Lightning Extreme Cold Weather Highway Performance?

[GarageWarrior2023]

I'm considering picking up a 2022 lightning. Currently have a couple Mach-E's and would probably trade one in on the lightning.

The Mach-E in anything below -20C when highway driven (even if preconditioned plugged in first) will blow ice cold air after a few minutes at 100km/h leaving passengers frozen and then the windshield ices over with fog. My concern is whether the F150 lightning does the same or not......

1. Has anyone highway driven the F150 Lightning in -30c to -40c weather?
2. Has anyone cold soaked an F150 Lightning in -30c to -40c unplugged for 10+ hours then started and drove it?

I'm interested in what real world range loss you see in -30c to -40c at highway speeds, can the vehicle maintain cabin heat at highway speeds in those temperatures, and can the vehicle maintain battery temp in those temperatures while at highway speed.

Long and short, when it's bitter cold and you're on the highway, can the lightning keep up with it's heater and keep everything and everyone warm without issues.

Yes I know you can use heated seats etc....but I'm specifically looking at what the lightning's cold weather limitations are vs the mach-e. my experience with the mach-e has left me gun shy for ford ev's since most of the winter where I live is between -20c and -40c on a normal year.

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[TaxmanHog]

Hopefully our Alaskan and Canadian members can answer your questions, my experience are for mild New England temp's

 

[Bandit216]

...
1. Has anyone highway driven the F150 Lightning in -30c to -40c weather?
2. Has anyone cold soaked an F150 Lightning in -30c to -40c unplugged for 10+ hours then started and drove it?
...

I've been driving both the Mach E and the Lightning here in Fairbanks for multiple winters (Mach E x3, Lightning x2) and can answer 'yes' to both of your questions. I've submitted several threads about my experiences with the Lightning, including: https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...lightning-at-40f-40c-a-real-world-test.13726/

In answer to your major concerns:
I've experienced similar issues with the Mach E's lack of adequate heating in extreme cold. I've found the Lightning to be much better at keeping the cabin warm as it apparently has a greater heater output than the Mach E. In both vehicles I've found it preferable to use manual climate control in extreme cold.
If you have a -30- or -40 cold-soaked Lightning you will want to remote start it 5 or 10 minutes before departure. If you do, the cabin will be toasty warm when you get in and it will maintain that heat much better than the Mach E.

My average miles per kWh in extreme has been a very consistent 1.8 for the Mach E and 1.2-1.3 for the Lightning. In other words, both lose about 40-45% of their range in extreme cold.

I do prefer the Lightning to the Mach E when winter driving - with one exception - the winter tire choices. The Mach E has a better selection of after market, excellent winter tires to choose from. The OEM Lightning tire choices are barely adequate in icy conditions and the after market alternatives are limited.

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

I've been driving both the Mach E and the Lightning here in Fairbanks for multiple winters (Mach E x3, Lightning x2) and can answer 'yes' to both of your questions. I've submitted several threads about my experiences with the Lightning, including: https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...lightning-at-40f-40c-a-real-world-test.13726/

In answer to your major concerns:
I've experienced similar issues with the Mach E's lack of adequate heating in extreme cold. I've found the Lightning to be much better at keeping the cabin warm as it apparently has a greater heater output than the Mach E. In both vehicles I've found it preferable to use manual climate control in extreme cold.
If you have a -30- or -40 cold-soaked Lightning you will want to remote start it 5 or 10 minutes before departure. If you do, the cabin will be toasty warm when you get in and it will maintain that heat much better than the Mach E.

My average miles per kWh in extreme has been a very consistent 1.8 for the Mach E and 1.2-1.3 for the Lightning. In other words, both lose about 40-45% of their range in extreme cold.

I do prefer the Lightning to the Mach E when winter driving - with one exception - the winter tire choices. The Mach E has a better selection of after market, excellent winter tires to choose from. The OEM Lightning tire choices are barely adequate in icy conditions and the after market alternatives are limited.

Thanks for the info and links. much appreciated.

Sounds like for my climate, the Lightning would probably be the best bet. I do prefer to run studded winter tires (X-ice north 4's) so I'll have to have a look at what larger sizes they offer.

98% of my driving is highway at about 105km/h (I'd go faster but 105 seems to be a balance of speed and efficiency), so between Manitoba's typical extreme cold weather and highway speeds, I put EV's through the worst case range scenario for much of winter.

 

[ctaschuk]

I'm considering picking up a 2022 lightning. Currently have a couple Mach-E's and would probably trade one in on the lightning.

The Mach-E in anything below -20C when highway driven (even if preconditioned plugged in first) will blow ice cold air after a few minutes at 100km/h leaving passengers frozen and then the windshield ices over with fog. My concern is whether the F150 lightning does the same or not......

1. Has anyone highway driven the F150 Lightning in -30c to -40c weather?
2. Has anyone cold soaked an F150 Lightning in -30c to -40c unplugged for 10+ hours then started and drove it?

I'm interested in what real world range loss you see in -30c to -40c at highway speeds, can the vehicle maintain cabin heat at highway speeds in those temperatures, and can the vehicle maintain battery temp in those temperatures while at highway speed.

Long and short, when it's bitter cold and you're on the highway, can the lightning keep up with it's heater and keep everything and everyone warm without issues.

Yes I know you can use heated seats etc....but I'm specifically looking at what the lightning's cold weather limitations are vs the mach-e. my experience with the mach-e has left me gun shy for ford ev's since most of the winter where I live is between -20c and -40c on a normal year.

I live in Saskatchewan Canada where the temperatures you describe are seen every winter. We received our Lightning in January last year in the middle of a -40 period and have seen a couple similar periods since. The windows do ice up and I have to put the truck on max heating in order to keep myself from getting really cold. Even on max, it is cool in the cab. We just got the heated steering wheel upgrade as well, but you can barely tell it is on. As the other thrread says, count on losing about 40%. We have the extended battery pack, and just took the truck on a couple road trips in -7C, which netted about 300-330km of range. I go my the battery % for estimating what we have left and do my own math as the km on the Ford freaks out my wife. For comparizon, I have a PHEV BMW X5 that I drive electric-only most of the time, and it is toasty warm all the time with no frosting of the windows, so this is a Ford problem and not a EV problem.

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

I live in Saskatchewan Canada where the temperatures you describe are seen every winter. We received our Lightning in January last year in the middle of a -40 period and have seen a couple similar periods since. The windows do ice up and I have to put the truck on max heating in order to keep myself from getting really cold. Even on max, it is cool in the cab. We just got the heated steering wheel upgrade as well, but you can barely tell it is on. As the other thrread says, count on losing about 40%. We have the extended battery pack, and just took the truck on a couple road trips in -7C, which netted about 300-330km of range. I go my the battery % for estimating what we have left and do my own math as the km on the Ford freaks out my wife. For comparizon, I have a PHEV BMW X5 that I drive electric-only most of the time, and it is toasty warm all the time with no frosting of the windows, so this is a Ford problem and not a EV problem.

Thank you. Yes, I completely agree that this is a Ford problem. I had a 2022 Bolt EUV before the Mach-Es and it worked great down to -40c with no issues and could BLAST heat. it was warmer in winter than my ICE vehicles. That was part of what sold me on EV's going forward. But Ford seems to have a hard time with heat in winter for some reason haha.

 

[sd25]

Sounds like the issue in extreme cold is that Ford prioritizes keeping the battery pack warm at the expense of cabin warmth.

If possible, you should precondition the battery before leaving by plugging it in and setting a departure time. That will bring up the battery temp using "shore power" instead of from your available battery capacity.

For me, the game changer moment was when I realized that in winter I could walk into my garage into a warmed up vehicle without worrying about toxic fumes going into the house.

 

[ctaschuk]

I agree. I do that all the time with my BMW. The F-150 is more my wife's truck, so I am still trying to sell the pre-conditioning to her...

 

[Tundra]

Thus far I have only hit -28C with my Lightning this year, but the winter was unusually mild here. So I haven't hit -40C like previous vehicles.

If the battery was prewarmed I was hit hitting 1.3-1.6M/KWH when it cold soaked I was between .8-1.1M/KWH.

Preconditiong that battery is a must.

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This past winter mostly just used the heated seat and did not run the climate as much, but the climate system felt more than adequate even when it was cold out.

I have to say this truck is WHOLE lot warmer than my diesel was in extreme cold - on cold days it would definitely take 30+ minutes of driving on the highway to start getting that heat, and when it was -40C, good luck on cabin heat and keeping the windows from fogging!

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I live in a more rural area, so when it is super cold the more limited range definitely means I need to plan my travels a bit more - but I can still certainly get where I need to go.

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The lightning is also great in the snow - heh I might be lazy with my gravel driveway and I always pack the snow down with the truck for the first few snow falls to build a harder base for shoveling/snow blowing.

 

[JRT]

I'm very far south, but I do not run the heat in auto if I want hot, I manually blast it,​

​

My 2022 Mach-E was cold unless I forced it this way.​

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

I'm very far south, but I do not run the heat in auto if I want hot, I manually blast it,​

​

My 2022 Mach-E was cold unless I forced it this way.​

Yes, I would agree, the auto mode isn't fully dialed in, in my opinion. you definitely also don't want fan speed maxed out (max defrost for example).

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

Thus far I have only hit -28C with my Lightning this year, but the winter was unusually mild here. So I haven't hit -40C like previous vehicles.

If the battery was prewarmed I was hit hitting 1.3-1.6M/KWH when it cold soaked I was between .8-1.1M/KWH.

Preconditiong that battery is a must.

---

This past winter mostly just used the heated seat and did not run the climate as much, but the climate system felt more than adequate even when it was cold out.

I have to say this truck is WHOLE lot warmer than my diesel was in extreme cold - on cold days it would definitely take 30+ minutes of driving on the highway to start getting that heat, and when it was -40C, good luck on cabin heat and keeping the windows from fogging!

---

I live in a more rural area, so when it is super cold the more limited range definitely means I need to plan my travels a bit more - but I can still certainly get where I need to go.

---

The lightning is also great in the snow - heh I might be lazy with my gravel driveway and I always pack the snow down with the truck for the first few snow falls to build a harder base for shoveling/snow blowing.

Interesting, that's kind of a neat comparison between the diesel and the lightning.

But the overall statement does seem to be that the lightning performs better and seems to have a more powerful heater than the Mach-E.

Does anyone know the size of the heater in the Lightning? Does anyone have a service diagram of the heating system in the lightning? I've seen diagrams of the design of the Mach-E heating/cooling system, and it's a 5kw ptc heater in 2021-2023 models.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Does anyone know the size of the heater in the Lightning? Does anyone have a service diagram of the heating system in the lightning? I've seen diagrams of the design of the Mach-E heating/cooling system, and it's a 5kw ptc heater in 2021-2023 models.

We have only seen schematics of the MME system, but suspect the Lightings PTC is 9KW based on the energy tests I've done over the past couple of winters.

Lightning Version
https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/c...ts/heater-auxiliary-(bev)-p-nl3z18k463a?pdp=y

MME Version
https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/c...ts/auxiliary-heater-front-p-lj9z18k463b?pdp=y

 

[Formerly]

Plug in a space heater using the front outlet inside the cab, one of those little guys

 

[GarageWarrior2023]

We have only seen schematics of the MME system, but suspect the Lightings PTC is 9KW based on the energy tests I've done over the past couple of winters.

Lightning Version
https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/climate-control/heater-repair-parts/heater-auxiliary-(bev)-p-nl3z18k463a?pdp=y

MME Version
https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/c...ts/auxiliary-heater-front-p-lj9z18k463b?pdp=y

thanks for listing the parts. I would assume they use similar heating/cooling loops. I can't see why they'd make it a lot different initially.

Does it settle at 9kw steady or does it peak at 9kw then setting down? in the Mach-e forum, our 5kw heaters have been thought to be 7kw but thats because they peak for a short while then drop to a steady output. apparently the heaters can spike above their rated output for a short while.

What I'm asking is, is it possible it's a 7kw heater spiking to 9kw? I know the 2023.5 and 2024 mach-e has a 7kw heater. if the lightning is a 7kw heater and works better maybe that was what drove Ford to try the 7KW heater in the mach-e?

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