Garage too small. Anyone park outside? In the snow?

[JRT]

I'd keep the charger in the garage and run the plug under the door.

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[detansinn]

My Lightning lives outside. Do make sure that you have a level 2 charger hookup to plug the truck over those cold Minnesota nights. The truck is fine outside. It’s an F150.

 

[Jseis]

LOL: I’ve 3” to spare each side. Only folded the right mirror once !

 

[MTcowpoke]

As others have said, it's just fine. If you're

home, ABC, always be charging. The windows are all melted off with departure and comfort set. Check my old posts, there is one from last winter when it was -25 or worse for a couple days so I took pics of the gauge cluster. Pic is it's happy place year around.

 

[Jim Lewis]

In Minnesota, you may not have to worry about summer sun, but anyone who lives in a hot clime like the American Southwest who can't fit their truck in their garage might want to invest in a driveway carport to shield the vehicle from the sun (and summer heat) and hail. Here in San Antonio, we get roasting summer heat and periodic hailstorms. The average asphalt shingled roof only lasts about 15 years before it's destroyed by hail (a place like San Angelo, TX, is even worse for hail!). The best thing about the sun, if you wait long enough, it anneals the dings out of car sheet metal (don't ask me how I know!).

 

[tls]

It probably doesn't get as cold where I live as where you do but it gets down below -10F at night for a good chunk of each winter, and we get a few very substantial storms every year. My Lightning sits outside our house halfway up a ski mountain every night just like my old gas F150 did, and on a lot of winter weekends I get up before the plows are out and drive to far away competitions just like I always did. The thing that actually took some getting used to is that unlike the ICE F150, remote start doesn't melt any snow off the hood! The cabin heat still melts snow off the windshield and roof but it just sort of slides down onto the hood and sits there. You can't count on it to blow away before you're on busy public roads - you do have to sweep it off a little.

 

[USA EV]

My garage was somewhere around a foot short, so I had part of the back of the garage popped out about 3', which gave the needed room and provided some extra storage. The secret to affordability is that the floor of the popout is sturdy, but is not concrete, so a curb prevents vehicle tires from reaching it, but I back in and the Lightning's rear overhang "hangs over" and gives the required room to fit it in.

 

[Caneman88]

 

[Lucky Larry]

I'm in the great white north a.k.a. Canada. My truck is outside all the time. Last winter I got in the habit of plugging it in when the temperature drops below 20 f or -6 c. I also lowered the charge target to 60% if it's plugged in every night.

I have set a departure time so when I hop in the truck it's nice and warm and the snow frost or ice on the windshield has melted when the departure time is reached.

I have had no problems driving in winter. even when it's -35c or -30f
The only thing that sucks is cleaning the snow of the rest off the truck.

Note that a message will pop up to remind you to plug the truck in when the outside air temp is cold.

 

[BlueLightning]

Always have parked outside, all seasons. Especially while charging overnight.

 

[ValleyLightning23]

I also installed the charger just outside garage and live in northern NH. No issues, however after a few wet snows that then froze I did purchase a generic EV wrap around plug cover designed to keep weather (i.e. the snow, frozen wet snow) off/out of the plug connection area at the truck. So now I have no problems closing hatch door in the morning after these types of snow events when expected. Have had my Lightning just over a year now and no regrets.

 

[Lightning Rod]

Nothing to worry about.

Ouch!

 

[Ragman]

The lack of engine heat to keep ice off the wipers is only real issue I’ve had in winter - the trucks would benefit from two defrost wires inline with wiper blades defrost once driving can’t seem to keep them from freezing up (below -20…)

 

[Heliian]

The lack of engine heat to keep ice off the wipers is only real issue I’ve had in winter - the trucks would benefit from two defrost wires inline with wiper blades defrost once driving can’t seem to keep them from freezing up (below -20…)

Weird, better try some better deicer fluid. I have no issues, there are heat zones on my Lariat, the wires as you describe. Do your xlts not have that?

2 winters under my belt, coming into a 3rd now with no issues.
FCSP is on an outer wall but is shaded and under the eaves of the house, no problems there either.

Ice buildup on the charge door can happen so just be aware to clean it before closing. I don't have a cover but have thrown a towel over it twice during extreme weather.

I live in northern Ontario Canada, we get all of the seasons and tons of cold/snow. I have no garage, my truck does truck stuff.

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