Can't buy a vehicle if it is going to strand me

[dajohn3]

I think you've answered all your own questions, but I don't understand you asserting that "98kw battery only gets 120miles, or that you 'have' to take 66mins to charge" ... neither of those are true, but both depend HEAVILY on all the items that effect range that you mention. The charge 'time' certainly depending on your battery SOC when you arrive, and the SPEED of the charging station.
NONE of those have anything to do with 'this truck' being a GREAT Machine and doing EXACTLY what it is supposed to do.

Mine works perfectly, although if you drive differently, and do things differently, yes, you are CERTAINLY going to have a different outcome: WE ALL DO.

Your complaints are about your own personal situation, not about the truck, itself.

It is true of my 98 KW lightning and these are freeway miles without any city driving. So both are true for my truck. The speed that I drive is while on cruise control on I-10 west going towards El Paso so there isn't any speeding up or down or passing of other vehicles. It

@speedy123 ignore the guy above me. He's got a lemon and it's made him pretty bitter. I think he also got screwed by a salesman who didn't really evaluate his needs before selling him a vehicle. But he'll swear to high heaven that it's Ford and all of us that are wrong before he'll accept that the service people he's been taking it to don't know their ass from their elbows when it comes to an EV.

It does highlight an issue with buying Ford EVs. The service experience is so dependent on the dealer you go to. Some of them know F-all about EVs and refuse to learn. I had the supposed EV certified tech at one dealership go on a 15 minute rant of all the anti EV talking points you always hear while I was just trying to demonstrate that the camera is misaligned. Same camera on the Ice F150s.

Ask people on this forum that live near you which dealers are good and which are terrible. I have to drive 30 min across town to get decent service while I live <2 miles from a Ford dealer.

Come on, ignore me because I have a lemon. Ford Dearborn Technicians say that there is nothing wrong with the truck so do I have a lemon? Only charge to 80 percent and try driving the speed limit to 117 miles stretch of freeway. I did that and had to be towed. Some are even saying that it doesn't take 44 minutes to fast charge to 80 percent or 66 to 90 percent. I will upload a picture for all to see and this should put your mind at ease. I talked to another lightning driver while charging my vehicle to 100 percent in Van Horn, Texas and asked him how long it takes to charge to 80 percent and he stated that it takes 44 minutes for his truck and he doesn't bother trying to get any range out of his truck because he stops every 100 miles or so to charge. The only way to know that you get true range for a long distance 525 mile trip is to take the drive yourself, stop at the 5 charging stations that are approximately 100 miles apart and see the actual miles and range that you are really getting. Each time you charge, as per the other long distance lightning owner has told me, you get a little less distance because of the battery heating up.

For all those who are just driving 100 miles or less, you have a comfortable, good looking truck, and the range you get while driving in the city meets your needs and expectations. I really like my truck in the city but hate it on long drives so I will be trading it in and losing $15000 on the deal while only having 7500 miles on it and having it for less than six months.

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[Scorpio3d]

Not trying to be a jerk but …if you trade in the lightning and purchase an ice truck of whatever make and model and it does not get the EPA rated mileage (range)when towing a 7000 pound trailer are you going to have the same reaction? Why or why not?

 

[Newton]

I really don’t know what to tell you, because your experiences are not the same as mine. The Lightning is certainly not the fastest charging EV out there - my EV6 beats the socks off of it, but it is not as slow as you are reporting on the stations out here. I have had to unplug from a station that was giving a slow charge and plug into a different one a few times. The lack of any indication of the charging kW being accepted is a real miss on Ford’s part, but you can monitor on the charging screen (non Tesla) or the app.

Your picture shows that you are at 88% getting 34kW, which is about expected if you are charging over 80%. It seems that as soon as it gets to 80% indicated, the charge rate drops to 40kW or less. This is expected and Ford documents that you should only charge to 80% at a fast charger. What rate were you getting when it was at 70%?

The amount of time that it takes to fast charge does depend on the charger and sometimes it seems the phase of the moon. If you insist on charging to 100% it will take awhile, just like if you insist on driving at 80 mph it will have less range than documented.

 

[Hammick]

Well as the saying goes if it has tits or tires it's going to give your problems

When ours had the battery module fail 1,200 miles from home Ford flew my wife home (she had to get back to work). The Lightning came home on a flat bed and the dog and I rented a car to get home. My wife didn't divorce me or insist the Lightning be sold. She understood it was harder on me than her.

If your main concern is your wife jumping your ass if your Lightning breaks down I respectfully suggest an EV is not for you. What is she going to do when your charging stops are 1 hour or longer?

 

[BlueLightning]

BLUF: The Lightning or any other EV is not made for the 1950 roadtrip dream.

To me an EV is meant to (charge at home) drive five to twenty miles to local work/play, stop at the grocery store, and return home to charge.

Just rent a car to occasional travel.

 

[hturnerfamily]

most of us EV owners have debunked that theory, too...

I don't have over 44,000 miles on my Lightning because I just 'sit around the house'...
my camper loves it, too... let's go : )

 

[MotoGary]

You’re simply not ready to buy an EV. Stick to an ICE until 95% of your current fears are gone.

 

[speedy123]

Thanks for everybody who chimed in with their experiences. Good to hear lots of positive experiences on here along with some of the bad. After thinking it through, I am going to sit on the fence for a while longer I think and see how the EV landscape shakes out next couple of years. As excited as I would be with a Lightning, I think ultimately for my use case I am going to want longer range and faster charging. Going to look at the Ramcharger when it comes out, or whoever gets a decent PHEV midsize truck to market first. Or T3.

 

[FloridaMan655321]

if you get a divorce because a car broke down, get the divorce now cause you ain’t really in love and happy

I was thinking the exact same thing…..
Not to get all psychology on this, but there will always be a reason if it’s that close, and you will be walking on egg shells until it happens.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Thanks for everybody who chimed in with their experiences. Good to hear lots of positive experiences on here along with some of the bad. After thinking it through, I am going to sit on the fence for a while longer I think and see how the EV landscape shakes out next couple of years. As excited as I would be with a Lightning, I think ultimately for my use case I am going to want longer range and faster charging. Going to look at the Ramcharger when it comes out, or whoever gets a decent PHEV midsize truck to market first. Or T3.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[D-Archit]

Previous owner of 3 F150s throughout my time. Being in Southern CA, I can say that I was prettty much pushed into an EV. Being a Texan by birth, I was not going to drive these other little things they call ev trucks. How about a real F150 that is electric! Like everyone in this group I LOVE driving my lightning. I actually can’t wait to drive it again whenever I’m not driving it. My last Lariat was that year and tranny that you don’t want to have (just my luck). Imagine the feeling of no gear shift feeling. It’s freedom. That everyday feeling was worth it to me. I’d say don’t worry about if something will leave you stranded or not. Just always have a plan. Like any vehicle, Have warranties, insurance, be aware of maintenance and you’re good.
in CA the cost of fuel justified the cost of a Lightning. I would have paid more just to feel this torque every time I drive it.
Treat yourself brother! You deserve it.

 

[Deeame]

Long time lurker with occasional questions and posts. Closer everyday to pulling the trigger on an EV truck. Found a '23 untitled dealer demo with 2k kms on it for a pretty good deal. Except it is 3000km from me on the other side of the country. Probably would have it shipped but am entertaining a road trip to get it. (with NACS adapter).

I have followed the high voltage battery issue that a not-small-number of users seem to have developed. I would be excited to be driving an EV with all the benefits and understand the downsides about range/charging/winter. My ultimate issue is this: I can't spend $$ on a new car that is going to run the risk of stranding me. While that is a theoretical risk with any car, I wouldn't be worried if I was going to pick up a Toyota highlander or a replacement honda Ridgeline, or any other ICE car. I do a fair number of road trips through the year, and this would be an excellent family vehicle. But if I end up stranded, in the middle of nowhere, a million miles from home, and have to get towed to a dealer and sit for weeks with parts and all the horror stories I've heard about this. And if it hasn't happened to you yet, a real and uncertain risk of it happening over the life of the battery, even if it is warrantied.

Lots of great stories on here of successful long distance road trips. I'm on a tight leash here, maritally and financially, to buy a reliable vehicle that we will enjoy. I would lose any credit in the marriage bank if we end up stranded roadside in Moose Jaw. (no offense to people from Moose Jaw, I'm sure it is lovely, just making a point).

Am I stupid to buy a Lightning if I am not willing to run the risk of this happening?

I had a battery failure 250 miles away from home and while it was slow to charge, I was able to get back home. However, with any of the ICE vehicle I’ve owned, once it breaks down, It’s unlikely you’re going anywhere. It took my dealer three weeks to get my lightning repaired and in the meantime I drove a rental Mach E. It was nice to be able to see how the Mustang operated but I liked my lightning better. I had another small repair and they gave me an ICE version of an F150. I spent $40 in four days on gas, which would’ve probably cost five dollars in electricity. even with these two failures, I love my lightning and would never go back. I find it to be very reliable with less moving parts, but sometimes in life you’re gonna have an issue.

 

[Mcyclonegt]

Long time lurker with occasional questions and posts. Closer everyday to pulling the trigger on an EV truck. Found a '23 untitled dealer demo with 2k kms on it for a pretty good deal. Except it is 3000km from me on the other side of the country. Probably would have it shipped but am entertaining a road trip to get it. (with NACS adapter).

I have followed the high voltage battery issue that a not-small-number of users seem to have developed. I would be excited to be driving an EV with all the benefits and understand the downsides about range/charging/winter. My ultimate issue is this: I can't spend $$ on a new car that is going to run the risk of stranding me. While that is a theoretical risk with any car, I wouldn't be worried if I was going to pick up a Toyota highlander or a replacement honda Ridgeline, or any other ICE car. I do a fair number of road trips through the year, and this would be an excellent family vehicle. But if I end up stranded, in the middle of nowhere, a million miles from home, and have to get towed to a dealer and sit for weeks with parts and all the horror stories I've heard about this. And if it hasn't happened to you yet, a real and uncertain risk of it happening over the life of the battery, even if it is warrantied.

Lots of great stories on here of successful long distance road trips. I'm on a tight leash here, maritally and financially, to buy a reliable vehicle that we will enjoy. I would lose any credit in the marriage bank if we end up stranded roadside in Moose Jaw. (no offense to people from Moose Jaw, I'm sure it is lovely, just making a point).



Am I stupid to buy a Lightning if I am not willing to run the risk of this happening?

This is simple, don’t buy an EV truck. Maybe a Tesla is a better option, or a plug in hybrid. Our lightning is great for our lifestyle, but they are not for everyone.

 

[Green1]

This is simple, don’t buy an EV truck. Maybe a Tesla is a better option, or a plug in hybrid. Our lightning is great for our lifestyle, but they are not for everyone.

If looking for reliability, do NOT recommend Tesla! Left me standard more than my previous 3 vehicles combined, and over $3000 in repairs every single year after warranty ran out. (My last straw was a $12,000 repair after a half shaft broke turning onto an expressway, I've bought whole vehicles for less than that 1 repair!)
Their abysmal build quality, coupled with the most expensive parts and shop rates in the industry, and the worst customer service of any company I've ever dealt with in any industry drove me away.

 

[Mcyclonegt]

I know dozens of people with Tesla’s and you would be the first to say anything negative. Interesting. Sorry you had a bad experience. I was more going off the reliability of EVs in general, not specifically Teslas.

If looking for reliability, do NOT recommend Tesla! Left me standard more than my previous 3 vehicles combined, and over $3000 in repairs every single year after warranty ran out. (My last straw was a $12,000 repair after a half shaft broke turning onto an expressway, I've bought whole vehicles for less than that 1 repair!)
Their abysmal build quality, coupled with the most expensive parts and shop rates in the industry, and the worst customer service of any company I've ever dealt with in any industry drove me away.

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