Here's Our Cunning Plan to Drive the EV Ford F-150 Lightning 3,500 Miles to Deadhorse, Alaska - Ep.1

[@davidhillbrand2302]

Glad to see David involved - his perspective is always relatable and honest! Should be an interesting journey!

[@Sevenfeet0]

And this is where this gets interesting. My wife works for a major company contracted to handle housing and related logistics for US military bases and she was just up in Fairbanks at Ft Wainwright & Ft Greely six weeks ago where they actually discussed how could they electrify their grid for EVs (and especially EV trucks) given the challenges of doing anything in Alaska and the harsh climate. Temperatures in winter regularly fall to -40 F (and sometimes worse) which is brutal for any infrastructure much less battery operated vehicles (smart doing this in the summer guys). So this trip will be watched by a lot of people who will see how you guys fair with the current infrastructure as a starting point. Alaska's power grid is still almost entirely dependent on burning coal (not good) and there is a lot of nothing but wilderness between major population centers (and calling most places "major population centers" is a stretch in most places. In looking at your route map, you guys are definitely doing this the hard way....beginning in Skagway, going through Canada, going past Ft Greely and North Pole, AK to get to Fairbanks where you can enjoy a hotel and hot food. So with the exception of Fairbanks, there is going to be mostly wilderness and camping on this trip so don't forget your camping best practices for Alaska including bear spray...don't trifle with the grizzlies! Also, Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay is some of the most desolate stretch of roadway on the planet. One of my wife's coworkers who lives in Fairbanks's husband works for the state of Alaska and works on the crews that keep that road open during the winter. And when he's on duty clearing that road, he's gone for a week at a time. Have a great and safe journey but BE CAREFUL out there!

[@sternumboy1]

Norway has the most electric vehicles per Capita. Pretty sure it gets brutally cold there too and things seem to manage

[@TaigaTurf]

@@sternumboy1 Norway is mild

[@Propelled]

Norway has as much to do with Alaska as peanuts do tomatoes.

[@davidcmatson]

@@sternumboy1 And Norway's population (a massive 5.5 million)....is a sliver of the U.S. with a land mass slightly larger than New Mexico. But, hey, they "manage" and that electric vehicle per capita is really impressive. LMFAO!!!!

[@lego4virgo]

@@davidcmatson I think it was less about population and more about weather and it's affects on infrastructure for EVs. That said, Norway does seem to be about 10 degrees warmer, even at it's coldest temperature, than Alaska.

[@DerptimeTV]

If the plan is to sleep overnight in the back of the hybrids bed while charging the lightning. Id highly recommend a 15-20 foot section of pipe and or tube to go onto the end of the exhaust pipe to move the exhaust as far away as possible, as sleeping in the cab is considered dangerous in a running vehicle. and thats how I lost a family member to carbon monoxide poisoning. You are now planning to sleep even closer to the exhaust in a diy camper thats definitely not going to be air tight. Please, please take this into consideration as its very dangerous!

[@Kangenpower7]

Modern trucks don't have the carbon monoxide problems of the older vehicles, especially with a catalytic converter. My last smog check, my car had almost 0 CO, and very low unburned hydrocarbons coming out of the tailpipe. While warming up, sure it might have higher CO levels, but once warm, they are fine.

[@DerptimeTV]

@@Kangenpower7 your not wrong on that, my only counter to that is why would you sleep next to an exhaust pipe if you dont have to, just asking for trouble. I know on plenty of cars ive seen it distinctly says on the back hatch of many vehicles to not leave the hatch open with the vehicle on. Whether it was our old windstar, outback, edge, anything with a hatch you could smell it in the cab fairly quickly, warm or cold.

[@corbinholt8615]

You guys do realize that they are putting the camper on an electric truck….there are no emissions…….

[@nix4644]

Sure, you guys are all happy-go-lucky now, smiling, laughing, and yucking it up. I'm looking forward to seeing your individual personalities after spending a 7000 mile road trip together...that will stress any relationship. Don't get me wrong, I hope it all goes swimmingly, so good luck and have a blast. The information you glean will be useful to a lot of people.

[@toyyoda3710]

they have done many trips together. like the highest points of every state was a good one

[@2pi628]

Yes, that trip is like going to Mars! It could be HELL on WHEELS! Agghhhh!

[@jimnevin763]

The only information that will be gleaned from this excursion is what anyone with a brain already knows; this is nuts!

[@dannydeshler4327]

@@toyyoda3710 yeah...but without the added stress of doing it in an EV...no thanks.

[@dalejones4322]

This is going to be such a fun and interesting trip. Glad you brought David on board for the series. Every aspect of the series is going to be informative. How will the camper affect the truck? Will there be enough infrastructure to support the trip? Will the camp grounds be a viable charging place? Will the other Ford be needed a lot to charge? Thanks to all your sponsors, including ford for the loaner truck. Thanks to you guys for giving us a peak into the near future.

[@goingofftherails9877]

Dale, thank you for understanding our goals on this adventure. Not trying to prove anything but rather just informative entertainment

[@dalejones4322]

@@goingofftherails9877 you guys are going to have a blast and so will I vicariously through you.

[@tazeat]

Yep! Should be interesting, hopefully with enough planning the PowerBoost won't be needed at all, we'll see...

[@sherizaahd]

You could also tow the Lightning behind the Hybrid truck to make the motors regen power while driving. I am sure Ford says not to, but Engineering Explained did that with his Model 3 on a race track being towed behind a Ford Raptor. He calculated that doing that made the Rapter more efficient than just driving it.

[@cremazie]

I’m happy to see David is going, he is so relatable, genuine and handy! I was hoping to see the drive through Canada but it’s understandable with boarder regulations these days.

[@driverguy4074]

They aren't driving through Canada as there isn't any Fast Charging Stations North of Fort St John BC Any Vaccinated individual can drive through Canada, and I see many American plates going to Alaska.

[@scottmccambley764]

@@driverguy4074 Pretty much all Canadian Tire Stores are equipped with Electrify Canada charging stations these days. Every mid size town in Canada has a Crappy Tire store or Wally Mart. I think they whimped out a bit given their support truck. They could've even used their Electrify USA account if they wanted to. I don't think Fort St. John is the end of the line for charging

[@driverguy4074]

@@scottmccambley764 my gf's niece and her boyfriend took their Tesla to Ft Nelson last summer The last fast charger was Ft St John. They pluged into 110 15 amp for 3 days and weren't at 90% when they left. They could not make the fast charger in Ft St John There are a few spots to charge north of Ft Nelson. But good luck. Maybe they know how inefficient EV is for long travel.

[@shiftfocus1]

They’re still going to have to cross through Canada north of Haines.

[@kenmcclow8963]

I think they are just saving time by skipping the AlCan highway part. The ferry isn't cheap though. I could see going up by ferry and back by road to see it both ways, or just go twice.

[@Johnnyionica]

Guys, the big "3 prong" plug at campgrounds is 120V 30Amp outlet. If you look at the breaker, it's a single pole 30 Amp breaker. Smaller RV's with only 1 AC use 120V 30 Amp circuit. The bigger RV's with 2 or 3 AC use 240Volts 50 Amp circuits. Your 240VAC charger wasn't working because it was only getting 120VAC.

[@Jeff-yu9vf]

Can’t wait to see the series guys!! One really important safety feature that you need to install in your campers are carbon monoxide detectors. Mostly because of the possibility of running the hybrid overnight to charge the lightning that will be parked right next to the hybrid while sleeping in the back of both trucks right near the exhaust.

[@toobalicious]

I wouldn’t have thought of that - which might be a really good idea.

[@xNYCMarc]

Vehicles don't produce enough carbon monoxide to kill anymore. The catalytic converter turns it into carbon dioxide and water. The once popular suicide method of running a car in a closed garage will now just give you a headache. There is ZERO risk of carbon monoxide poisoning outside, even if the exhaust were blowing directly in.

[@325xitgrocgetter]

Love the banter with Ford electricity versus GM electricity. When my son starting driving our Chevy Volt, I asked him if he was starting to use summer grade electricity since it was starting to warm up outside.

[@davidkaminski615]

Don't forget the polarized blinker charge. The right is polarized positive and left is polarized negative.

[@richardhouvener6423]

I tow a camping trailer with my F150 (ICE) and have wondered how long it will take for campground owners to wise up to EV F150 campers plugging into their 50/30A outlets to charge their trucks overnight or during the whole stay. I would not be surprised to see an EV "fee" added for those vehicles. Lots of electricity equals lots of cash over time for these campground owners.

[@ElectricGlider2016]

EV drivers including myself have already been going to campsites and charging off their 30 or 50 amp circuits for years now. And the cost of just reserving an RV spot more than covers the little cost of charging especially when those electrical hookups were already meant to provide a lot of power used by regular RVs day in and day out.

[@ErikTaraldsen]

Here in Norway where electric cars are more common. Camp grounds have started to ban electric cars from charging on their existing infrastructure. It's simply not scaled for high load over time. Heat build up in components have created browned out components.

[@ianandrews5988]

Good luck charging at campgrounds. The owners are getting wise to these power pigs.

[@Doc1855]

I have Cooper Discoverer tires on my 4X4 pickup year round. During our snowy winter months I put 300# of sand bags over the rear axle, add 40# of air in the rear shocks. My Ranger has never gotten stuck and has enough traction to get through some very deep snow and ice.

[@Wezi427]

I love that you guys are involving David. His opinions I think carry a different kind of weight because of his profession.

[@ftwelsh]

This is definitely the best car channel in KZbin! Congratulations guys for the amazing job you are doing

[@JustinKingOffroad]

tommy, the 3 prong outlet is a 120 volt 30 amp RV plug. that won't work with your 4 prong 240 plug hooked up to an adapter as it's missing one "hot leg."

[@lesleyboeder1798]

Yes they understand this

[@justaguy6100]

@Lesley Boeder They did ask to "let us know in the comments."

[@JustinKingOffroad]

@@justaguy6100 yep

[@georgepelton5645]

Yes, you need an EV specific adapter to connect a 30 amp campground outlet to a 50 Amp EVSE. The wiring is different that what an RV needs.

[@tazeat]

Yep, you can get the EV specific adapters on Amazon

[@billjamison2877]

All I have to say is GOOD LUCK! I'll be watching your progress.

[@AkioWasRight]

I think it would just be cheaper, easier and faster to tow the Lightning there with the Powerboost.

[@BillOnVideo]

My thought exactly!

[@RyanRKJ]

Haha, they could still be the first Lightning at their destination.

[@larryboy8821]

What if they just left the Lightning at the dealer?

[@RyanRKJ]

@@larryboy8821 then they could not make content, or money off of it.

[@josebarboza4123]

🤣

[@ryanmartinage]

I have the BFG Trail Terrains on my 03' Grand Cherokee Overland. They have really been excellent true A/T tires. Severe snow rated, great in sand, dirt, and go 80 on the highway without any road noise. Ive been impressed with them.

[@codybecker2263]

Super helpful series, I have a Lightning due for delivery in 2 weeks and after watching this series I changed my mind and bought a PowerBoost, love the new truck, all the tech of the lightning with none of the downsides.

[@capt_ramius]

“None of the downsides”… Except that whole thing about 4x the cost/mi to operate it 😂😂

[@codybecker2263]

@@capt_ramius You make a fair point that there are compromises in every vehicle, and with the gas you potentially compromise on cost and with the lightning you compromise on time. It’s not a sure thing however as we have no history on the lightning yet and the operating cost compared to gas isn’t a single variable. If you charge at home and stay in town, and Ford has little issues with their first Gen platform it should save money. That being said, public charging is more expensive than Gas in most places, and if you go outside your range you are certainly compromising on time in a big way.

[@capt_ramius]

@@codybecker2263 I know it’s a sure thing because I can do math. For daily driving, I’m looking at 11 cents/kWh to charge at home (charging when I sleep so no watered time), so 0-100% battery is $14.41 for 320 miles of range, or 4 cents per mile to operate. A PowerBoost F-150 from 0-100% gas fill up at $4.00/gallon is $122.40 for 780 miles of range, or 16 cents per mile to operate… 4x more expensive than a Lightning. Charging at a DCFC is more expensive than at home, but no more so than filling up a 30+ gallon gas tank.

[@codybecker2263]

Your basically saying the same thing I did, if you only drive in town and only charge at home it’s cheaper. Fast charging is more expensive than gas. The use case matters, while it may be cheaper for you, everyone does not have the same driving patterns. And cost is only one element of a road trip, the other is time. I’m glad you are happy with your choice and I am happy with mine as well. You choose the lightning and I will take the powerboost that they will probably end up using to tow the lightning back from Alaska.

[@capt_ramius]

@@codybecker2263 *You’re

[@Thohean]

That round receptacle that you couldn't get to work is a TT-30R. It's 120 volts 30 amps. A lot of travel trailers use that for power

[@Benalan613]

You guys are skipping driving through British Columbia and taking a ferry… any truck can take a ferry. I was looking forward to you guys driving through our beautiful province.

[@HoneyBadgerFarm]

Your country does not allow purebloods….

[@slaphands7703]

Exactly.

[@IKnewMickey]

How much EV charging infrastructure exists once your 5 hours North of Abbotsford? The ferry is the way to go.

[@mudbuster50]

@@IKnewMickey the whole point is to watch the reality of the struggle. The ferry is cheating!

[@slaphands7703]

I’m guessing it’s a vaccination issue.

[@1sheinz]

You will find that there is actually quite a few charging stations in Alaska,. Most towns that have a Collage or Universary have charging there. Once you get to dead horse there is only a 120 -15 amp plug at the dinner. My trip to AK was in 2016 and I found a lot of chargers at least 300 km or closer to each other.

[@finnianfitzsimons623]

I’m delighted to see David on this trip

[@wwz1011]

3 prong is an RV specific, 30 amp, 120V outlet. There are plenty of 30A RV to 30A household adapters. Once you are outside cities in the Yukon, you are not going to get much electricity as they have to run generators to create their power in the campground. We got 15A 120V camping in the Yukon. Provincial campgrounds had no power.

[@abqcrutch]

I spent a summer as a contractor at Eielson AFB. It gets cold at night. Oh and the flies are terrible, lol.

[@cnelson3225]

We found the GeoCache! Thanks guys can’t wait to see the rest of the series!

[@TFLnow]

Congratulations!!

[@arod7130]

You guys are the most informative and well structured car enthusiast KZbin channel! You’ll have your own tv network one day!

[@lesstevens2370]

Its 2022 who watches cable anymore its been dead for a few years up here in canada

[@toobalicious]

I just hope they don’t go the way of Roadkill - which started as a very entertaining YT channel, then grew, wanted more and more monetization, got acquired by some larger car/marketing conglomerate, now is off my radar completely. I really like the way TFL is now…

[@arod7130]

@@toobalicious that was going to be my second thought… quality of everything goes down when money and bias gets in the way of passion

[@I_Am_Michael]

if they are lucky they might get their own youtube channel. or maybe not.

[@arod7130]

most networks can also be streamed… just saying. The comment was centered more around their quality content and growth potential.

[@swpski]

Loving your series with northern lightning. I picked up our Lariat Lightning on Saturday and we promptly took it on a 165mi round trip. The charging at a campground was my thought when getting outside of a good charger network. Can't wait to see how this all works out for you guys!

[@larrysmith6797]

Can't wait to see them thrown out of campgrounds at gunpoint for attempting to charge that Lightning.

[@krisbarnard1684]

I just drove my 2001 f350 with a v10 2050 miles home from alberta to ontario it was 206 gallons of fuel... but you know what? It took 33 or 36 hrs (i dont remember which with time changes etc) and i did it in 1 shot... that same drive in an ev would be easily double the time IF there was charging stations along the route which there isnt, so add in detour miliage and itd be an even LONGER trip... Evs are impractical unless you stay within a city

[@jeepinintexas6215]

And that's exactly why the EVs are being pushed on us. The powers that be don't want us to be able to travel long distance. They want us limited to the urban areas.

[@ScottWallace5]

Very exciting plans! Cool to hear that you're stopping in Sacramento/Woodland to stop by Four Wheel Camper, great modular campers and it'll be perfect for the Lightning. Can't wait for part 2!

[@tbgsbvds]

The range on the PB will change with your mpg’s on your current trip monitor, so if you start driving and your mpg’s per mile go up your range will go back up. I don’t think you lost 100 miles in a hour.

[@prestontiegs5022]

I thought the same thing! It adjusts your average MPG, and it calculates your range based on that average

[@ericroe]

The 30 amp RV outlet is a 120 volt outlet called a TT-30. The reason none of the adapters work is because you are buying an RV adapter. RV’s almost exclusively use 120 volts, so even when plugged into the 50 amp 240 volt outlet they are just using L1 and Neutral, or L2 to N. When you use a 30 amp to 50 amp adapter, it puts the Hot L to L1 and to L2. So on the adapter if you put a meter across the L1 and L2 of the NEMA 14-50 end it will show 0 volts. If you do it on the 50 amp outlet it’ll show 240 volts. You need to buy a special EV TT-30 to NEMA 14-50 adapter.

[@focustuner10]

You need to have David on the show alot more often! He adds alot to the group. Also, one thing that you did not mention is that when you have to camp in the back of the truck how much that will effect the charging of your truck because you will be using battery power while camping, lights cooking, heat if needed, ect.

[@kenmcclow8963]

I think Project M topper comes with it's own battery for lights, but most likely any cooking or heating will use propane

[@sternumboy1]

@@kenmcclow8963 looks like they are using an electric skillet. Pulling 110v off the truck for 20 minutes is going the barely scratch the battery capacity.

[@bradnoyes7955]

5:57 That 3 prong outlet is still only a 120V outlet, but can provide 30A at 120V. It is used by older/smaller RVs. One thing to note, the standard NEMA 5-15 receptacle is only rated for 15A at 120V so 1800 VA (1800W at unity Power Factor). The large RV outlet is 50A at 240V or 12 kVA (12 kW at unity Power Factor).

[@mudbuster50]

Something else to consider is. Once you get into these northern communities in AK the are solely powered by diesel generator. You might find that charging will cost a small fortune because it is a large diesel generator owned either by the town or some resident.

[@tazeat]

Lookup ELF EV rally by AKEVA. It's supposed to be free the whole way. The charging stops should all be 50 kW DCFC stations along the Dalton highway.

[@keith9519]

The lighting has some tire spin when accelerating which is a great display of torque. The RAM could do this also but the torque application is graduated by software for safety. This would be even more important on a wet road. Great video!

[@Redhead497]

Really looking forward to this series! Glad to see David on this journey!

[@Cloud30000]

I’m not sure if the 3 prong adapter has been answered yet, but the most common issue is that the truck needs a “true” ground, while most of the adapters either leave it open or short it to the common/neutral wire. Try to find an adapter that gives you a separate ground wire along with the 3 pin plug, then you can either plug the ground wire into the ground of the nearby 120v outlet, or if it doesn’t have any sockets with a ground, you can use a grounding rod (1/2” diameter copper rod, generally 5’ in length) to drive into the ground nearby to attach the ground wire, This is common for generators that don’t have a ground built in when connecting devices that need a ground; you may have even encountered it when trying to charge your EV’s off your generator. I think their are also adapters with special resistors to simulate a ground, but I don’t know how successful they will be with the Lightning.

[@-Enginerd]

If it's not too late, I recommend brining an EVSE capable of 40amps when charging at campgrounds. That will charge the lightening 25% faster than the Ford EVSE will. There is no point going any higher because the Nema 14-50R receptacle is only intended to provide 80% of its rated 50amp capacity continuously.

[@dmeyer8937]

I saw Tommy do that calculation on the 20 amp outlet, he came up with 2,400 watts and I cringed! I was hoping someone would comment on this - you can't pull full rated power continuously. I am not an expert on electric codes but I believe the rule for these outlets is 80%, so 16 amps on the 20 amp circuits can be used, 40 amps on the 50 amp circuits can be used, and just to be a little different I think 13 amps can be used continuously on a 15 amp circuit (not just 12 amps that would be 80%). If anyone is an expert on codes, you can of course correct my statements.

[@philipparana9225]

@@dmeyer8937 I'd be cautious pulling that many amps at a campground. Who knows how old or what breakers they have. I doubt they were considering. That type of load when installed.

[@georgepelton5645]

Yes, I sure hope the EVSE they take will be able to do 40 amps, and they can turn it down if needed.

[@douglas685]

@@dmeyer8937 Yeah his math is crap. 120v (actually less, usually closer to 110v-115v) times 12amps. Should be 1.4kw-ish charging speed. He should know this by now considering all the EV stuff he's done.

[@zaneenaz4962]

@@dmeyer8937 the factor is .707 or roughly 71%.....alternating single-phase. Note how quickly they shied away from the 3-phase calculation.

[@elfman84]

The 3 prong round outlet at a campground is going to be 120 V 30 A. If the charger from Ford is expecting a 220 V input from the matching pigtail that would be a very understandable reason for it to not start the charge. Additionally, the 120 V 30 A is only going to give you 3.6 KwH dropping your 5 day charge to full to 3 days.

[@EVPulse]

Guys, I know you said you're thinking about changing the mobile charger for your trip to one that shows you a readout of information. You should still take the one that came with the Lightning with you. That mobile charger caps at 30 amps (not 32), and you can't control how many amps you want to draw from the Lightning like you can in a Tesla. So if you plug in a mobile charger that can do 32 amps, the truck will ask for 32 amps, and you'll trip the breaker in the F-150 Hybrid every time. I have a story on it because I ran into the issue when trying different charging equipment, but didn't want to spam your comments with a link. But it is something I had to reach out to Ford about.

[@stevemcr896]

Not sure if anyone answered this yet or not. The question you asked about the 30 amp plug. The 30amp plug at a campground is different than say a 30 amp on a generator. You can buy an adapter or have someone make you a cord.

[@TaigaTurf]

Not going through Northern British Columbia/ Yukon is half assing the trip.. Luckily,the descent down from the north side of Atigun Pass should add some electricity back into the batteries.

[@timthetoolman223]

Back in 2009 John Ryan, on a 2005 Yamaha FJR1300, rode from Dead Horse, Alaska to Key West Florida (5645 miles) in 86 hours and 31 minutes. Do the math and that works out about 3.6 days for the trip or about the time it'll take you to charge your battery 6 times from 22% to full at 220 volts. I'm not sure the world is ready to go completely electric with these kind of vehicles.

[@danielstoscup755]

I’ve been dying to learn more about campsite charging. Thanks guys! I’d love to know why camping people are upset, was it the people paying the bill? That would make sense?

[@petecarlton3551]

Campsites are hard to come by already. We dont need people coming and ruining it for people wanting to camp because tree huggers are using up the sites. Truth be known. Electric isnt as green as the government tells you it is. Do you ever wonder where the power comes from.

[@BlueDually4x4]

Jason over at Engineering Explained did a video on how wheel size affects EV range, 18"s are a better choice for range, ride quality and you are less likely to damage them hitting a pothole. Not only do 18s look better but they are mathematically better than 20s. This is an interesting idea, though I do question why skip the Canada bit. You have viewers who live there and they might want to know how the truck does in their area. Given how big and empty Alaska is, I do hope you plan on taking fuel cans in the hybrid just to be sure you can get both trucks to the next place to fill up and charge.

[@Duane14]

I think this is going to be the most frustrating endeavor you guys have ever tried... best of luck...

[@clayed]

Put a push-pull bar on front of the lighting. Use lighting for breaking to charge it and assist when topped off.

[@k7gixxer1000]

To get an $80k Ford lightning to Prudhoe Bay Alaska all you need is a $70k Ford hybrid support vehicle. 😂🤣😂

[@kingelvis7035]

And you get to go a whopping 150 miles between hours long charging.

[@rubicondickweed]

I have zero interest in this series. This trip is completely absurd unless you don't mind charging forever.

[@davep4610]

I got it --- just add a good sized utility trailer with a commercial diesel generator and large diesel tank in the trailer. Then you can run the generator all the time day and night including while driving. Or just use a regular gas pickup for the trip and forget this EV silliness.

[@900108Chale]

Why not! ROFL!

[@andyham6094]

@@rubicondickweed same here.

[@barryhomes1]

Ironically, If you have taken a 40 amp charger (i.e Tesla portable charger with a J1772 adaptor) in stead of the 30 amp charger Ford offers, it would make a tremendous difference. At 40 amps (and the Ford at Zero charge) plugged in to a Nema1450, would have taken less than 12 hour to full charge in stead of 18 hours. Normally 30 amps at home would be fine. But on this trip it would have been quite a help. BTW, All this Ford Lighting research you are doing is great. Thx! Barry :-)

[@dommm111]

David can make that trip with just a 80's Chevy truck and an old toothbrush 🤠

[@cremazie]

This is exactly right, I’m glad we are seeing more oh him!

[@carlitodeleon768]

Thank You for all you do we appreciate you!!

[@carlostavaresjr958]

I think you guys proved that the hybrid f150 is the way to go! I like the lightning but it main use case is short distance tasks.

[@Zethuzzz]

Good video. Hope the actual episodes are released soon

[@ChrisACiufo]

I’d buy the hybrid F150; but not the Lightning until we are swimming in recharge stations-and I’m willing to stop frequently when towing with an electric truck. To me, the EV truck only makes sense in local use (not long haul highway). And, I just can’t see this value position improving until battery tech gets way, way better. The Lightning may be an awesome vehicle, but the range anxiety is closer to paranoia than anxiety.

[@scottyellis3442]

And what I also seen was 8% of battery gave them 24 miles, so they lost over a 100 miles on the hybrid to gain 24 miles on the electric 😳, I can't see to much efficiency doing that. Hopefully as you said it'll only be for emergency. I'm glad you all are carrying us along, can't wait to watch. Best KZbin channel I've found. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@wade7959]

I'll admit I was a bit disappointed the TFL team isn't going through Canada. That said, this should still be an interesting trip. I'm excited for it. I also think the Andre and David team is going to be awesome. Add Tommy or Nathan and this would be perfect.

[@rubicondickweed]

They have to take the ferry, actually driving would take forever given the charge speed if you are not at a EV charging station.

[@goomgoom5504]

@@rubicondickweed isn’t that the point of the test? To show what it’s like to Drive 4k miles to Alaska?

[@rubicondickweed]

@@goomgoom5504 You tell me what the point is. It is already a failure because they are forced to take a ferry. No one is going to do this kind of drive in an electric truck in the real world.

[@goomgoom5504]

@@rubicondickweed why are they forced to take a ferry?

[@rubicondickweed]

@@goomgoom5504 I am pretty sure ot is to save time. There are very few chargers in Northern BC and considering they will need to stop every 150 - 200 miles or so, you do the math on how many weeks it would take to actually drive the whole route stopping at campgrounds and peoples homes to charge.

[@Wootangtw]

Awesome… thanks guys..

[@doublebackagain4311]

IDEA: Set up a tow bar on the Lightning, then you can use the hybrid to pull & charge the Lightning at the same time 😁

[@RyanRKJ]

Based on the IKE testing, the regenerative braking recharges the battery at a very good rate.

[@mirthenary]

I don't know if you can tow the Lightning, I always heard you can't/shouldn't tow an electric car

[@highheatmikey]

Didn’t TFL do that with a Tesla? I remember a video from someone showing that that was more efficient than charging the Tesla with a generator.

[@krisbarnard1684]

Even without using the regeneration charging you would use less fuel to just flat tow the lightning with the gas truck then you would using the gas truckto charge he ev. And you would make miles in the same time

[@capt_ramius]

Ford says not to flat tow the Lightning.

[@kenmcclow8963]

I was just looking at Plugshare and apparently Canada has installed a bunch of 50kW CCS chargers from Flo along the highway so you don't need to rely on RV parks until Alaska. Each charge station seems to have one plug, so there could be wait times if some other car is there, but in pictures I see Chevy Bolts doing it. Plus those are free, so no worries on having all the memberships. Since they are taking the ferry they will only need one at White Horse or Haines Junction In Alaska I see several CCS fast chargers that charge by the minute, so at 50 kW many minutes will be spent. Then there are RV parks with the 14-50 plugs and Coldfoot Camp is the furthest north I see on the way to Dead Horse. It looks like you pay $50 to charge whether you stay overnight or not and they have 5 plugs, so if 5 RV's are there you can always try tow charging, or actually plug into the hybrid, but probably be near a gas station

[@davidblalock9945]

Yes! David so deserves to go on this adventure!

[@patshozo9158]

Thank you for doing the tire & wheel test on efficiency! Very helpful ! I am going to be looking for more of these videos to Alaska as I love the state (as a summer visitor).

[@JuanDePan]

Always love seeing David involved in the projects you guys are putting out.

[@paulg.5075]

No electricity in the campsite meaning you may have to run the Powerboost all night to charge....? The other campers are gonna love you guys...!

[@1leggeddog]

I feel it's a bit disingenuous to take the ferry for such a major part of the trip. Definitely should have gone through Canada and dealt with the actual charging issues along the way. And the ferry isnt cheap, like at all.

[@captainblondebeard9490]

Seconded. I was really looking forward to seeing how terribly the Lightning does on this trip until I heard they were taking the ferry for so much of it. Lightning with a camper is going to be a fairly significant hit to the range. Especially after how abysmal the attempted trek w/ the trailer was. I mean, it has a bed... but it isn't much of an actual truck lol. What was Ford thinking?

[@1leggeddog]

@@captainblondebeard9490 I would have just packed a generator and an extra tank of fuel to be honest

[@captainblondebeard9490]

@@1leggeddog That would've been exponentially better than their "cunning" plan of charging an EV truck w/ a gas truck. I have a feeling this series isn't going to go according to plan, at all.

[@1leggeddog]

@@captainblondebeard9490 Yeah and i think they sort of got pigeonholed into getting another F150 with them as a "backup". I mean, they did get out of the good graces of Ford what, 2 years ago? And now are just doing what ever they can to make sure that doesnt happen again. Besides, its HIGHLY common to see trucks in remote part of Canada with a huge secondary gas tank in the bed to fill up other vehicules and/or very long trips without any civilisation for hundres of miles.

[@captainblondebeard9490]

@@1leggeddog Makes sense. These manufacturers are so insecure and fickle. No company/product is perfect, though, and therefor can't all have perfect reviews... but they don't know that. I guess a good/fun idea can go to shit if one has to put up with that kind of stuff, but that's the nature of what these guys do for a living. All car reviewers have to skew things positively whilst trying to get the actual facts out there in a tactful way if they want companies to keep giving them cars to review as well as all the other benefits they reap from having a popular, wide reaching channel. And with that being a common sight then an electric truck would never really be viable in that region. Even with a generator or spare truck the charge times would disallow it.

[@davidritacurl797]

Somewhat surprised, actually expected the hybrid to charge a little more efficiently, but a very interesting experiment.

[@shilohandme3697]

Driving to Alaska means DRIVING not boating! Very disappointed you aren't driving all the way..

[@jasonquaile2492]

I was hoping Roman would gift David this awesome opportunity given all the work he's done on the farm!

[@erikstrieter4233]

I love how they’re are literally showing how all electric vehicles are not worth the hassle.

[@Webcrawler45]

For these extreme scenarios, yes…

[@willb3018]

For now, if you are not going to be in a metro area, yes some hassle. But In 5 years it will be a different world, more amenable to EV travel. In ten it will be borderline seamless. But in 15 , statistically at least, I will be dead so I don't care.

[@siberx4]

Instead of using the built-in generator in the hybrid to cross-charge the Lightning, you'd actually be better off using the "towing trick" to charge the truck up substantially faster. If you tow the EV behind the gas car for a bit and use regenerative braking it will apply substantial load to the towing truck (like pulling a big trailer) and will allow the EV to use its own inverter to charge the batteries at a much higher rate, in the ballpark of DC fast charging (30-100kW depending on speed and regen aggressiveness). Cruise at a steady pace that charges at say 50kW for an hour or two and you'll not only cover a bit of distance, but you'll convert your gasoline to battery charge at a substantially higher efficiency because the gas engine will be under proper load and much closer to peak efficiency, rather than wasting most of its energy idling.

[@kieransteele7223]

Can’t wait for this series! Going to be awesome. I think that camper on the lightning is going to make the range very difficult 😅

[@toobalicious]

Just what I was thinking too. On that other video where they were towing, the Lightning range dropped to < 100 miles with a huge trailer behind it (about 1% battery per mile). With that camper, I’m thinking it might get about 125 miles per charge…maybe.

@@toobalicious Nonsense.

[@FreedomToRoam86]

The reason I wouldn't get a Platinum lightning is those 22" wheels. Why pay $90k for a truck that from the start needs new wheels to have a prayer of surviving off-road with 7000 lbs of weight going over rocks? Seems like Platinums are for people who just want to drive around town in luxury. The 20" wheels of the Lariat are just adequate, not great. But I do really want Blue Cruise, for more relaxed driving to get from Wisconsin to the west. However, if I find myself getting flats on even the mild "trails" I go on to go camping, then I will be getting 18's with some 34" LT tires that can handle the weight. I can't wait to see how your Project M does for mileage, as I have a GoFast Camper on my '21 PowerBoost that will go on my 22 Lightning next year. So keep the videos coming!

[@billbayer5526]

I absolutely LOVE the absurdity of using the onboard inverter of the hybrid burning 34kW (1 gallon of gasoline) per hour to charge the Lightening at a rate of 7.2kW per hour. I'm NOT being sarcastic. I love stuff like this. It's no different than back in the good ole days when a horse drawn carriage brought fuel to stranded Model T's. You guys are doing important testing that needs to be done in the face of a comment section full of ignorant haters. Keep up the GREAT work guys!! Bill

[@TechSavvyOppa]

Might be easier and/or more effective to flat tow the Lightning, and have it regen, if you were desperate for charge. Engineering Explained used a Raptor to tow a Tesla, to regen power back into the battery. He actually found, at least with the Tesla, if you towed it one full lap around the track, it regened enough power to drive 5 full laps.. Granted, the raptor's fuel economy dropped from 16mpg to 4mpg while towing the tesla.... But at least while towing, you are still gaining distance for both vehicles, so perhaps it would make more sense to tow the Lightning with the Hybrid, if they were desperate for power, rather than just plugging in, and burning gas while parked on the side of the road.

[@billbayer5526]

@@TechSavvyOppaGood point. It'd be interesting to see which of those two methods is more fuel and/or time efficient. If it takes 1.5hr and1.5 gallon to add 24mi, how many gallons and how long would it take towing to add the same (I know you already said this but I'm just typing out loud)?

[@-Enginerd]

The typical Level 1 EVSE math is: 12amps x 120volts (if not lower) = 1.44 kW. I think Tommy is a bit optimistic with his approach. Just look at the text on the back of the EVSE, that will tell you everything you need to know.

[@DanielGarcia-zz9eg]

TFL, IM TELLING YOU, dont charge it, pull it. It will charge while being towed. Alot faster . Pull it for 1 hr and u will get 85%

[@letsdosomething806]

Kudos, to the Tfl team for trying this challenge. It won't be fun and it won't be easy, but a wise man once said "we choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard." And honestly I don't understand all the comments about it being a bad idea. No one has ever said that the lightning is a direct replacement for an ICE truck and anyone who thinks that, clearly has not educated themselves on the topic of EVs. Thank you to TFL for doing what they always have done which is real world testing and great reporting so that people can make informed decisions.

[@agentcarder]

But they have said that, I live in New York State and they keep saying everything is going to be all electric by 2030

[@trentp_outdoors7922]

This is gonna be a funny and interesting series but this setup video shows the un needed/necessary stress you get for planning a long road trip with a EV

[@RinconPilot]

This is awesome!

[@scottf9044]

The idea had me interested, but I thought they were going to simply drive to Alaska (thru Canada). I was most interested in seeing how painful it was with respect to charging stations. How often do they need to stop, how long did it take, compare that to conventional with gas stations, etc.? But the trip they're actually going to do isn't of interest to me.

[@BROON71]

Floating the truck (on the Pacific Ocean onboard a ferry) around Canada, will significantly increase its range... 🤪

[@BassPlayerUnderGrace]

The drive through Canada is built out with DC Fast Charging infrastructure. The only problem is once you enter Alaska. Drove my Tesla to Prudhoe Bay, and will be driving it back down to SC starting next Friday.

[@ItsElguache]

The next 10 yrs are gonna be electrifying everything. I want the f150 I travel less than 150 miles. I have a 2020 4x4 Silverado custom with the 5.3 v8 but with gas prices in California, these look appealing.

[@steverowe2943]

My gut is telling me this trip will not go well but kudos for trying. Perhaps you should have held out for the Chevy/GMC version of the EV truck. At least then all you would have to find is a building in order to charge - ROFL.

[@billfold7]

I see power meters at individual campsites in our future, with a total kW limit that is included with each night's stay.

[@bryanclark3739]

Two weeks ago, I was in a campground in Minnesota where they had a $100.00 fine for charging EV’s. This may give new meaning to the FORD saying of “found on road dead”.

[@RyanRKJ]

Interesting

[@johnb7430]

Can't blame them.

[@steinwaymodelb]

That's strange. If you're paying for a 50 amp site why does it matter whether you're charging an electric vehicle or powering a fifth wheel with multiple air conditioners, battery banks, appliances?

[@johnc7753]

@@johnb7430 why? What's the rational?

[@jamessheufelt1730]

Considering that it costs $20 a month to charge my wife’s Focus EV at home that’s absurd.

[@robertzwiers4819]

Should stop at Marinas - Could use 50AMPS and if you have the right cords / connectors 100AMPS

[@alexvinson7373]

FYI - All US "standard" 20A household plugs are all de-rated by 20%, so the maximum you'll likely see is 16A. This is generally a limitation and design of the breakers. I'm sure someone is going to tell me how wrong I am, because I am probably misrepresenting this somehow.

[@extersmedleyjr118]

I know this may sound crazy but has anyone thought to drive slower? Say fifty five instead of seventy five. Considering how much time it takes to charge the lightning getting more bang out of the charge seems smart to me. Going at a slower speed would allow for that.

[@tazeat]

Well they probably won't be doing 70 when the pavement ends past Fairbanks, should help efficiency a lot and reduce the aero range penalty of the camper

[@Propelled]

The speed limit on the Dalton is 50mph

[@fernrucci4934]

That’s great that David is joining you for the trip.

[@getlosttoday4045]

David is one hell of a one man band!

[@davewilson8308]

Looking forward to this series, thanks guys for all your hard work, informative and interesting videos.

[@roadtrip1098]

I keep thinking EVs are ready for prime time. Then see that all they need to do to get 3500 miles in a trip is have a second truck and a ferry.

[@ericroe]

On the Ford travel EVSE the normal outlet will only draw 12 amps, or 1.4kW. And on the NEMA 14-50 it will only draw 30 amps, or 7.2kW. A RV 50 amp outlet (NEMA 14-50) can handle a continuous load of 40 amps, or 9.6kW. So your best bet would be to bring along a 40 amp EVSE. Also of note some RV parks have 3 phase power. In that case, they’ll just run 2 of the phases to each pedestal, so it will be 120 volts on each leg of the 50 amp outlet, but instead of being 240 volts, it’s 208 volts. Your EVSE will work no problem, but it’ll just get a little less power. Instead of 9.6kW as max, you’d get 8.3kW’s. Another good adapter for your trip would be a NEMA 6-50 to 14-50 adapter. 6-50 is common for large welder but doesn’t have a neutral. The EVSE doesn’t need a neutral so it’ll work.

[@dieselstrom9725]

]How come Nathan dosen"t get to go on this great trip, he's been part of TFL for a long time?

[@briandeiwert5911]

Nathan and Tommy need to produce content for us to enjoy from the Boulder HQ since this road trip is going to take a month.

[@gadgetmantwincities]

Great fun and entertaining video!

[@screddot7074]

If you are going to put a camper on the Lightning, maybe you should have done some test for payload. My truck gets 18 mpg, with the camper on. it gets 12 mpg. The M camper topper is about as light as you can get, but by the time you add gear, it's bound to affect your range. PS This is not a good idea. You may want to reevaluate when you get to Seattle.

[@tazeat]

Weight barely affects range on the highway, it's all about aero which is why I'm surprised to see them pick a camper that sticks above the roof line. That's what is going to kill them.

[@screddot7074]

@@tazeat You must live in a different world. If you ship something, you pay for the weight. There is a reason for that.

[@tazeat]

@@screddot7074 Well it wouldn't make sense to bill you for the trailer aero difference with your package in it! Draw a force diagram, watch any of the payload range tests, or just think about it. Aero is always more important than weight for constant highway speed travel. Period.

[@Tully3674]

I remember the first trip a few years back and enjoyed it immensely. Can't wait for this trip to start.

[@maverickdisco4036]

Really disappointed taking the ferry. Campsite charging: if it becomes common practice the sites will be overloaded, stop free loading and find a charger.

[@larrysmith6797]

Colorardo Liberals are glamping versions of hobos who live in vans mooching free parking.

[@bradpoer]

Looking forward to it, all- a lot to learn! A fascinating time to be an automotive geek!

[@XxNiTrODONxX]

Y'all are giving me more reasons to get a hybrid instead of the lightning 🌩

[@tarfeef101]

Disappointing that you're not driving through BC, lots of nice highway here. Much more enjoyable than from CA to here IMO

[@suzukiman650]

David is a great addition to the channel.