Here Is Why the Ford F-150 Lightning Sucks at Road Trips & It's Not What You're Thinking!

[@nathanenns7186]

Also, at a gas price of $3.50/gal my 2006 V8 Suburban would have cost $6 more to make this trip but would have done the entire trip on a single tank without having to refuel once. I think that’s worth my 6 bucks.

[@jstaffordii]

Lol my diesel 2500 HD costs $173 at $4.79/gal for a 0-100% full tank. It can do the whole round trip and have 250 miles of additional range available when finished.

[@theeagle1967]

@@jstaffordii But you can pay 20,000 more to know your electric isnt that worth it :)

[@Joeainthere73]

Surprised to find $3.00 gas in Kentucky but emptied US a strategic oil reserves to drop price that low. Buying votes is that easy. Used online EV savings calculator and fuel savings don't quite pay for excise tax of new EV. It's an unfair comparison to my gas 4x4 with 60k miles on it because I don't need to buy a new truck. Gas is headed down below $3 and utilities are going to gouge on rates due to demand

[@mjwbulich]

I live in Los Angeles. I spent at least $150 a week on gas. I rarely tow but I do need a truck to haul tools, materials, and occasionally debris. I never roadtrip in my truck. It's cheaper to rent a car or fly. The Lightning would save me a minimum of $5,000 a year, probably more.

[@danoberste8146]

You'd have to fuel up twice. You have leave early to go to the fuel station to fill up your tank at the start of the trip, then stop at another fuel station to fill your truck up again from empty before you get home. With an electric vehicle, you're fully charged before you leave the house then you plug in again when you get to the cabin and hit the sack right away. You'll be fully charged again before you get out of bed. No stops.

[@rayland8553]

I’m surprised the charging costs so much! Flash forward 20 years the power companies will be gouging the consumers instead of the oil companies……

[@Josh-179]

It costs around $140,000 to install ONE 350kw DC charging station (one stall). So even at those charging costs, the operators aren't making money. It'll take many years to pay off investment which is why so few stations are built. Electrify America only exists as punishment to VWs diesel scandal.

[@jimbob1096]

@@Josh-179 and if everyone had an EV think of the line to wait for the few chargers.

[@ferrisr]

@@jimbob1096 by then, we'd have more chargers built up. Maybe we should take some of those oil subsidies and use them to build more charging stations and (green) power plants.

[@andrewjackson5127]

That is exactly what's going to happen it's going to be much more expensive to operate an electric vehicle than it ever was a gasoline operated vehicle

[@markjames2338]

Keep in mind that unless you do long hauls on a regular basis, most charging takes place at home overnight. The rates are much cheaper. Adding 250kw at our house is about $17 at our $.07 a kw. On road trips, it’s not significantly cheaper than petrol. I’m more concerned with the whole app/charging process. That looks like a pain in the butt.

[@Desertfox92308]

For people that have any kind of anxiety disorder these vehicles will trigger you constantly! I was losing it just watching this. Thanks Andre & Cole👍

[@xsterawesome]

Won't driving in general do that to those people?

[@Desertfox92308]

@@xsterawesome definitely in traffic, but this range anxiety won't do them any favors.

[@lapamful]

Don't worry. Put all the hype and current hysteria aside. EVs. are doomed. The rising energy costs will end them.

[@dracodrake45]

Shit I don't even have anxiety disorder and it was driving me batty watching someone tow with one, like at that rate the 90 bronco would out haul it

[@erichtisnado1536]

As a first gen EV owner, you get used to it. It's more about the miles you do in a day. And yeah, I won't be taking my 125 mile eGolf on long road trips.... although I could if I used Fast DC charging. It's a fantastic daily driver and commuter. Occasionally, I'll get it below 30 miles of range when pulling into my driveway. It's no big deal. Obviously, you don't leave home with an empty battery on a cold day. You have to plan ahead better than that. Cold sucks some range, but it's not bad, and you can plan for that too. BTW, in stop and go driving you actually get way better range in an EV and it's easier to drive. So, basically EVs can kinda suck for road trips and towing range, but they're fantastic for every other use.

[@gormanthomas8135]

I was very open to the idea of an electric truck until watching your video(s). Thank you for an honest portrayal of this technology. There are so many huge obstacles and limitations I can no longer consider it. Much appreciated.

[@chrishansel9324]

Please do not, take this videos as reality. TFL preposly makes these videoes more dramic than they need to be. Watch out of spec motoring or state of charge for more realistic resolts. TFL is an entertanment you tube channel not an educational channel.

[@BillLaBrie]

@@chrishansel9324 The others you mentioned are entertainment as well, just entertainment that consistently favors your viewpoint.

[@BillLaBrie]

It’s great if you have an operational radius of 50 miles or so. But it’s a lot to pay for a local-only vehicle that will make you crazy if you suddenly need to get to something a few states away.

[@frankmoreau8847]

@@chrishansel9324 Actually I do take them as real world, neither hyped EV or anti EV, just an honest appraisal. Given the lowering cost of fuel and the increasing cost of recharging, EVs really aren't that economical unless it is a home based, home charged vehicle. Charging at home, then there really is no recharge time factor.

[@chrishansel9324]

@@BillLaBrie I guess you've never watched them. Facts are facts.

[@imagesh1]

I'm a Colorado Springs resident, so the trip characteristics are very familiar to me. Your video is very honest and open. I was very open to getting a base level Lightning until I watched this and realized how many "stops" would be required to cover the same distance. It's clear that neither the technology or infrastructure is ready for this at a greater % of EV's traveling the road right now. The base level F-150 fully charged is equal to 4 DAYS of my home electric use with full July air-conditioning on-going. Imagine a significant road trip where you are in a hurry. Not possible. This 81K truck can't be your only vehicle or you travels are effectively geo-fenced if time is a concern.

[@wojciechmuras553]

If time is a concern, you're flying anyway. Besides, how many times in your life did you HAVE to be 1000 miles in one day? 2? 3? 0? Just rent something... For 95% of your driving, you'll just charge at home. Effortlessly, without wasting time, and cheaply. That 5%, in my opinion, is alright. It's not the most comfortable way to roadtrip, but it's doable, I'm fine with it taking a bit more time. All in all, for me, I was in love with electricity from the first time I sat in an EV. Gotta try it for yourself to believe. The small sacrifice of arriving an hour or two later when going on vacation every now and then is alright when weighted against the benefits you get every single day from driving electric.

[@imagesh1]

@@wojciechmuras553 I appreciate that your needs align with EV ranges, but it's not necessarily a good match for most. Even on the most causal of road trip I've never had the time to lounge at a Walmart every 150 miles or less for an hour at a time. I prefer to have a vehicle fit my work and driving schedule, not the other way around. During early Covid with the risk of flying, a friend of mine had to drive from LA to Denver to be with his dying Mom. He made it with only hours to spare. I personally had to drive to Kansas City three times last year with an overnight turn-around. That's 500 miles x 2 = 1000 miles in less than 36 hours. There's a pretty illustrative KZbin video of a family trying to drive their Lightning, towing an airstream, from Nebraska to Estes Park, and the total clown show the drive was with charging stations non-functioning, or only charging at a trickle. They even ran out of power and had to be towed at one point. And this family was on the ball, fully aware of limitations and "mindful" driving. No thank you!

[@lapamful]

@@wojciechmuras553 What planet. are you living on? Do you have any idea how much stuff has to be delivered? Yes, 1,000 miles in a day is typical. What do mean 'if time is a concern, you're flying anyway'? City slickers have destroyed this world. Omg. the stupid hurts.

[@skatetoexplorevideos2477]

Hybrid vehicles would be the way to go. I also wouldn't want to wait 1 hour for charging every 200 miles. I just want to get to my destination!🤣

[@wojciechmuras553]

@@imagesh1 Well, trucks are trucks, inefficient, not meant for long travel. And for some reason, no one seems to be able to get them to charge quickly. An EV sedan can easily do 300 miles on a single charge, and most manufacturers have already managed to get down to 25-30 minutes of charging time. EV cars are here. They're ready, and great. EV trucks? Not yet.

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

None of these sites are being honest about range, every manufacture out there wants you to stay within 20% and 80% when it comes to the charge of the battery to combat premature battery degradation, so all these advertised ranges on all these electric vehicles are lies, you really only have a 60% capacity you can use from the battery if you want to protect the battery from premature degradation. So that 320 mile advertised range is really only 192 miles. Sure you can charge to 100% and use the battery all the way down to 0% but when you do that you are causing premature battery degradation.

[@katmanjenks1961]

Thank you!!

[@markfgraves6983]

it seems the worse thing about the lightning is the unreliability of the charging infrastructure

[@korswe]

Not the worst. Ford is the worst.

[@wisesage3289]

The charging infrastructure is the weakest link for non-Teslas. Electrify America has a few high output chargers that beat Tesla, but there reliability is poor. The non-Tesla manufacturer’s like Ford need to invest into the infrastructure. Right now they do not get it. The car manufacturers are going to irritate the customers!

[@cwqrpportable]

Correction, FORD is the best​@@korswe

[@korswe]

@@cwqrpportable LOL. FORD is the worst. How many modules do you need to replace to say no more Ford? There is a reason why a Ford doesn’t make the Taurus, Focus, etc. while Toyota and Honda still sell cars..

[@larryjohns8823]

Just wait till the copper thieves start taking the charging cords...

[@stern12akachris32]

The one test I would love to see is a 1000 mile trip a regular half ton vs the lightning start at the same time and see the arrival time difference with normal driving also showing the cost difference between the two . It is the test that has been not done yet

[@skmadsen1010]

TFL did this.

[@icarusfarmsWV]

@@skmadsen1010 They did part of it, assuming you are talking about that little jaunt going south of Denver. If I recall they really didn't do a financial comparison, the gas truck dilly dallied around the charging station for much of the time and the distance was only ~100 miles. It was still a blow out but the data wasn't really clear cut... I think one of the huge fallacies that needs to be put out into the open is how much these fast charge stations charge, all of these evaluations should have that stated specifically and ultimately break it down to $/mile to operate (and don't muddy the waters with at how charging nonsense outside of a local distance evaluation)

[@UTBanjo]

Yes. Do this with the standard F-150, the Hybrid, and the lightning. Time is money, and I don't have hours to waste at charging stations.

[@Cornelius87]

The only fair way to do those tests is if you don't even tell the drivers they're racing otherwise you don't get real world results. Bjorn did it and he did everything he could to make the gas car slower but when he drives EVs he uses what he calls ninja skills. Mkbhd also did it but he wasn't driving his tesla how much EV drivers would be driving, he was letting it go all the way to 0%. At the end of the day there is no EV right now that could beat an ice equivalent if they were doing a long race because it's just not possible to be faster in a car that has less range and take longer to "refuel" you just can't warp time.

[@Biochemechanic]

I don’t understand why they left the cost to “fuel” on both of those trucks in that previous tests. I asked that in the comments as it seemed it would be data they have. Oh boy, for $50K or more you can turn a shortish drive into a hassle. Not even close to ready for prime time. A great urban golf cart, but not much more.

[@auburnalum9019]

Wow. I am so underwhelmed by the efficiency. My wife's Sequoia gets 18MPG and would have spent only $89 in gas for the same amount of distance driven. Plus I would have not have to deal with the hassle of charging. Yikes. 😬

[@christophersullivan6405]

Sure, but you have to do that and pay that every time you fill up. With an EV 90% of your charging is done at home, while you are sleeping and for far less money than Electrify America charges. I do 1600 miles a month and it costs me about $100 for my Mini Cooper EV.

[@cwqrpportable]

@@christophersullivan6405 Exactly!

[@ronpauley3225]

@@christophersullivan6405 Ok, so lets compare apples to apples here! Have a Ford Lighting or Hummer EV hit your puddle jumper. A lot safer in a vehicle with mass and comfort!

[@texmex9721]

@@ronpauley3225 Yea and if trucks didn't roll over so much they would be as safe as cars!

[@chrisE815]

@@christophersullivan6405 So buy a Leaf and keep the truck for trips. Buying a battery larger than 75kwh is insane

[@seekerstan]

A while back Myth Busters did an experiment testing tailgate vs against down. If I recall correctly the tailgate up test got better mileage because the turbulent air in the bed creates an aerodynamic zone that reduces wind resistance.

[@AGHRMatt]

That's correct. Saw the episode and conducted the test myself with similar results. That said, though, a hard, locking cover secures your stuff and protects it from the elements.

[@RacerX1971]

That's good Einstein but what if I got stuff in the cargo bed...heller

[@DaveP923]

To me the real downside would be how much weight I'd gain if I ate a meal every 200 miles while waiting for the truck to recharge! Regardless of what I"M thinking, you never said exactly why YOU think it "sucks" at road trips.

[@clarkstonguy1065]

Perhaps thinking it might not be best to antagonize a potential future sponsor by naming the reliability of its stations as the number one thing that sucks about road trips?

[@Scypher0th]

almost as if electric vehicles are designed to run out of charge fat so u have to do frequent stops and spend more money at them...hmmmmmmm

[@larryjohns8823]

Your meal might get cold when you have to run to the charging station to see why it stopped charging! Or a loose charging plug has to be held (think gas nozzle with a broken handle lock) for an hour.

[@DaveP923]

@@TakenTook Apparently, my attempt at humor failed!

[@MrStaybrown]

I think another downside is the truck doesn't have windshield wipers and the guy had to handscrub the windshield. 😁 I'm sure they use alot of electricity tho

[@cascivic]

Man electrify America is shaky as hell!! Great video boys

[@mikej5959]

I dont get why the tied it to paying over the phone. Seems so convoluted . Why not have a POS on the machine? Im guessing not having card readers saves money? Think of all the programing and web design they are spending though not to mention frustrating the hell out of their customers.

[@cascivic]

@@mikej5959 I think they do have them but it might be contact pads not swipe

[@LV4TD101]

I hope you guys plan on keeping this truck for a while, because I really want to see how good or bad this truck will be in the winter

[@BlueCollarEV]

Yeah the non heat pump range loss is going to be nuts.

[@GroundhogzGarage]

It will be atrocious

[@ismaelcarrillo3956]

No EV gets better in the winter. The heater draws more energy than the ac. And with this charging system not having a heat pump. It's going to make things worse

[@joedillon159]

They done sold the truck my nabor said

[@neutrino78x]

they drove it all the way up to Deadhorse AK in the winter. They did have to use the hybrid they had with them to charge at one point, but other than that they did ok. Electric car charging stations do have the major advantage that you can put them where there's no electrical service. Just need local batteries and a big solar panel, done. 🙂

[@kennethwers]

If charging stations were profitable there would be more built without any subsidies. The one being put in is to farm the subsidies. Without profits there is no money for maintaining them.

[@markhaseley3304]

Thanks for showing us your everyday experience and some issues that are not considered by anyone until you actually go down this road... or what society could expect if our society used EV-TRUCKS to do roadwork, cable repairs, etc. The lack of consideration/planning/thinking from our government concerning these things is STUNNING.

[@captainamerica9353]

Sadly, not stunning. "They" know full well that EV's are not viable. But they will mandate them anyway. After all, we have to set the example (zero emissions) for China to follow!!

[@neutrino78x]

"or what society could expect if our society used EV-TRUCKS to do roadwork, cable repairs, etc." Generally speaking you're not 700 miles from the nearest major city doing roadwork or cable repairs, guy. In the video he's driving 350 miles out and back. It's pretty rare that you'd be 300+ miles from the nearest charging station. Maybe in Wyoming or another inbred redneck state. "Contractors drive an average of 75 miles every day, according to a recent study by The Aberdeen Group." That's from the web site "Construction Executive".

[@neutrino78x]

@@captainamerica9353 " "They" know full well that EV's are not viable. " Here in the State of California, 21% of all vehicles currently registered are EVs. "To date, at least 13 states-California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington-plus the District of Columbia have adopted California’s low-emission vehicle (LEV) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards requiring manufacturers to sell a certain number of ZEVs per year. Virginia enacted legislation in March 2021 to adopt California’s ZEV and LEV program and standards. Washington, which had previously been a LEV-only state, enacted legislation in 2020 directing state regulators to adopt the ZEV standards; the rulemaking process began in June 2021. Other states like Minnesota, New Mexico, and Nevada are also working through the regulatory process and may soon adopt California’s standards as well." -- the web site for the National Conference of State Legislatures

[@jsdoogie]

I'm not trying to be a Tesla snob here, but MAN is it so much easier to charge a Tesla...

[@macbook802]

Charging is just more fuel for the fire when taking an electric car over the road. I think they're great in state vehicles but a supplemental road trip vehicle is somewhat necessary. My over the road times almost double over a 5 hour trip

[@jackylsmith8138]

Man it’s way easier to refuel a gas or diesel powered vehicle.

[@jsdoogie]

@@jackylsmith8138 - You do have a point there. Ha! This public charging mess is usually only an issue on road trips. Plugging in at home at night is a piece of cake.

[@overlyattachedbean1050]

Cheaper too.

[@overlyattachedbean1050]

In canada a tesla full charge isnt more than $13-15

[@Zamugustar]

Mythbusters proved years ago that covers or leaving the tailgate open do not help, the most efficient way to leave the back of the truck is exactly how it was made.

[@Gmac705]

That was my thought. I believe bed covers hurt aerodynamic not improve them.

[@newscoulomb3705]

There have been other studies that prove otherwise. Mythbusters tried to be scientific, but they aren't always able to pull it off. The biggest issue with measuring efficiency differences with gas trucks is that small percentages are really hard to measure, but based on other reports, Tonneau covers improve efficiency by between 2% and 5% (something very difficult to measure in a truck getting 20 mpg). In an EV, however, it's far easier to measure the benefits of even single digit improvements.

[@lhinze]

30-ish years ago, when I was in engineer school, Gale Banks came to my university and gave a talk about some of his superfast trucks. He said that when making truck bodies for speed runs (at places like Bonneville), they discovered that a full tonneau cover was not necessarily aerodynamically advantageous over no tonneau cover. Instead, what worked best, from an aero standpoint, was covering the rear 2/3 to 3/4 of the bed, and leaving the front bit open. Counterintuitive, but he had the data to back it up.

[@pmangeri]

I also heard leaving tailgate up was better than down (counter intuitive), because with tailgate up it creates air turbulence above bed which is less resistance than flowing across the body when the tailgate is down.

[@brandonstewart7145]

I can vouch for the tailgate being up or down doesn't affect fuel economy.

[@YourDFWRealtor1]

There’s a great myth busters on cover vs no cover

[@ruds2600]

@@YourDFWRealtor1 Remember the car they put golf ball dimples all over it. That worked.

[@bob15479]

probably allows you to pull a vacuum on the bed void and get some sort of dynamic effect

[@tom80421]

Im curious how a sloped tonneau cover, mimicking the shape of the cybertruck, would affect the efficiency.

[@ctclardy]

Boy... I would be very upset if my vehicle started charging, I walked 5-10 minutes to a restaurant and ordered some food, started eating, and got an indicator on my phone that my charger had stopped charging... in fact, I would be more than upset... until charging infrastructure across the country is made more reliable and available EVs are far away from becoming mainstream... when manufactures state that the range is 300 miles, that really means you best stop at 250 miles to charge or you will end up with a brick on the side of the road... you better plan extra carefully if you are going a long distance... at least with an ice auto you can get a 5-gal can of gas and put enough gas in to get to the next station if you run out of gas.

[@johnteeple8454]

I hope you show testing with the Ligntning during the winter months....would be very interesting. I have a couple of co-workers that drive teslas and they tell me on average here in Canada during the winter months they loose 30 to 40% of battery capacity to the cold.

[@mariomarez2223]

I’m going to be testing this out more than likely in Lake Tahoe. I normally leave my EV at my parents about the 4K level and then drive to SF Bay Area and keep Bronco in Tahoe for snow. This year I will force myself to do it with Lightning to see how it performs.

[@johnteeple8454]

@@mariomarez2223 cool…. Will be looking forward to seeing the winter video👍

[@sotek2345]

Yeah, that is about what we see on our Mach-e. If you set a departure time and precondition for a long trip, you can cut the loss down to about 25%.

[@mariomarez2223]

@@sotek2345 thanks for the tip!!

[@Scypher0th]

gotta love west coast and east coast ppl thinking there temps represent the rest of Canada.last time i checked the coldest it got last year in quebec was -23 and vancouver -17 according to the canada weather report....meanwhile in Saskatchewan -39 with 4 feet of snow in one week....id like to see your lil kids toy of a car start and go in that lololol....wouldnt hold a charge for more than 5 minsa and would freeze batteries to a cube if you are a millionaire and dont have a garage or house n have to park outside all night and go to work with no plug in the next day in -39....again....electric isnt practical.....but that is the thing we canadians know best....you cant get through to electric ppl and you cant get through to quebec ppl...why do u think they voted in this monster three times in a row as PM....

[@rmustang26]

About the three steps to read charge percentage… enable the “Calm” screen on the dashboard, that always shows percentage. I hope a future update will add percentage to all dashboards, but for now I find the calm screen an easier way to see it.

[@Mkg254]

You will also see state of charge when blue cruise is enabled.

[@chrishansel9324]

I know it is so hard to read it from the mid screen. come on give me a break. the range is right in front of you. I have no problem glanceing to my right. it also tells you the efficentcy.

[@rmustang26]

@@tomdomenico Please do that and save the candidates from making a bad decision. If you own a electric vehicle you’ll discover you spend much less time overall waiting for charging than you did going out to gas stations. Sure on road trips it will add time, but in my experience that has been minimal. 95% of the time just being around home I never think about charging, my cars always have more charge than I need. No need to waste 5-10 minutes every week at a gas station, which adds up too. I’ve found the 30 minute stops every 4 hours on trips to be rejuvenating over my former road warrior approach. To each their own though, I’m not a fan of mandating EV’s either. I drove ICE vehicles for 30 years and now I prefer EV’s it’s just that simple. Not for political reasons, I just like them better.

[@Michael-bu7ni]

Ironic there’s a “Calm” screen while the entire road-tripping process is rife with anxiety over range and charging capability.

[@colesonbruce7871]

Also ask them if their home has PV with surplus, making their “fuel” free. Also ask them if they primarily use their vehicle for in-town diving, making nearly all their charging at home/~free. Also ask them if they value wild performance. Also ask them if they simply have disposable income they prefer to spend in a way differently than you. Also ask them if they like working for irrationally aggravated people.

[@teknightrider2586]

Always good reviews... Another new thing is the COST INCREASE of the same exact Lightning Lariat that I had signed up for 5/20/22 (day after announcement). Anyone who buys one now, it is going to be WAY WAY More expensive! So not ONLY does a Lariat w/Panoramic Glass Roof have a $8,900 price increase from Ford…but now also NO more $7,500 Federal Tax Credit which makes this truck $16,400 MORE than the first Lightning I'd just gotten a few weeks ago!!! YIKES!!!😬 Soooooo all the media reviews (and owners like me too, who were able to get a 2022 Lightning Lariat with all the options)... it is now clear the extended battery models are doing really great if we can even reach about 250 miles at highway speeds with the aerodynamics. Plus also, realistically towing is out of the question, unless pulling a utility trailer across town. So basically, even with fuel prices at $5 a gallon a road trip makes Zero sense (sorry to say) as I’ve owned 34 vehicles (9 trucks) and my wife’s current Honda Ridgeline gets 24.8 to 26.6 MPG on the highway (calculated at the pump)…so with the HIGH... VERY HIGHT cost of charging while away from home… and what a person’s time is worth… really a person can only go about 125 miles from home, in order to return home to charge for another 10 hours!

[@justinwilliams2522]

To fill up a gas tank 10-15 minutes. Drive average 300-400 miles No issues filling up gas tank

[@AskJoe]

As a long time EV driver, I should point out that although fast charging can be expensive, it costs virtually nothing when you charge at home, especially when you charge off-peak. In NYC, Con Edison gives me more back in rebates via PayPay than they charge me for the power itself, so I went from spending $100 per week to charge my gas powered F-150, to paying close to zero. 1100 miles per month in my Mustang Mach-E cost me about $50 on average per month, with rebates of $70, I actually earned $20 per month.

[@Tigerex966]

I would not say nothing especially in california

[@AskJoe]

@@Tigerex966 It's super cheap in NYC with the after hours rates and the monthly rebates that are higher than the electric costs. Another factor is finding and using free AC chargers in quite a lot of shopping centers and restaurants. I just shopped for a couple of hours at a mall 1/2 mile from my house and picked up about 40 miles of free power. I may not sound like much, but you don't get free gas for shopping or eating. :)

[@Tigerex966]

@@AskJoe good to know. I stand corrected.

[@AskJoe]

@@Tigerex966 As a followup... I just traded my Mach-E for the Lightning. It's got a slightly bigger battery and a little more range than the Mach-E, but according to the charger App that I use, it's costing around the same as my Mach-E. I'm guessing any increase will also get a corresponding bump in my rebate. The key takeaway is that if you get an EV, charge at home, use free parking lot chargers whenever you can (some office buildings have them), sign up for off-peak charging (the charger can be configured to start at midnight), and only use fast chargers on long trips that are beyond your range.

[@rotart12arx3]

For $80.00, that is more that 20 gallons of fuel. It doesn't save much over many vehicles. If you got 24 mpg that would be the break even, and probably wouldn't have to stop. Gas in CT is $3.65 now a gallon, $4.39 for 93 octane.

[@billbesser3502]

Agreed, I drove a 19 Ram 1500 hemi with a 3.21 rear gear from PA to N. Carolina (426) miles. Drove the entire trip without filling. 15 min stop to stretch legs and stuff. Used 19.26 gallons and paid 4.39 at the pump. That is 84.55 dollars. EV trucks have a benefit in stop and go city use. But I just think the infrastructure and battery tech is not there yet. I will keep my Dino fueled vehicle from now.

[@jjbgmb719]

You’re forgetting charging at home is usually cheaper

[@rotart12arx3]

@@jjbgmb719 Gas is now $3.02 a gallon now here, using my gas points I can get it for about $2.00 a gallon. Never mind the elephant in the room is how much you have to pay for the Lightning. For 2023 the Pro and base XLT are already sold out so the least expensive model is now 76K. Not a good value anymore.

[@jimb3457]

@@billbesser3502 Saw a video on KZbin yesterday about an F150 Lightning that towed a 6000 lb trailer, and only went 80 miles before needing to be charged.

[@mylesgray3470]

My Prius would make the trip on about $35 in gas. So glad I bought it rather than a Tesla back in 2018. No rage anxiety to worry about and it costs less than super charging a Tesla.

[@glenngore6609]

I have a suggestion for a roadtrip. Drive from Denver down to Pueblo and drive east to Wichita, Kansas along US and state highways, US 50 and US 54 specifically, both major US highways. The distance is only 427 miles. Take the Lightning and get back to us with your experiences. It is time for you folks to get off the Interstates and do some testing along US and State highways. Get away from the Tesla SuperChargers and the Electrify America stations and give a look at what driving an EV is like for those of us who do not live along an Interstate highway. I will await this test, it should be pretty interesting.

[@jjoyceman]

Ah, the good ol' days when all you had to do was load up the cold drinks, snacks, and fill up and go. Planning this trip was more complicated than doing a flight plan for an Airbus going halfway around the world !!!

[@neutrino78x]

if driving a long distance with gas you also have to pay attention to how much is left and probably have to refill at some point. At least this car can recommend a plan, where to recharge etc.

[@jeeper360]

$80.25 equates to what I get with my 2017 Ford Expedition getting 18.7 mpg and gas at $3.20 a gallon. I fill up on Mondays and today I paid $3.20 for mid grade and got 22.7 mpg. Gas Expedition EL ecoboost seems cheaper than the Lightning.

[@fishsticks5175]

Exactly. My 99 f350 7.3 diesel gets 24 to 27 unloaded on highway. 119 l tank. That electric mileage is expensive at highway speeds I guess. Jeez

[@bwizz1319]

you making assumptions that people always charge at public infrastructure. That is not the case, you charge at home, unless your doing a long road trip. For example, I was paying about $200/month on gas. Now I am paying $50/month on electric. That is where you get your savings..

[@mrvoyagerm]

Absolutely ridiculous. Who in their right mind would pay a huge premium to buy into this kind of madness. Boy o Boy Ford has to make this about 100% more efficient and faster charging in order to catch my attention. Great video Andre, thanks so much for putting up with this madness for us.

[@neutrino78x]

Electric is actually a lot more efficient than gas. There's basically the energy equivalent of 4 gallons of gas in that truck. (131 kWh = 4 gallons gas) And it goes, what, 200 or 300 miles on that. How far can your car go on 4 gallons? Probably about 80 miles?

[@meandmyEV]

⁠@@neutrino78xmost charging happens at home. You are making a huge mistake if you buy any EV with plans on using it for a lot of long distance travel. My EV rarely gets below 50% charged and it is filled up every night saving me hundreds every month. I have a gas powered car for long trips.

[@neutrino78x]

@@meandmyEV "ou are making a huge mistake if you buy any EV with plans on using it for a lot of long distance travel" Oh, I don't even know how to drive, so I won't be buying one any time soon. I think it's weird that people want to drive long distances....I use public transit locally here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and if I want to go to Las Vegas or Los Angeles or Seattle etc, I fly. What is the appeal of taking a ten hour trip when it could be a one hour trip? That makes no sense to me. I try to explain to Europeans that we don't do trains for long distance because we instead use aircraft due to the distances involved, and you clowns are here saying you're going to drive a car 500 miles lol. There's no reason you couldn't do an EV for a trip like that even if your range is only 200 miles though, just plan it so you stop and recharge. 🙂

[@Kunfucious577]

@@neutrino78xthat’s ridiculous. Money isn’t the only thing that’s worth something. Look at all the time he’s wasting on charging the car. Most gas vehicles would go with one fill up. Then you include all that anxiety on if you have enough charge or not during th whole trip. I’m positive all he’s doing is looking at the charge on his car. Screw that.

[@ChristmasEve777]

@@meandmyEV You make great points. And even better than doing most of your charging at home is when you do most of your charging at home AND you have solar panels on your house. You can literally drive all throughout your vehicle's circle of range (centered on your house) for free! You only pay when you need to drive out further than that. For someone like you or me, EVs make a lot of sense.

[@Nicholaslocke]

It would be cool if you took the truck to Alaska on the same roads in the winter and see how the cold affects the battery.

[@drumyogi9281]

@@romari2706 That is terrible lmao. I worked in Pest Control and I would have to commute 70 miles some days. Industries are going to collapse in California for sure. Edit: Plumas County. High mountains. Cold. This truck would be damn near useless. Mandating poverty on rural folks.

[@mikej5959]

Hell they could spend a week in North Dakota and get what most people who live in get.

[@spcneary]

Andre really makes TFL what it is, By far his content is always the best IMO. Keep up the good content!

[@spcneary]

@J B I said TFL not TFLx, Andre has content on every channel last time I checked. Not sure what your point is.

[@stog9821]

Agreed. i also like that kid. I think his name is Case or perhaps Chase.

[@wisesage3289]

Since electric charging slows as the % gets high (80%ish), the best way to road trip an EV is more quick stops versus fewer longer stops/charges. For me, EVs really are best for local use rather than road trips until the charging system is improved dramatically.

[@whattheschmidt]

A bigger problem here is how much more energy this truck uses per mile. Focus on efficiency and how quickly cars charge. Teslas are all really good at road trips imo. Yes you will stop a bit longer but for me it's been only 15 min longer than if I had ICE...at the most. That's for 4 to 6 hour trips.

[@PQV-8898]

Unless you're in a Tesla.

[@KalleSWBeck]

@@whattheschmidt yup you need a much bigger battery for the same range so charging time is increased. At this point a used truck is best for truck things and an electric car for commuting and driving around

[@chrisE815]

Yeah so idk what the hype is about EVs. We should be making phevs with larger batteries (30 kwh or so)

[@whattheschmidt]

@@chrisE815 depends on uses, almost everyone drives 50 miles or less a day and roadtrips a couple times a year. EV wins there. If you tow, then yes, hybrid or even diesel if you're hauling a lot very far. Probably 80% of people can use EVs very well, with the charging built out.

[@marctale2331]

One question: Isn't the altitude in Colorado higher than New Mexico? So to New Mexico it's mostly down, while the other direction is mostly uphill. That would make the miles/kwh useless unless you do an opposite test...

[@johnnyBqwazy]

Is the buzzing heard ex. 24:30 the charging station or at the truck? And is this typical upon recharging elsewhere? Thanks for the real world tests.

[@tommays56]

I am just NOT seeing enough charging stations on I95 between South Carolina and New York the time is a minor issue compared to stressing on locations and the RISKS of sitting in a Walmart parking lot at 4am to beat the traffic through Washington DC

[@tommays56]

@It's not looking good That’s good but other than Maryland House on I95 which has a big bank of Supercharger and CSS government is lagging and most other charging is well off route in shopping centers

[@jimbob1096]

Really some people say chargers are all over the country everywhere. Weird

[@tommays56]

@@jimbob1096 On 95 at government controlled rest areas not off route at Walmart

[@bobuncle8704]

I like the real world nature of these episodes. Andre. Just set up one of your favourites buttons for the percentage reading that you’re looking for. This way you just press one button to get to the screen you want.

[@jasoncapecod]

they always think it's a miracle when the charging works..i'm all for ev's but the unreliable charging is a big no for me

[@wojciechmuras553]

You could always just get a Tesla...

[@TheBandit7613]

My F350 holds 150 gallons of diesel. (Extra tank in bed) I have zero interest in EV's since watching these videos.

[@wojciechmuras553]

@@TheBandit7613 What for? Even at 10 MPG, that's 1500 miles. Even at 80 MPH, that's almost 19 hours of driving. Just... what exactly do you need that for? Make a break every 3-4 hours (or 250 miles, realistically), stretch your legs for 15 minutes, and be back on the road, in a much better condition. And if your vehicle charges during that time, what difference does it make? The Lightning, with its abysmal 45 minute charging time is not up to the task, but a Hyundai Ioniq 5 for example, which only needs 18 minutes to recharge? As soon as that battery tech gets to trucks, there'll be no reason to stick with diesel (except for hauling large trailers long-distance, that is still extremely difficult for EVs).

[@byronpeterson795]

I am also waiting for a true winter test. Where I live it can be 30 degrees below zero at times. Wonder what that would do to your range?

[@MikeSmith-tu1ln]

From what I’ve read. at or below -4f , the battery’s can be damaged permanently.

[@williamfreeman6935]

Where I live January and February highs average around 5-30 degrees Fahrenheit and the lows anywhere from 0 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

[@volkank5407]

I’m worried just by watching the video! 😊 Stress, not enough of driving range, unacceptable time of charging, digital issues both in charging stations and dashboard along with recalculation of distance, sucking power during colder weather, not enough charging stations, only 1/3 energy saving vs. average truck and paying gajillion $s; it is ridiculous to buy one of these!

[@thedjinn13]

StateOfCharge did an interview with the head of ford's electric division, he said if you change the instrument cluster to "calm" I believe it was that it actually shows the battery % on the dash. On the left side under the range

[@TheRealDlo]

I use Calm & enjoy the simplicity and %

[@thebigjoker0728]

Electric comes down to how much you value your time. $40 for 45 mins of charge is not worth it. I'd rather spend $90 for 5 mins of fill up time. Until a typical battery can do 500+ plus miles, I will not be making the switch.

[@pyroretired]

How much money are you really saving when you keep deciding..."Well, it's going to take 45 minutes to charge, might as well go find some dinner..."? It might have been cheaper than gasoline, but there is a reason those chargers are near Walmart...so they can get you to spend your money there...

[@Gallardo6669]

For everyone who might be afraid of charging issues: I always had them with my VW e- golf until we bought a Tesla.....

[@jaerbenjamin]

just was thinking about same switch

[@scarharting5577]

And then it got unbelievably awful! Is that what you left out? Because Elon Musk is a fraud.

[@Gallardo6669]

@@scarharting5577must be said by a jealous can't afford a Tesla guy... Absolutely nonsense, but ok for me.

[@timsharkey1993]

Now imagine having to deal with all that charging failure stupidity in the pouring rain, or in the dead of winter when it’s 10° F and blowing snow. Nope. No thanks.

[@mistert1097]

If everybody drives electric vehicles, we need a significant improvement in charging infrastructure

[@rpsmith]

So every 100 mile you can easily pull over (for 45+ min) and charge. Yep, all you really need to make these EV useful is tens of thousands more charging stations!

[@TheAdventureAuto]

@@rpsmith Every home has electricity so we already have that. Public charging is only needed when on vacation or taking a long trip. I've owned an EV for a year and a half and have used public charging maybe 5 times. Otherwise 110v outlet at home. Most non-EV owners think you need public charging for all of your charging. Not the case.

[@rpsmith]

@@TheAdventureAuto -- So you consider driving 150 miles away from home a long trip? Don't forget it's 150 miles back home before you can charge again unless you use a public charger somewhere along the way. And then you end up back home with a car that is useless until you charge it for HOURS! I'm glad you are happy with your EV. Just don't try to force one on me!

[@laura-ann.0726]

@@rpsmith - EV's and hydrogen fuel cells are going to take over whether you like it or not. Even General Motors admits this, and is bending all of it's R&D toward a 100% EV fleet by the year 2040. Eventually, gasoline is going to be so expensive that NO ONE would even want to buy a gasoline powered vehicle. The price spike to $6.00/gallon this summer is only a foretaste of what's coming. Gas is already $10/gallon in most of Europe now. It's only as cheap as it is here because we still have some domestic oil production, and there's still quite a bit of oil sand left in Alberta that the Canadians are willing to sell to the US.

[@rpsmith]

@@laura-ann.0726 -- Virtually everywhere gas prices are through the roof it's because of taxes and regulations! Wait and see what happens to the price of electricity once the green ruling class forces EVs on the peons! And don't forget with smart meters they can now turn your power off if you refuse to follow their orders or support the wrong politician!

[@ericroe]

Three updates I'd like Ford to add to the Lightning, 1) Battery % on all screens, not just Calm. And 2) several favorites button on top of the screen next to the profile button. I'd add Auto Hold and Camera as a favorite buttons. 3) Auto Parking Brake as a constant on option when the vehicle is in Park.

[@TheRealDlo]

Totally agree

[@ericroe]

@@TakenTook I agree, though it does have a gauge like a fuel tank that shows the battery but it doesn’t have numbers on it. Fairly general so you have to guess the percentage.

[@mikej5959]

They need to rework how we look at storage. I even took an electric class when becoming a aviation mechanic. Maybe 1 out of 10 understood kilowatt hours and amp hours. It was a basic course but still. These are people that will work with basic electricity and we have trouble understanding it. The public doesnt need that.

[@nadnerb2k]

The likely reason for the difference between the charger % and the truck display % is that the charger can see the entire battery size (145kWh gross), while the truck is showing the usable battery size (131kWh net). Your truck has a buffer where it won't charge above a certain % and won't go below a certain %, but the charger doesn't know that. So if you have 97kw charged, that's 67% of the 145kWh full capacity, and about 75% of the 131kWh capacity. Depending on where the top limit and bottom limit of charge are, that could explain the difference. The app, not sure what you're using, but likely either gets info from the charger or the truck. Probably a little slow to update. Basically: use the truck's reading. It's giving you the % of usable battery, which is the most relevant figure. If you want to test this: plug in and check the level when you're near empty. If there's a minimum charge level, you'll see ~0% on the truck and ~20% (for example) on the charger.

[@ferrisr]

The charger screen clearly was frozen (kWh wasn't counting up either, usually it updates every second or so). So we can ignore the number there, the 63% doesn't mean anything. Charging at 131 kW, you'll pick up about 1.7% of charge per minute. "1 minute ago" could mean anything under 2 minutes, if they're truncating/rounding down, and you'd be gaining about 3.4% in 2 minutes, so that would account for the 72% vs 75% discrepancy. I very much doubt that the truck is reporting the "raw" capacity. The app he was looking at was the EA app, which gets its info from the charger (which comes from the truck periodically, not in real time in my experience). So yeah, the app is just showing stale information, and the numbers make sense when you account for the charge rate. I agree on using the number from the truck. But if you're not at the truck, you can trust the number in the EA app. There's no shenanigans going on there, it's showing you the same usable battery percentage, just a minute or two out of date.

[@fnfiveseven2328]

But my question is with all those different numbers, was he charged the correct amount for the energy used?

[@mukwanofred9147]

Thank Andrey for the video, I think some ev still have challenges with charging time. Though I had a rumour that very fast charging spoil batteries faster. Don't know whether true

[@carl8790]

Fast charging does affect the overall battery health, but it's minimal. Ford gives you a 8 year or 100k miles warranty on the battery.

[@mukwanofred9147]

Thanks

[@jerryumfress9030]

From what I've learned so far about evs, you have to have pretty deep pockets to even purchase one new (NEVER BUY A USED ONE). They talk about saving the planet, nope not gonna happen. There's a mountain of too many unanswered questions. I've seen the videos of the ev busses in France exploding one after another. Ev motor scooters, cars, ect...most fire departments around this great country of ours are not even equipped to fight an electrical fire of an ev, and once they ignite, all one can do is stand back and watch the fireworks, and watch as those chemicals pollute the Atmosphere

[@treynolds94]

Also factor in food everytime you stop for charging aswell. Meaning you actually spent close to the same as your hybrid since you said you didnt have to stop. Everytime you guys stop to charge your grabbing food. Must get expensive. I can go close to 700kms with as little as taking a quick weewee on the side of the road especially on our 19 hour plus road trips in Northern Ontario where you are at times your lucky to find a gas station.

[@Evolution56]

We are all not like you iron man. Food stops are quite normal for most people.

[@treynolds94]

@@Evolution56 you obvi are not very smart with money. Long road trips I will make up food and pack drinks only thing need to do is pull up to a pump fill up or go through drive thru and continue on the road. Dont have to go sit inside for 50 mins to wait for your vehicle to charge.

[@Evolution56]

@@treynolds94 I said "most people". Myself I hardly go on long trips, and when I do, I look forward to dining out along the way. It's not a race to get somewhere. EV's contribute to cleaner air, and I appreciate that.

[@treynolds94]

@@Evolution56 it is a race sometimes especailly when you have some vacation time booked and a camp site booked 19 hours away. To get the most out of the trip its best to get there quickly so your are not missing time. Also way home if you have to go to work and need to get home before a certain time.

[@phileasler5401]

They do suck (electricity). Got my Lightning 3 weeks ago and absolutely love it. I have 2800 miles on it and have saved about $500 in gas.and yes I have spent $100 on electricity, the first 250 where compliments of Ford /EA

[@jimbob1096]

Electricity isnt going to stay Cheap it's already rising fast so don't think your going to be saving money.

[@1leggeddog]

@@jimbob1096 As more and more cars are electric, this will become more common with supply and demand and prices will lower

[@phileasler5401]

@@jimbob1096 I pay $0.80/e gallon for 19-20 miles, what do you pay?

[@ronaldking1054]

@@jimbob1096 So when are you able to buy land so that you can get oil and be able to refine it into gasoline? It's a rhetorical question because the well is fairly expensive to start with as well as finding the right patch of land to lease. On the other hand, if the states refuse to regulate the electrical grid, which they are already doing, the end user can generate their own electricity. Which method gives the end user the most insurance on cost? I'll give you a hint. It's the electricity.

[@ReverseProof]

@@phileasler5401 You wouldn't on this road trip. 470 miles for $80.25

[@04dram04]

Since some charging stations are the only ones available on road trips, a charger not working could be a major problem. SO I think bringing a gas generator with you ss a must. So you can just find a gas station and keep filling up the generator as it charges your car

[@scottewing1091]

At least with an EV you can generate your own fuel at home.

[@jimbob1096]

@@scottewing1091 if you own a home...

[@TheAdventureAuto]

@@jimbob1096 The majority of people do...

[@jimbob1096]

@@TheAdventureAuto like 37% of housing is apartments that's a huge chunk that don't have access to charging.

[@Chris_In_Texas]

Well I think there would be two major issues here, 1) Can't charge while you are driving, and 2) unless you have a high voltage DC output generator and the communications interface logic and the fact you would need a 200KW generator which would be quite large on a trailer, its not practical. If you can't do #2 then the only thing left would be level 2 charging with AC you would be there for hours on end waiting, and still then you would need at least a 25KW generator as the truck can charge up to 19.2KW using Level 2. 🤦‍♂🤷‍♂

[@trkn5681]

$81,000? Money you save on fuel can be applied to truck payment.

[@fredv7487]

So the moral of the story is. If you want bunch of headaches going on a trip buy an electric truck. If you want to drive straight through like normal. Buy a Ram truck with an ecodiesel it will cost you the same.

[@clarkstonguy1065]

I was going to suggest putting the stock tires back on until it snows, but I suppose keeping the more aggressive tires on now will let you give us more apples to apples comparisons on how the range fares this winter when it gets cold.

[@rondavis3232]

Why use the max capacity charger when the truck is unable to take advantage of it? Wouldn't it be better to save those for vehicles that can?

[@rmustang26]

Because the next step down in chargers are 150kw max. To get the 170kw peak you need to use the 350kw chargers.

[@superset5]

@@rmustang26 nope. 150kw charges can get to 170kw. not for long, but it can. using the 350kw for this truck is dumb

[@rondavis3232]

Thank you!

[@rmustang26]

@@superset5 No need to be rude. I have tried a couple 150kw and they did not pass 150kw. I will keep trying them on the rare occasion I road trip. There is no harm using a 350kw when no one is waiting and other 350kw are available. The first time I used a 350kw is because it was the only available working charger.

[@andysupple4838]

To be that preoccupied with range, charging locations and apps all the enjoyment of a road trip is lost. Andre's truck is much more desirable and efficient. The Lightning cost over $30k more than his truck and for a 25 dollar energy savings ain't worth it. As more EV vehicles are on the road the more time spent at the charging stations.

[@IMGreg..]

For now charging is an issue for sure and the early adapters of any tech always suffer the most. Imagine the lives of the first Leaf owners barely being able to leave a metropolitan area. They went to Alaska dude, that's no small feat. We're in the covered wagon phase of this journey which is a step up from waking in front of your ox drawn cart, next will be the steam train and rail phase. Battery technology is in high gear to solve the charge time dilemma. I just watched a "Two Bit da Vinci" segment on a tech that charges faster than you can fill a car but it has less density than today's lithium batteries. When they solve that issue we'll have the best of both worlds but for now the thrill must be in doing our part to mitigate climate change. Things have come a long way since Tesla's first EV and will improve exponentially from here on. In 2032 you will be looking back and thinking wow what a trip and we were here to see it from the beginning! I use the first Lethal Weapon as a benchmark for the cell phone, remember when Murtaugh was on the overpass talking to the psychiatrist about Riggs's death wish, that's where battery tech is now. He had a portable phone the size of a briefcase and had to use both hands to walk and talk on it, now look at us, our phones connect to our cars without leaving our pockets and have the computing power of most laptops. LG my friend. Life is Good!

[@Cornelius87]

@@IMGreg.. will we ever get there though? I mean electric vehicles are nothing new and neither are batteries so someone like me ignorant on the subject will be skeptical that the technology will get that much better. In other words whatever advances they're making it could have been done decades ago couldn't it? And if EVs are a better product they would have been prime time a long time ago. Again I have no idea what I'm talking about admittedly but I'm skeptical.

[@Jay-bw3fl]

@@Cornelius87 also being completely reliant on China to make the batteries is not only not saving the planet from any co2 but also making us completely dependent on a communist regime who we see is willing to kill their own people. Lol I hope he is right and things do advance a lot but I think it’s wishful thinking and unrealistic

[@TheRealScooterGuy]

@@Cornelius87 -- Skepticism is fine, but know that there have been huge advances in battery tech over the past decade. Demands for cell phone batteries that last longer between charges have driven much of that improvement, and the research has spilled over to other uses, including EVs, rechargeable tool batteries, etc.

[@JasonEDragon]

I enjoy breathing clean air and would enjoy summers more if they weren't as hot. It would be nice if we left this earth in as good a shape as when we entered it so that future generations can enjoy it too. A hundred plus years ago people had to shovel horse crap, cut the wood to heat their homes, drink water from cisterns, and personally dispose of all the garbage they created. People today have lost touch with the impact that they have on the environment.

[@LiebinLA]

I put a leveling kit and 35" all terrain tires on mine. Looks awesome. Range dropped about 15%.

[@Patrick_Gray]

Hi, I like your videos. After watching your video on the Ford F-150 Lightning truck I decided to do some computations and comparisons of it and other vehicles. (1.) From your reported "cost of charging" and your reported "kWh of charge", a cost per kWh can be computed. ---> $80.25/237kWh = $0.34/kWh My electric bill shows I am paying $0.12/kWh, which is about 1/3 of what you paid at a public charger. (2.) From your "miles of travel" and your "cost of charging" you can compute, "miles of travel" per dollar. ---> 470 miles/$80.25 = 5.86 "miles of travel" / $1.00 (3.) Compare a typical gas vehicle for "miles of travel" per dollar. A vehicle that gets 20 mpg and pays $3.60/gal (the national average as of 9-20-2022). ---> 20 mpg / ($3.60/gal) = 5.555 "miles of travel" per dollar. (4.) From your "miles of travel" and my cost for 237 kWh of power we can compute a typical home owners "miles of travel" per dollar. ---> 237 kWh x $.12 / kWh = $28.44 ---> 470 miles / $28.44 = 16.526 "miles of travel" per dollar for a user who charges at home with $0.12 per kWh rate from the utility. The Tesla Model 3 gets up to 34.75 "miles of travel" per dollar. So even though the Ford F-150 Lightning does not have good numbers, other EVs do and charging at home really helps.

[@rhare7353]

Time is money.! this electric truck just don't cut it

[@vitaming582]

Is it more uphill/downhill depending on the way you're going? That could impact the fuel economy too.

[@boostav]

Yeah any comparison worth its salt is A->B->A

[@andrewjackson5127]

Every time you do a video with the lightning I'm more convinced that it is a major pain in the ass not worth dealing with. It's more unreliable computer than it is a vehicle. And waiting around to charge, what a headache, even when it works smoothly and apparently it doesn't always do that. My 1.7 litre Jetta would have done that trip for about 32 bucks and no stops, no waiting around, and I wouldn't be required to use an app on my phone to refill my tank which I wouldn't have to do because I have 600 plus miles of range. This technology is still far from ready.

[@clayed]

A Tesla supercharger popped up near me a few years ago. I enjoy watching the owners try to entertain themselves while waiting to charge.

[@benkanobe7500]

Where did you get those cool State Stickers? When I was a kid (1950s) all the family station wagons, vans, and camper trucks (and trucks) had decals of what states the family had visited. That has been a part of American Culture. So nice to see it making a comeback!

[@Danzilly]

I enjoyed Andres powerboost it seems to have the most utility! The lighting is neat but seems to be frustrating trying to charge it!

[@mowcowbell]

It's only frustrating at some public charging stations. For everyday driving, it's extremely simple to charge at home, and much less expensive than gasoline.

[@anydaynow01]

@@mowcowbell Agreed, for suburban dwellers this is the way to go definitely, things get a bit sketchy once you get out to the rural and urban areas though. Maybe if there were more chargers in parking lots in urban areas, they don't even need to be crazy 350kW jobs, just having a bunch of decent level 2s at public parking areas where the car will sit for hours anyway while people shop or visit a park and a quick 20 min charge isn't needed.

[@C10sRule]

The Lightning isn’t the issue. It’s the charge stations.

[@Team_Trade_Down]

@@mowcowbell Little known fact. Over 50-55% of the US population lives in either a condo, townhome, apartment or rental home. Those do not have home charging, so they have to rely on public charging. If we want more than 50% of the vehicles on the road to be EVs, longer range vehicles AND better fast chargers are going to be necessary.

[@CrankyOldNerd]

I guess I've been really lucky or CO sucks for maintenance. clearly there are issues because TFL isn't the only one documenting it. Here in NC and on the one big roadtrip down to FL i've done in the four months I've owned a non-tesla EV I've had no problems charging on EA. Tesla's network was super reliable though, did probably 15k miles in roadtrips over the east to midwestern US and never had a problem. If they go CCS will solve most of that.

[@ericreese4606]

First off, I’d love to see transportation evolve to something that pollutes less and is cost effective. Unfortunately, we aren’t there yet. The cost benefit of BEV for charging comes when you are charging at home, I get that. But, as you can see in this video, if you are road tripping (for whatever reason, leisure or work) and needing to use public charging, you’re paying more for electricity than gas. For close comparison, it is cheaper (and much faster) to fill a F150 hybrid - which gets 26 MPG highway, than the lightning. To go 470 mi cost $80.25 on electric. The hybrid would cost about $70 to cover that same distance at $3.88/gal (which is the national average for gas today). Things are improving, but we’re not there yet from a cost perspective.

[@herb7877]

I did the same math and came up pretty close to the same conclusion. Add on top of this is the initial cost of the vehicle as well. I think it may very well be the future; but as you said a little ways off yet. The other unknown is the cost to build the & supply the grid. They are telling us now to conserve electricity for our A/C during the summer; what happens if 25-50% of the vehicles now require charging? Currently I may have to wait 5-10 minutes for the cars ahead of me to refuel with gas. If it takes 30-60 minutes to charge and there are several cars ahead of me.... then what ?

[@LandParkColby]

@@herb7877 Me too ... and I used a higher cost per gallon. Imagine driving from LA to SF on Labor Day weekend - it's horrible to begin with - then add on stopping two or three times to fill up the electrics. There is a great KZbin of people waiting at a Tesla supercharger station off of I-5, the line is TWO MILES long!! They guy doing the video said it took him 30 HOURS for the complete drive!! I'd open a vein ... granted the traffic on that stretch is really bad to begin with, a normal 5/6 hour drive can be 7/8 hours with one potty stop (kids and dogs). But my PB F150 has the range so I don't need to stop if I can help it ...

[@jimbob1096]

@@herb7877 well said

[@JK-lq3wh]

You should be doing the electric reviews for this channel. Your simple paragraph is more informative than this video LOL.

[@lego4virgo]

Though that may change when there are situations that cause oil prices to rise and subsequently the price at the gas pump to increase.

[@Trackstar1319]

Roman you keep forgetting to mention under all you range estimates and Kw avg estimates that thats for your particular truck with the tires you put on it. Didn't you loose 10% efficiency with the more aggressive tires?

[@godzilla6740]

Instead of consentrating and enjoying your road trip sounds like the emphasis is finding charging stations and hope u can make it there and then hoping the charging station will work and time to charge. What about the expense charging the truck. I've read many Ford truck owners not happy with the range of these electric vehicles. Did u use the lights, ac, etc? I'd want to enjoy my trip not worry about range, charging stations and problems charging along with expense. These vehicles extremely pricey. A lot of stops and time to charge if it will take a charge. Everything is 200 miles. What if the truck breaks down on a trip who other than dealer can fix? Sounds like a lot of fun. Enjoyed your video.

[@halsnyder296]

Everything I’ve seen indicates this truck would be an almost perfect vehicle for me. Sufficient towing and range, just lacking in bed length. I live on Hawaii (Big Island), so it’s range works

[@ferrisr]

Isn't electricity super expensive on Hawaii? I guess gas is too. (note: I'm pro-EV, just curious on the operating costs for somewhere like Hawaii where electricity is at a premium)

[@halsnyder296]

@@ferrisr I live in the country… not only is electricity super expensive, but they can’t even maintain consistent voltage out here. So I can’t recommend electric anything to anyone, unless… We are working on going totally off grid with a large solar array. At that point an electric vehicle becomes optimal. I can reach and return from anywhere I would take the truck too. Without solar… horrible idea, existing power lines can’t handle people having many of them out here. Awful infrastructure.

[@theeagle1967]

Be advised when towing the milage is actually about 85 miles per charge.

[@anthropicandroid4494]

It could very well be, if you have cheaper electric than the Bay Area and have a garage you have permission to re-wire... the lack of long distances would make it useful!

[@neutrino78x]

@@ferrisr "Isn't electricity super expensive on Hawaii?" They're working on that. One of the most promising technologies for Hawaii is Ocean Thermal. It generates energy via the difference in temperature between the surface and the deep. Far away from the equator it wouldn't work very well, but in Hawaii, the water is warm on the surface. It would also work great in Puerto Rico. Also, on the Big Island, they have have a huge geothermal source. But all the studies have determined it would be too expensive to run a cable right now.

[@michaelbatchelder]

The chargers is one of the many reasons Tesla wins. Good video, enjoyed till the end

[@JustAnotherJarhead]

if only...they actually had a truck...

[@michaelbatchelder]

@@JustAnotherJarhead True, even when they start next year it will take a long while before they are able to ramp production

[@gadawgs8101]

spent 80 dollars to go 470 that's the exact same as my truck I'm all for the electric vehicles but for now I see no upside to going electric at this point

[@VishnuKamath]

When i had Tesla, i didn't worry much about charging costs but after moved to Mustang and EA the costs are up through the roof. It is only economical when charging is done at home or on L2.

[@wrongthinker350]

Thank you for doing this test it's a hard NO for electric trucks.

[@johnkorte1890]

Imagine taking a family of 5 on a road trip vacation in one of these things. Nope. Thank you Andre for showing us all how miserable it would be.

[@melvin5818]

Man i had no idea these public charging station cost a good amount. Obviously not close to what it would cost in gas but still for sure didn't expect this. I guess the best price is if you charge it at home.

[@AdrianMcDaid]

Yes, most will charge at home.

[@FBHSswimmer2006]

But at what's cost of the aggravation and the time you lose charging like this compared to filling a gas car? Personally I think its not worth it until the battery technology advances, along with building better charging stations.

[@jimbob1096]

If you have a home to charge at. Apartment dwellers aren't going to have that option. They're screwed but rich homeowners don't think big picture. They just say o I charge at home. Look big picture people not just your little narrow window.

[@jimbob1096]

Yea and electricity is going up fast in price.

[@danielbliss8014]

@@FBHSswimmer2006 The battery tech is already in very good shape and continuing to improve. It seems non-Tesla users are waiting an eternity for decent public charging though.

[@stevenjacobson6229]

Videos like this one make me happy with my gas powered F-150. And, I don't have to deal with apps and wasted time.

[@ltwig476]

According to how many miles per year I drive, it would save me about $600. Not worth the charging stops and the plugging in and unplugging at home everyday. Plus the limited choice of food at stops compared to fueling stations everywhere. Then there is the cold climate issue where I live that will lower the milage. Did you have to pay an electrician to wire up your home charging? How many years/miles warranty on your total electric system, including battery? What does it feel like plugging in an electrical charge in a driving rain storm? Vary nice video, by the way. Thanks for taking your time to do this for us.

[@robertsneed827]

Now we know why Gas has been intentionally pushed to $5/gallon, EV doesn't make any since at $2.50/gallon

[@scruffy4647]

Thanks for your over the road charging feedback. Headwinds, towing, elevation change has always been known that it would reduce range. It does it on ICE vehicles. There's no surprise there. Ford is almost first to the EV pick-up market. That's fantastic. The other legacies are not far behind. Not including the cyber truck, Ford has a chance to really improve on the items that they can act upon right now. From viewing others post about the truck, there seems to be a common thread about the driver's information screen and touchscreen being cumbersome. A huge portion of the EV experience are the screens. I don't know but that seems the lowest hanging fruit to easily improve. That false charge door on the passenger side could be made functional so you have the option to charge from either side and if available, use both ports simultaneously to charge which should lower your charge time in half. I think all these EVs are in lockstep with batteries and charge time. Things will improve but do the stuff now that doable.

[@ismaelcarrillo3956]

The charging system cannot handle more than 170kw.

[@barrythehatchet1380]

In my mind, there is only one EV on the market and it is a sedan: the Lucid Air. 520 miles is the MINIMUM I will ever own a vehicle. I wouldn't own a ICE vehicle with 300 mile range and I can easily fill up in minutes. I want a vehicle that can take me places... crazy, right?

[@barrythehatchet1380]

Not only do they have the longest range, they have the fastest charging.

[@timothyharrison]

Great video. I think the creators know this, but air resistance is exponential. Ford has made a reasonable design decision to keep standard body for the lightning. They are not targeting road trip buyers. All that is to say, you can be sure the future ev trucks will not look the same.

[@neutrino78x]

indeed, an electric truck doesn't need the boxy front that an ICE truck needs. Could make it aerodynamic. 🙂

[@citizentex5720]

I don’t understand this. Every trip has to be planned down to the stops. Charging is wonky and takes a long time. I don’t want people around me not holding the touching all controls on their vehicles. The cost of the truck is outrageous (never factored in to cost per mile). Towing or carrying loads destroys range…. I love TFL but these electric vehicles are poo.

[@ferrisr]

The planning aspect is only in areas with spread out chargers. On the east/west coasts, there are many more chargers, and you don't need to 'pre-plan' as much. As more stations go online, even less planning will be required (NY state is in the process of redoing all highway rest stops and putting DC chargers in at all of them, for example). A lot of times, the stops coincide with meal breaks anyway. I find that 40 minutes is just the right amount of time to use the rest room and grab a quick bite to eat. So I just plug in before doing all of that, rather than doing that and filling the gas tank as two separate steps. In my experience, it's really not even that noticeable of a delay until you hit the point that you need to stop and charge at least 3-4 times in a single day. Most people driving trucks aren't towing all of the time. Those that are probably are buying bigger trucks anyway. No, the Lightning isn't good for cross country towing, but for the use case of a lot of truck buyers, they're great. No vehicle is a one-size-fits-all proposition, EVs included.

[@bobqzzi]

All about the use case. Would I buy an electric truck if I did long distance road trips more than occasionally or towed more than around town? No I would not. If I worked construction in my local area? Yes I would. If I just liked pick-ups and wanted to daily drive one? Yes. ICE trucks have much better range (especially when towing), and are slightly cheaper. Those are there only advantages.

[@ferrisr]

@@bobqzzi yeah, and if you are regularly doing long distance towing, for example, then you probably aren't buying an F-150 anyhow

[@donhappel9566]

@@ferrisr You really take 40+ minute breaks for food when on road trips? Who does that? Pretty sure the drive-through was literally invented for exactly this reason - when on a road trip you want to keep moving and NOT stop for extended periods. Same thing for people working - you don't have time to go take an extended lunch break and charge at the same time; you either bring something with you, skip lunch all together, or just grab something fast and keep moving. I don't hate EVs and really wanted to order the Lightning for my next truck but it simply can't handle day to day much less road trips and towing for me. Ended up going with a Chevy (despite my dislike of the brand) 3.0 duramax. 30-31 mpg on the highway in a full size 4x4 truck

[@ferrisr]

@@donhappel9566 what can’t it handle day to day? You drive more than 200-300 miles per day? Otherwise you just charge at night when the truck is sitting idle. You waste time stopping at gas stations on normal work weeks? Who does that, my vehicle is ready for me every morning when I wake up

[@nathanenns7186]

Andre the truck thinks it has a trailer still attached most likely due to a wiring short in the trailer plug wiring. My 2021 F350 did the same thing within a month of having it. Opened up the wiring right by the hitch receiver and found multiple wires rubbed through and shorting on each other. It was telling me my trailer was disconnected every time I touched the brakes then as soon as I let off it would say trailer connected 😂, made stop and go traffic a pain! Hope this helps

[@starastronomer]

Thanks for the video. It reinforces why I LOVE my GASOLINE ⛽️ engine driven car! No way am I going to waste time "recharging" when I can refuel in minutes and be on my way. When you look at the higher initial cost of an E vehicle it's a no brainer, GAS ENGINE!!!

[@rolandgodwin2882]

I don't think I have seen a charging session go right yet. Too many aggravations for me.

[@1slyboy]

Tesla network is much better. I agree we need to see more improvements and reliability

[@froggy0162]

Amazing - it’s almost like you couldn’t predict a 3 tonne brick wouldn’t be efficient at speed 😅

[@HopeCreekConnemara]

What a great truck if you have extremely low expectations.

[@mannfamilyMI]

Electric vehicles are nice to drive in my experience. It’ll be interesting to see where we are in 10 years. Can prices come down and charging infrastructure come up?

[@steevehudon8941]

TFL, Can you charge and plug while you are driving on the road, with a gas generator in the bed of the truck? I would like to see that to be test, is the computer would permit you to do that?

[@claudenewman3440]

My 2017 f250 when I plug in my trailer it automatically connects but when I unplug it I have to select no trailer connected. So I’m not surprised that the lightning does the same thing

[@jonbuckheit6472]

Any issues with the EA stations? I've heard from many doing this route that over 50% of the chargers are not working at each EA station. Curious to hear your experience?

[@pstoneking3418]

I've heard the same about EA chargers.

[@Krnnerdboy]

Drove from vermont to cali in my lightning. Roughly 40% of the chargers were inoperable, however every station does have at least 1 that works. Out of 20 charges i did, i only waited for another ev to finish charging 2x

[@danieloool2044]

EA make update

[@ChipLeach]

I’ve been a proponent of EV’s but since more people have been getting them I’m seeing that we are not quite there yet. At least for longer trips. I’ll wait for the infrastructure to catch up. Even then, charging cost will soon equal traditional fuel.

[@tobygathergood4990]

Thanks for the trip and the experiment. EVs at this point in their development, are pretty much useless in my opinion. I think that I will stick to my old '91 F250 4x4 7.3 IDI diesel with 830,000 miles on it (still going strong). Not luxurious at all, no air even, but I never have any issues with it, I keep it in good shape. I don't know how much that lightening battery will cost you when it needs replacing, (warranty only 8 years), but I can guess at $15,000- $20,000 including the labor for installation. Fueling up takes me a max of 15 min to fill both tanks from almost dry, that's 40 gallons. Yeah I know, that's about $150 for all that peace of mind, including a 500 mile range 😁, which of course I can extend significantly by carrying a few jerry cans of diesel...or I could use my Tidy Tank if I so choose. I can also take it into the bush hunting, for extended periods of time. Which is one of the principle uses of a 4x4, taking it off road. EVs are great IF there is the infrastructure to support them, if not, I can see them being nothing but a headache...and then an expensive boat anchor. I know I wouldn't want to have to pay for a new battery all in one go. That's a big, big bill! AND...the absolute joy of way too many electronics that seem to constantly screw up. HAVING to fill up at every chance you get must be a pain too. Driving an EV will give anyone PTSD eventually. Now, load the trucks bed or tow a full trailer and do it all again. Oddly enough the mileage on my diesel changes almost not at all with a load. The same goes for my '96 F350 4x4 460 big block long bed crew cab. The mileage capability doesn't really change, loaded or unloaded.

[@ronpauley3225]

Great Video, I seen your truck in Ogallala Nebraska when you guys were coming back from Michigan with it, you guys weren't around. Must have been in Walmart taking a 10-100. I enjoy your videos very much. You guys are great. I have owned 3 Electric vehicles. 2017 Leaf, the biggest joke for an electric car. And 2 2021 Chevrolet Bolts which were great grocery getters and for city driving. BTW GM bought back both from me because of the recall. The Ford Lighting is basically a joke of a truck. Time to most people is money, and if you are sitting around at a charging station time is money. (First problem) Cost to charge at a public station another problem. At 40 cent a kw to charge now at a public station is too expensive. And it's not going to stay there. (Second problem) People say they charge at home! But there again the utility rates are going up all over the country and you now aren’t not going to be charging cheaply soon. (Third problem) Plus you forgot to say to charge at home efficiently you need a Tier 2 charger. That will cost you anywhere from $500 to $1500 to buy it! Not including an electrician to wiring it in. How much? Plus, I'm guessing 70% of today’s homes won't be able to charge with a Tier 2 charger because their electrical panel isn't big enough. Need a minimum of a 200-amp panel, plus maybe your service coming in from the street isn't big enough also! You would be paying for that with your local electric utility provider (Fourth problem). Think about every swing dick out there that lives in an apartment complex or townhouses, block houses with no access to charge their cars? ( Fifth problem ) Andre you, yourself had range anxiety and you’re a guy that knows what you are doing. Take an average Joe, he will end up having a heart attack because of this! This happen to me in the Leaf, not a spot you want to be in. Especially on the side of a freeway when your car goes dead. (Sixth problem) The grid in this country can’t even handle 20% of the cars if they were electric. Who's going to pay for that upgrade ( YOU the taxpayer ) Trillions, less not forgot we are going to need hundreds of thousands if not millions public chargers too! Oh, I forgot Uncle Joe will just print some more money up! Just earlier this week the dip ship bureaucracy of California announced %100 of the vehicles will have to be electric in 2035! That's only 12 years away. Wait for it! On Thursday, the California resource board announce don't charge your electric vehicles, turn off your lights, turn up your thermostats to 78 degrees because the grid can't handle the load. California has only 10 cent of their vehicles electric!! Hey America let’s do what California has done! I could go on but at what point. So, in closing there is no sense in buying a Ford Lighting, might as well you should just go with an ice vehicle. Less cost by a long stretch! Also, Andre Ford just announced a huge price increase on the Lightings, in the tune of $4000 to $8500 for the 2023 model year so those folks that said the pricing will be going down in the future at best are bat ship crazy! And good luck the normal family can afford one of these electric vehicles at an average price of $67000. As a famous movie star once said ( Hang on! It’s going to be a bumpy ride! ) Keep up with these great videos!

[@Jakereviewsall]

The lightning was fun to test drive when I went last month but I am glad I went with the hybrid instead.

[@mikej5959]

THats what I dont understand. There is still so much advances we could push Hybrid tech to. That technology isnt even close to being maxed out. Instead we are pushing electric only for the future. Its foolish. We should be competing with other technologies. That includes all electric, hybrids, hydrogen and natural gas. And I think it includes gas vehicles as well. There are small cars that are getting 40mpg highway!

[@Jakereviewsall]

@@mikej5959 I agree, heck there have been Hondas and Toyotas achieving 40+ for decades. The other issue is that the electric comes from somewhere.... then add in stupid states like California who push electric but then tell you not to charge it since they cant handle the loads... our vehicle industry is half ass backwards in many things.

[@naf2579]

Cart before the horse. I keep having to remind myself this is first gen, things will improve eventually. These are city runners, not road trip vehicles.

[@jimbob1096]

New tech should be better then old tech. Not have deficiencies that these cars have and just try to pass it off as its a first gen. Thier first gen battery should outperform an ice car to make it acceptable to people.

[@ronaldking1054]

@@jimbob1096 To get the energy density, it would need a 600% efficiency increase over a tank where you throw away 60% of the fuel in the tank. What's worse is that this is exactly the range that automotive companies sold to people that got your infrastructure to the amount of gas stations it is today, but hey, your truck shouldn't exist by your own logic. I guess there needs to be a condition that the technology is something you accept rather than how good it is.

[@swpski]

We've road tripped in ours. It worked fine.

[@naf2579]

@@swpski I'm sure it worked* But your not going to catch me sitting in a parking lot to charge for half an hour.

[@timgurr1876]

Great video. Thanks for the info. I remember doing a road trip back in the 70’s when gasoline was in shortage. One never knew if there would be gas at the next gas station or even how far away the next gas station might be. It was a little hectic. At least today technology is able to help us locate the next EV fueling station but there are problems with the EV fueling network having problems and not working properly extending EV fueling times. I think EV’s are great, but I don’t think the world is going to end in 30 years if we are 100% EV. Hopefully, battery technology will improve and battery prices will decline. Otherwise, the cost of moving into EV technology for transportation will be difficult for many. Can be a headache wondering it you are going to make to the next charging station.

[@dracodrake45]

Honestly if they developed a nuclear battery of some sorts that would be a game changer or hydrogen ICE engines but we'll see. I personally don't like how the government wants to flat out ban ice engines rather than give companies incentives to actually develop EV technology organically

[@kellymiller3136]

I enjoy your videos but I have a hard time saying it’s time to buy an EV for road trips. For a in city driving back and forth from home to work getting groceries then charging at home they may work. I will say road rage will be a thing at the charging stations. 😜

[@neutrino78x]

you realize this is a 300+ mile trip one way, yes? How often do you drive that far in one day?

[@kendavis1198]

I had Butterflies Just Watching All this Transpire. I purchased an ICE F-150 3.5V 6 Turbo. It's getting Really Bad Milage around town, 10. + MPG and on the Straight Highway it's getting upwards of 19/20 MPG. I think the Around Town is Absolutely Absurd!!! I guess I expected that, I Guess. I only have 930 Miles on the Truck and I Love it. I stop for Gas, Fill it up in 5 Minutes or so and just GO! The EV F-150 is really Cool but I think the EV Market and Charging Network's Need a TON OF WORK. (Maybe Barring the TESLA Charging) Stations??? Never hear much about Issues there???? Good Video Tho. Thanks for being so Candid on the Situation.

[@mikestory2272]

What I like about the TFL crew is you all do not sound like fan boys, fan boys have become soooo exhausting, I can't listen anymore. Thank you.

[@davidlreeves]

At 17:45 you say that the gas engines uses 3 times the energy to make enough to move the truck. This is the thermal efficiency of a gasoline engine. You, like many others, forget that power plants are not 100% efficient in creating the electricity. They are only about 50% efficient. Need to look at total efficiencies of energy produced and grid mix. We seem to have forgotten that it takes energy to create electricity. Nice job on reporting. Thanks

[@blackomega99]

by that thinking, wouldn't you need to add the cost of extraction, transportation and processing of gasoline to ICE vehicles? there's no system that's 100% efficient.