Resources if you run out of charge?

[Severdog]

What does one do if you run out of charge? Does Ford offer some kind of roadside assistance to have someone swing by and charge you on the spot? Or is it up to the owner to find a source?

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[F150ROD]

Stop a fellow Lightning Driver on the Road and get a charge….

But it’s a good question, I wonder if Ford will designate some Pro ER Lightning for Roadside Assistance for EVs

 

[davidf01]

Get a small gas generator and keep it in the back if your doing something where you think you may not reach a charging station.

 

[LightningShow]

https://www.ford.com/support/how-to...ce/roadside-assistance-for-electric-vehicles/

If you’re more than 35 miles from home, Roadside Assistance will tow your all-electric vehicle to the nearest charge station or Ford EV-certified dealer. This service comes with the purchase of your Ford electric vehicle and is good for the first five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.

 

[beatle]

This is for the MachE, but I bet it applies to the Lightning as well:

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...021-Mach-E-QRG-Version-2_QG_EN-US_10_2020.pdf

HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY OUT-OF-CHARGE As a Mustang MACH-E Roadside Assistance customer, if your vehicle does not have enough power to drive, it will be towed to the nearest location: 1. Nearest public charger. 2. Your home. 3. Ford/Lincoln EV Certified Dealer.​

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...​

Ford Motor Company gives you peace of mind with the complimentary Roadside Assistance Program. Services are available from the warranty start date and last for 5 years or 60,000 miles (100,000 km), whichever occurs first. Roadside Assistance is honored throughout the 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. Towing services are available to any qualified Ford or Lincoln dealer within the distance limits stated in your Owner’s Manual. If you’re out of warranty coverage but need Roadside Assistance, you can still access the service you need by paying a one-time fee​

 

[Severdog]

A TOW? Oooof. I was considering using my Powerboost as a remote charging vehicle for this purpose, but marketing a service like that would be insanely difficult. When your car quits, you call a number to speak to a human...and not google "roadside charging services."

 

[VTbuckeye]

You find a good samaritan with a super duty going the same way as you. Attach a set of tow straps to the tow hooks on the front of the lightning. You turn the lightning on and the super duty tows you around at 35 to 50 mph and you let your regenerative brakes charge the battery. They could also cozy on up to the back of your truck and push you. To your truck it would feel like going down a long hill. Just call it a supercharger...unless that name is already taken.

 

[Sdctcher]

I believe the Lightning is not towable but must be trailered on a flatbed.

 

[Hamtech]

What does one do if you run out of charge? Does Ford offer some kind of roadside assistance to have someone swing by and charge you on the spot? Or is it up to the owner to find a source?

Range anxiety is a real thing. I have had a Model X for two years. At the beginning I was freaking out about my charge level. After a few months I learned the limits and adjusted my trip planning accordingly.

The best thing to do is enter your destinations into the navigation system.

My long distance trips do not change so I no longer use the navigation because I know where the chargers are and when I need to charge to complete the trip.

my daily driving is under 20 miles so I never really have to worry about range.

I promise your first trip pushing over 150 miles will be a white knuckle trip.

 

[vandy1981]

I believe the Lightning is not towable but must be trailered on a flatbed.

Yes, you need a flatbed for the Lightning.

That said, I have not run out of electricity after 2 years and 4000+ road trip miles and 14,000 overall miles in my I-Pace which is not a distance or charging beast.

If you think you're going to run out of juice, just drive slower.

 

[Mr. Flibble]

You find a good samaritan with a super duty going the same way as you. Attach a set of tow straps to the tow hooks on the front of the lightning. You turn the lightning on and the super duty tows you around at 35 to 50 mph and you let your regenerative brakes charge the battery. They could also cozy on up to the back of your truck and push you. To your truck it would feel like going down a long hill. Just call it a supercharger...unless that name is already taken.

This would actually work. I think it was Kyle on Out of Spec Reviews that did something similar? You would need at least a touch of power left. You would not want to be exactly at dead/shutdown.

I drove my Kia up into the mountains, and the range remaining was 5 miles. I turned around at the summit and started downhill. I was able to regen enough to cover 22 miles:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/The...f5cab!2m2!1d-121.7867775!2d47.4956579!5m1!1e4

I had to use the charger in North Bend though, to go back to 80%.

 

[VTbuckeye]

This would actually work. I think it was Kyle on Out of Spec Reviews that did something similar? You would need at least a touch of power left. You would not want to be exactly at dead/shutdown.

I drove my Kia up into the mountains, and the range remaining was 5 miles. I turned around at the summit and started downhill. I was able to regen enough to cover 22 miles:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/The...f5cab!2m2!1d-121.7867775!2d47.4956579!5m1!1e4

I had to use the charger in North Bend though, to go back to 80%.

The key to this working is that the lightning needs to be ON. It can't be flat towed long distance, but if you are in drive and feathering the throttle and brakes to add battery charge it should work. The battery cooling would be working. The super duty would be supplying the "gravity". Last summer I read about Rivian doing this (tow strap flat tow for 10 to 20 miles to add a LOT of power quickly). With the motor and battery temp sensors you should be able to adjust the recharge rate to stay safe. Ford will never recommend doing this. Too many ways to mess up (most importantly running into your tow vehicle), but it will work.

 

[p52Ranch]

The key to this working is that the lightning needs to be ON. It can't be flat towed long distance, but if you are in drive and feathering the throttle and brakes to add battery charge it should work. The battery cooling would be working. The super duty would be supplying the "gravity". Last summer I read about Rivian doing this (tow strap flat tow for 10 to 20 miles to add a LOT of power quickly). With the motor and battery temp sensors you should be able to adjust the recharge rate to stay safe. Ford will never recommend doing this. Too many ways to mess up (most importantly running into your tow vehicle), but it will work.

I am glad I read this thread. I was foolishly planning on selling my Super Duty when I got the Lightning. I had finally convinced myself that if I kept the Super Duty I would only be driving it a few miles a year.

But now I have a reason to keep it. In the meanwhile I'll start working with Ford to trademark the F250 name to "Super Gravity".

 

[VTbuckeye]

I am glad I read this thread. I was foolishly planning on selling my Super Duty when I got the Lightning. I had finally convinced myself that if I kept the Super Duty I would only be driving it a few miles a year.

But now I have a reason to keep it. In the meanwhile I'll start working with Ford to trademark the F250 name to "Super Gravity".

Because super charger was already taken.. I like super gravity. Paint it a flat black and it can be a black hole. Fill it with water and it will be a gravity well. (I'll stop now before they kick me out).

 

[ShirBlackspots]

What does one do if you run out of charge? Does Ford offer some kind of roadside assistance to have someone swing by and charge you on the spot? Or is it up to the owner to find a source?

This is generally not going to happen unless you are really bad at planning trips.

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