even at high mileage if the battery pack is sound theres value there a gas truck doesnt have. A Lightning is still equal to 10+ powerwalls...

 

[TomB985]

I sincerely appreciate everyone’s thoughts. This is my fourth EV since 2019, and I’ve covered about 120K all-electric miles over that time. I’m comfortable with high-mile Teslas because of their reputation, and Tesla will replace the entire pack for about $15K out of warranty.

I’m uncomfortable with the Lightning because of how the modules fail. I had a module condemned in January because the voltage was out of balance with the rest. The truck set a trouble code, limited charging, and it required a repair that would be $10K out of warranty. I fast charge frequently, but I’m not worried about degradation because it’s not a problem for modern liquid-cooled batteries, and I have no evidence to suggest the LIghtning would be different.

We have lots of evidence of modules failing because of voltage imbalances, though. I love that Ford made a serviceable pack, but there’s no world where I can lower an 1,800-lb pack to replace a module. Two years from now, I’ll still be paying down the loan, and a sudden high-dollar module failure would be crushing.

Maybe this is unfounded. Perhaps these modules die young or not at all, and 200,000-mile Lightnings will be common a decade from now. But what if they’re not? My previous 3 EVs never had a battery problem…only this Lightning. I love the truck, and things would be different if I was living my 2018 lifestyle. I was still active duty back then and drove a reasonable of miles.

Good points about the fuel cost difference, but half my miles are on the road. I made my last trip in my 20-year-old Expedition, and my fuel cost at 10.7 MPG over 3,200 miles was almost identical to my Lightning. Charging at home might as well be free, but public charging ain’t cheap!

The third picture sure looks like Glacier National Park. I wish You a wide open road!

You’ve got a great eye!

Yup, I was there last month and it was one of the most amazing places I’ve seen. I’ll probably make it out there again next spring.

 

[ChrisCon]

I’d keep it if they had a demonstrated history of holding up past the warranty period, but that won’t exist for awhile.

I'm still within the battery warranty but at 75,000 miles my truck is showing 99%battery health using FDRS (Ford's actual diagnostic software). I tow and drive my truck hard.. YMMV!

 

[JRT]

If I was road tripping I'd get a regular V8 F150 or RAM. I would not touch a hybrid or those turbo 4C in Chevrolet trucks.

Good luck for sure and enjoy the journey!

 

[TomB985]

I'm still within the battery warranty but at 75,000 miles my truck is showing 99%battery health using FDRS (Ford's actual diagnostic software). I tow and drive my truck hard.. YMMV!

Mine is at 98% with lots of DCFC, but that’s not what bothers me. I don’t think the battery health is gonna come anywhere close to 80%, even at 200K.

My battery health was also at 98% when I had a module fail, and it limped to the shop at the same 98%. I’m worried about cell/module failure out of warranty, not battery degradation. This may not be a problem out of warranty…maybe they die young or not at all?

I’d be in a financial pickle if I had an out-of-warranty failure on the road while I was still paying it off. I’ve got enough to stress about without that on my mind…I’d probably feel different if I didn’t already have a module replaced.

 

[WilliamRobert]

I say keep going! Have you ever heard of the Chevy volt sparky? https://www.gm-volt.com/threads/the-end-of-a-legend-sparkie-sold-died-at-477-000-miles.330519/

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