Does the Lightning Still Stack Up Well vs. Other EV Trucks?

[Newton]

“My Ford only gets about 87 miles at 90% charge” on the second day.

I don’t experience that at all, over trips lasting as long as two weeks. At around 80% I have not seen less than 167 on the trips I have taken (I have been charting everything with an OBDII dongle and photos) It is not as hot where I am so it is possible that I am actually able to put more into the battery than you are, but that seems extreme and I have not seen any odd behavior related to a second day (or second session in the same day) of fast charging.

However the guess-o-meter is even less accurate than other, old tech EVs I have owned. I have seen it drop more than 20 miles of range when I simply add a rest stop to the navigation system, and put it back on when I remove it. I’m not talking about range at the end of the trip, I’m talking about the total remaining range changing, which is insane. Unfortunately the battery percentage does not seem to be very accurate either, even the internal battery percentage that they don’t show you. Get an OBDII dongle and car scanner pro, it will either reassure you or give you more ammunition.

There is something happening at the bottom of end of the range for both the ER and SR Lightnings, many people have experienced it. I have no problems taking my Kia down to pretty low levels once in a while but I am not going to try with the Ford.

Sponsored

 

[Ragman]

The Lightnings is still the standard for EV pickup until the Silverado passes its year of "premium trims only" - then if they can put out a WT version at same price point as a Pro with 200 kw battery Ford needs to adapt - que v2 Lightning with 800v and 200 kw battery.

The Ram may sneak in though, depends where the v6 in the frunk ends up pricing at.

Cybertruck is the true black sheep - for now just too exotic for fleet adoption.

Up north anyway about 80% of Ford dealers have dropped ev's which I think is a mistake however in two years theres been zero new fast chargers in high traffic zones - which has killed adoption.

 

[RickKeen]

EPA mileage, for the "highway" rating is at 47mph average speed.
That has nothing to do with your range at 70 mph.
An unfortunate misunderstanding for a whole lot of people.

 

[dajohn3]

So you have applied for a refund through Ford's buyback request program. Hmmm, I applied last Monday and I am waiting for their approval or denial. If approved, I won't be complaining about the range of my truck anymore. But, if denied, I will be flat towing my chevy suburban with the lightning to my ranch and having it towed when I don't make it going 55 mph on cruise control. I really hope that I don't have to go through all of this to prove my point to Ford about the truck not being a real truck when it has a 98 KW battery in it. To drive to my ranch there are only 5 fast charging stations after Junction, TX and most are more than 100 miles between each. I will be video taping my ordeal just to give the individuals who are in disbelief a clear picture of the REAL TRUTH ABOUT THE 98KW BATTERY PACK and the range you will be able to obtain. I really hope my buyback request is approved because I am not looking forward to taking 2.5 hours to charge to 100 percent at each charging station. 5 times 2.5 hours is 12.5 hours of charging when you are going 525 miles in distance. If I don't make it to the next charging station I am not looking forward to another 4 hour wait to be towed.

Ford didn't buy back my truck and BBB was no help so i am trading in the lightning and only getting $38,400 on the trade so if there are any of you having the same issues with their trucks be aware that the trucks resale tradein value isn't that high. I have had the truck since January 27th 2024 and have 7500 miles on it but the loss on value is great compared to the price i paid. For those of you who try to sell their vehicles themselves, I commend you, but I do not want to be responsible for another unhappy lightning driver. The dealership can have that burden on them.

 

[Green1]

I had the opportunity for the first time to look at a GMC Sierra EV up close this week. I asked the sales person and they said it won't be available for sale until next year (In Canada), and no pricing has yet been announced, but they said it will be "north of $100,000(CAD)"

It looks to me to be the first direct competitor to the lightning. Sure people cross shop the lightning with the R1T and the cybertruck, but everyone knows that they are all aiming at wildly different segments, and if there were more vehicles in each segment, nobody looking at any one of these trucks would be cross shopping either of the others.

As for how the Sierra EV will compare to the Lightning, looking at it, there is nothing compelling in it over the Lightning except range, but that's a big one, but it also comes at a big price premium. As for the rest of the vehicle, the infotainment on the Sierra is worse in that it won't allow you to use Android Auto (because they want your money for perpetual subscriptions) and the bed will require specially designed accessories due to the odd shape. On the plus side, the mid-gate allows for some interesting options when hauling long loads, but comes at the cost of a lot of interior cargo space in the way the back seats fold up and the way storage is arranged under them.
I will say the odd shape is much less ugly in person than online.

Overall, I think some people will prefer it, some people will prefer the lightning. The biggest deciding factor will be how much people are willing to pay for the extra range, and how loyal people are to their brands.

That said, after spending the past few years at work dealing with GM vehicles, I would never consider one personally, and the lack of android auto would seal the deal.

Though the Sierra and the Lightning actually aren't supposed to compete. The Ford competition for the Silverado has always been T3, the Lightning is supposed to be done by the time the Sierra gets to market.

The one I'm more excited about is the RAM REV, but along with being the most excited for it, I'm also the most skeptical of it's timelines and promises, so only time will tell.

EDIT: I mistakenly said Silverado, when I meant Sierra.

 

[jpepper07]

Ford didn't buy back my truck and BBB was no help so i am trading in the lightning and only getting $38,400 on the trade so if there are any of you having the same issues with their trucks be aware that the trucks resale tradein value isn't that high. I have had the truck since January 27th 2024 and have 7500 miles on it but the loss on value is great compared to the price i paid. For those of you who try to sell their vehicles themselves, I commend you, but I do not want to be responsible for another unhappy lightning driver. The dealership can have that burden on them.

I do not know your story or all of your complaints. It seems you have a standard-range Lightning. I've briefly checked your post history, and it seems that you have a standard-range Lightning and enjoy traveling at +77mph.

My area has few highways above 65 mph, but I often speed at around 75. My average is closer to 70, for the most part. I have a '22 extender range lariat. On 100% charge, I see around 260+ miles on the highway, sometimes more with combined driving. I live in a rural area and travel 30+ miles everywhere I go. I also make 4-hour round trips and have previously traveled 8+ hours daily for long trips. My lighting has worked very well for me. I always charge at home and only if road-tripping lasts over 4 hours.

As for the value, this sucks, I understand. I am unsure why Ford or BBB should have helped you unless you had severe issues with your truck. The good news is that the value of our trucks shouldn't depreciate much more than average yearly depreciation. My extended range is likely only 3-5k more in value than yours, which is probably less as I have more miles.

The loss of value has little to do with customer satisfaction with the vehicle. If you bought it with the intent to keep it forever, then the value never matters. Most of us buyers were well aware of these risks, though. We hoped for better.

As for selling it privately, why does the low trade-in value mean you are taking advantage of someone? If they want it, then sell it to them. It doesn't make the truck any less valuable to them as far as a vehicle goes. Our financials will look worse, though.

 

[Jake24]

For British Columbia residents qualifying for the $9k rebate, Lightning XLT SR is a no brainer. There's no competition value wise. It's an absolutely incredible truck with excellent features, quality, comfort & style.

 

[speedy123]

I had the opportunity for the first time to look at a Silverado EV up close this week. I asked the sales person and they said it won't be available for sale until next year (In Canada), and no pricing has yet been announced, but they said it will be "north of $100,000(CAD)"

Your salesperson sounds behind the times. It is available for sale in Canada now in WT trim to both consumers and fleet buyers, limited stock at dealers but my dealer would be happy to configure and order one. The RST consumer trim is later this year and will be pricey. We Canadians have WAY better pricing though than the US. 3WT is $75k and 4WT is $82k-ish (Canadian dollars) so equivalent to $55k and $60k USD. 4WT is compelling value with range and charging, and priced same here as Lightning Pro with ER battery.

 

[Green1]

Your salesperson sounds behind the times. It is available for sale in Canada now in WT trim to both consumers and fleet buyers, limited stock at dealers but my dealer would be happy to configure and order one. The RST consumer trim is later this year and will be pricey. We Canadians have WAY better pricing though than the US. 3WT is $75k and 4WT is $82k-ish (Canadian dollars) so equivalent to $55k and $60k USD. 4WT is compelling value with range and charging, and priced same here as Lightning Pro with ER battery.

Sorry to clarify I was looking at a Sierra, not a Silverado.
GMC Canada's website says the Denali is coming in 2025. For now they say their only EV is the Hummer EV.

Looking at Chevrolet's website It's pretty much impossible to tell anything about the WT4 because it only lists a starting price, and when I try to build one it asks me to pick a dealer but then doesn't let me choose one.

 

[speedy123]

Silverado EV at dealer

Canada Price Details

 

[speedy123]

GMC Canada's website does not list the WT at all, and says the Denali is coming in 2025. For now they say their only EV is the Hummer EV.

GMC will make the Sierra EV and the Hummer. The Silverado is Chevrolet

 

[Green1]

GMC will make the Sierra EV and the Hummer. The Silverado is Chevrolet

Sorry I updated my last reply to clarify. The vehicle I was looking at and commenting about was the Sierra not the Silverado.
As for the Silverado, it's impossible to get any actual information on it, the news article lists the starting price but no information about what is included in the starting price versus what you have to pay extra for. And that dealer listing is hopeless to sift through. Chevrolet's website won't let me get any information either because it tells me that I need to pick a dealer before configuring the truck, but won't actually let me do that.

 

[speedy123]

I had a $100 reservation from Chevrolet a couple years back and got an email to come in and order one, which I didn’t do, but it is orderable for sure, in WT trim anyway. The RST initial allocation may be sold out but, I’ll be Chevy has a pricing reality check and will need to drop prices a lot on RST for meaningful sales. It is a cool truck, range you can actually tow with, and super fast charging. I’m not big on the styling and it is another half ton or more heavier than Lightning.

 

[Green1]

As I said in my previous post, after working with GM vehicles at work for several years, I would never consider one personally, combined with their idiotic decision to block Android auto in favor of trying to extract more recurring revenue from you, it's a done deal. So I won't be digging into it too much. The only reason I was looking at the Sierra was because it was on display at a GMC booth at a local summer festival (they are a huge sponsor) so I was curious.

 

[Kev12345]

if ford offered a larger battery option in the lightning, would anyone even be talking about the Silverado?

Sponsored