Is Towing With the 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning EV REALLY That Bad?

[@darpompie4354]

It all comes down to if you need the range or not. As a contractor, we use our lightning for towing and it's a champ but we rarely go over 100 miles in a day. It's by far the best towing 1/2 ton we've ever had. Not to mention, you gain the frunk, where we store and charge our tools and have enough electricity to power a job sites. Just plug it in at the end of day and you start off with a full "tank" in the morning. Costs us 1/5 of the operating costs of our ice trucks and something that nobody ever talks about until you experience it. You never waste any time going to gas stations. I don't care how fast fueling is, it still takes at minimum 10 min a week or 520 min per year. It's so nice to not deal with any of that anymore. So the answer to the question "Is towing with a lightning Bad?" The answer is a ginormous NO! It's actually one of the best towing half tons available. If the questions was "Is towing long distances in a lightning bad" the answer is a ginormous YES. Does that make the lightning bad, No. It's another tool in the tool box. If you need a hammer, get a hammer. If you need a screw driver, get a screw driver. It's like saying a corvette is bad because it can't tow a trailer long distances. I would go out on a limb and say that there are more people that rarely tow over 100 miles than those that do so there is a big enough market for it. And for those, like us, that it works for, the huge benefits you gain make it a no brainer.

[@tannermcnabb4836]

Well put. So many people seem to like buying vehicles for the 2% of their use cases per year where they do their one 500 mile trip towing trip with a big RV where this truck would not be ideal for. But ignore the 98% of the time that the truck would be super ideal for. All the time saved that 98% of the time....but yes, for those couple big single day travel days towing where you will need multiple charging stops, the lightning will not be as fast. The other thing, is that the pace of road trips in an ev is generally more enjoyable - even when towing - when you're doing ~2 hours driving between your ~45 min charging stops. Especially if you plan your route well, you can make the most of your charging time and check out nearby parks, markets, touristy stuff, or just do your camping trip logistics like grocery shopping, etc. Its a bit different to get used to, but after 2 yrs as a one vehicle family - and an ev at that - and several thousand kms of towing each year on camping trips, not once have we thought "I wish we had the old beater truck for this"

[@scottrunge4077]

OMG someone with a brain!

[@aliabdi6094]

​@@scottrunge4077those are rare

[@bfraik]

I use my 2024 Lightning Flash to tow a 3 yard dump trailer locally. The Flash replaced a 2010 XLT with a 4.6L which was a great truck. I feel spoiled with the comfort and towing tech / capability. Charged at a Tesla / NACS charger for the first time the other day (no trailer) after getting my Ford NACS adapter. Super easy. Love this truck.

[@keithpvbatt2040]

I have the lightning Flash it tows everything I need it to tow including Bobcats and trenchers. The best part is typically I don't have my employees sitting at the gas station every other morning before they go to the jobs. They get in 100% every time they go directly to work no shopping or fiddling around at a gas station. So far we never had to use a public charger.

[@BennySuds]

I have a 22 lightning SR and I run an oyster farm in Massachusetts. I tow a small trailer and a few boats around with no problem! Love the truck! Great video!

[@TheDrewPeters]

I’m a contractor, and I have that same truck in SR XLT (same color too) and I tow my 16x7x7 work box trailer EVERY DAY! NO BIG DEAL! I recharge every night at home.

[@bartz118]

Do you have fords 80 amp charger/EVSE?

[@TheDrewPeters]

@@bartz118 no. Just a universal wall charger from Tesla.

[@mpleau]

Same here. Works amazing. Just bought a 24ft camper that’s roughly 5k pounds. Maiden voyage incoming.

[@markmonroe7330]

It is "no big deal" because you are not towing very far. If you had to recharge during the day away from home - or pay a crew member to sit while it charges , I suspect your feelings would be different.

[@jghall00]

@@markmonroe7330 Different strokes for different folks. For towing daily around town, the Lightning can get the job done. Most truck owners never tow anyway. For trades, it's a great vehicles since most aren't leaving the region.

[@michaelt.9372]

All the poop flinging in the comments about EVs drive me insane. I live entirely off grid with a 2023 ford lightning pro extended range battery. I live 35 minutes from town and tow trailers and haul stuff all the time. It’s really not a big deal. But it’s not a truck to use as a hotshot.

[@Longsnowsm]

The more I have sized up the work I do with my truck I have concluded that a lot of it could be done with an EV truck. I only have a couple of exceptions to that where I need to go longer distances towing and time is important. Like hay season. Finding someone close to me with hay for sale can be tough and you're making quite a few runs pulling roughly 8k lbs at a shot. That of course is an annual task and I doubt the EV would keep up with that one. There have been a few times I have needed to get a piece of equipment that I couldn't find local that turned into regional road trips pulling the flatbed to get stuff. I think if it is close enough the Lighgtning can certainly do it, but those are a maybe due to the range. If it happens to take me near a major travel corridor then I could hit a charger, but most of that travel is out here in the sticks where we don't have any charging infrastructure yet. Those are outside of the scope of most of my routine truck work locally and on the farm. I think the knee jerk reaction is there is no way that short range when towing would work until you actually sit down and think through what it is that you do with your truck and what it really needs to be able to do. That's when many people many find an EV truck would work perfect for them. Winter range loss is brutal with all EV's. My EV cars take a beating in the winter. So get the long range or extended range and extended range in any EV and expect a significant hit to range in the winter. Prices are falling like a rock on the used Lightnings. If they keep this up I will probably be looking next year to pick up a bargain. You are very lucky to have a Pro with Extended Range. Those are pretty rare in the hands of consumers.

[@mikeflanary642]

@@michaelt.9372 solar? How big?

[@michaelt.9372]

@@mikeflanary642 36 panels. 12kw ish total.

[@kidamere2408]

The uneducated are the biggest complainers

[@HooviesGarage]

Great video and the upgrades with the Lightning are amazing. I think the cold weather was another big factor, and my speed. I went the highway speed limit, 65-75, the entire time. I never imagined the extreme (and political) reaction I would get with that video.

[@dennisengland9787]

I ran into a lightning owner at a charging station and he said he tows 7,000-8,000 lbs of cattle 120 miles at least once a week.

[@Longsnowsm]

I think that would be pretty easy to do. Single pull relatively short distance is perfectly doable. And if you live near the main transportation corridors there will likely be DCFC so regional towing would be doable. Just don't get off the beaten path where there aren't chargers if you are going to be cutting close. It all really depends on where you plan to operate the truck and what is near by. For me the one that is tough is hay season. Lots of back and forth with about 8k lb loads. So unless the hay is close it wouldn't be doable for me in the Lightning without the ability to DCFC. It may be something that is worth just paying someone to haul for me. I am stewing on it as I watch the used prices on Lightnings fall like a rock.

[@Neojhun]

Because it's 120 miles. That's quite easy.

[@skyemalcolm]

@@Longsnowsmare there even gas stations along your route? Or would you have the ability to fuel on the farm? One possibility that seems dumb when I suggest it but will make sense if you think about it is that DC charging on more remote, larger farm would be the obvious solution. That way you’re not wasting miles to go somewhere. That said the extended range ‘22-‘23 F150s and some of the GM vehicles have onboard 19 kW AC chargers. Weirdly the 2024-25 F150 lightning drops that to 11.5 kW. With a matching 100 Amp 240 V circuit that will give 6-7 hour recharges on a 130 kWh Lightning extended range pack and 10 hour recharge times even on the Silverado 3WT or 4WT packs. Grizzle has an 80 Amp EVSE for only $700 and they are a solid Canadian company, again needs a 100 A 240 V circuit. If your farm has 480 V 3 phase then it wouldn’t be crazy to look into 20-50 kW DC chargers. Not exactly cheap but not as expensive as you might suppose, starting around $10-$20k. Alpitronic has an all in one 50 kW that would be my first choice for reliability and company backing it up. I’ve used the Grizzle Kodiak 24 kW DC charger and it’s a solid choice too. We had a compatibility issue, got an email out to them and the next day they sent an update to the charger and the problem was fixed. Super good support, again they are based out of Canada. But lots and lots of competition here.

[@Longsnowsm]

@@skyemalcolm If you are out in rural farm country it depends on where I am going for hay, livestock, or equipment to determine if there will be gas stations. Most of the time you can swing through a small town if you need to. We just need a few more years for the infrastructure for DCFC to finally start to broaden out away from the main transportation corridors. AC charging is just not fast enough if you need the charge back fast. I would love to see equipment like Freewire where there are batteries trickling charging and then able to dump DCFC juice. We need to see equipment like that and make it affordable for small towns, small fleets, farms etc otherwise demand charges will kill you and the grid in remote locations. This farm equipment is going to start to use electric going forward and we will need this ability to fast charge equipment on location. Right now that hasn't started to happen yet. For me I could use an EV truck for most of my local farm work no problem. I do have 50amp service for charging the EVs. It makes it convenient to get enough to get juice back fast enough for most things. I think most people could easily make an EV truck work. In my case I think I could find a way to work around most of the limitations. We just have to shift our mindset and look for solutions and not for obstacles.

[@marcdangelo93]

I love my 23 Lariat ER. I bought it certified preowned for $52,000. Its original MSRP was $89700.

[@bostondan77]

Last year I got a flat trailer tire towing a 7,500 lb boat with my Lightning, when I needed merge back into the busy 70mph traffic from the shoulder lane, I would not have traded that truck for any other truck except for another EV- the power and speed of an electric drivetrain definitely can have some benefits when towing.

[@Jay-me7gw]

I have heard they really fall on their face at speed though. They probably are strong from a dig, but if you are already doing 60mph, they arent that strong.

[@rxibot]

You heard wrong. The pull is just as hard and instant. People just aren't feeling the G forces as bad as from a launch.

[@BumbleBeeJBG]

@@Jay-me7gw Range is the only problem. Lightning towing a 7500lb trailer likely goes 0-60 faster than a V6 2500HD Silverado unladen. EVs have lower top speeds for sure but getting there is absolutely no problem, load or not. Hauls ass to the limiter.

[@darpompie4354]

@@Jay-me7gw You've definitely heard wrong. You can go form 60 to 80 in a heart beat and that's towing a trailer. You may be correct if you are putting your lightning in a Formula 1 race. You can start seeing where an Ice vehicle starts getting the slight edge in a 1/4 mile race at around the 100 m/h mark. But that is competing with the most powerful Ice trucks. Most people are not driving their trucks, especially towing a trailer at those speeds. For normal use and speeds an EV just crushes it with its "instant" torque. By the time an Ice trucks turbo's spool up and the transmission hunts for what gear it should go into, you are already at 80 in the lightning. Its unbelievable until you actually experience it.

[@rxibot]

@@BumbleBeeJBG My lightning is governed so it pops to 100 within seconds but as soon as I hit 100 miles an hour it slowly ticks up to 110 mph and then stops.

[@mulcahyt]

I have a 2024 F150 Lightning Flash with a 6K lb 28 ft RV. I average 130-140 miles per battery charge depending on the route. It's been better than I expected.

[@newenglandrvadventures]

My Nissan Titan averaged 8mpg towing, with a 26 gallon tank I’d refuel every 20gallon or 150-160 miles.

[@markmonroe7330]

@@newenglandrvadventures And - it would only take you 5min to fully refuel with another 150-160 miles of range.

[@AkioWasRight]

Doesn't the Flash have the large battery? I'm not sure what you were expecting it to be, but... Assuming your numbers are accurate, that's less than 50% of your estimated unladen range. Given charging limits, your realistic range is only about 80 miles between charging points. On a long trip, you'd basically be stopping every ~75 minutes to charge.

[@newenglandrvadventures]

@@markmonroe7330 we stop with kids, our stops are every 2-3 hours for 30-1hr.

[@rxibot]

5 mins my butt man. You don't know what you're talking about. Only a hater would say something so stupid.

[@scottbalak7123]

I used my Lightning Lariat ER (w/ Max tow) to tow 10,000lbs (2k trailer + 8k hay) and it works very well. When I'm empty the flat bed doesn't really impact range much. When I'm loaded it gets half. For me the range isn't a concern because I'm normally going less than 75miles to a farm. For sure if you're trying to cross country EV max tow you should prepare for disappointment, but if you're close towing then it's fair superior to 1500 ICE. I replaced a RAM 1500 with my Lightning and towing is night and day. Going up and down back country twisty hills and you don't even need the trailer break because the regen does most of the work. I have enough power to pass up hill.... :) I charge at home with 80amp so L2 performance is actually really nice. The big issue for DC fast charging is the 400v battery. For long distance towing I think the answer is faster recharge more than it's bigger battery. We need 800V-1000V packs so we can refill in

[@chrisjeanneret5091]

If I recall correctly Hoovie traded the truck to the dealer and it bricked shortly after, so there may have been serious problems with it.

[@bryanmiller2023]

When Hoovie did his video he blamed the EV drivetrain when the same thing happens with gas and Diesel trucks. Diesel is still the best for towing of the three but they are all affected in a similar way by the physics of towing a trailer. My buddy tows his camper trailer and gets only 8 MPG!

[@Dankcatvacs]

8mpg is better than 80 miles to empty

[@mikeflanary642]

Hoovie was driving 75+ mph on a very cold day (heat blasting) and did not pre-condition the battery. edit - ya it's first generation. Do you guys remember the first cell phones? Lol, you'd never have thought the iphone and cell network would work

[@greenne]

Hoovie is an idiot. He drove a Standard Range truck fast on a cold day doing everything to throw the test. Then complains about the range. I realize its for webclicks..but still annoying

[@D3athM3tal-i4c]

Sounds real world type testing

[@NomenClature-o8s]

So if you have an EV truck you have to do lots of things before it works properly. 😂

[@dillonh321]

Hoovie was driving like a normal person then.

[@kngofdestiny]

Hoovie also didn’t have the heat pump, which would’ve been awesome for using the towing heat

[@rickdykstra4518]

Once the truck adapts the range after plugging the trailer in, it should fine tune it even more if you put a destination in the navigation. Then it’ll know how much hwy vs side roads instead of using the default EPA standards. If it’s mostly highway it will adjust for that and lower the range.

[@darpompie4354]

That is exactly right and something they completely missed. Once you create a new trailer in the software, the data for its range calculation gets stored with it. The more you use it, the more accurate the range estimator will get. Considering they just created the trailer, I think it did a pretty decent job on the first trip.

[@dmegahan]

I find it funny that everyone always talks about how fast it charges when 99% of people who own them charge slow at their house nightly and never go to public chargers.

[@newscoulomb3705]

It's a holdover from when Tesla owners were trying to invalidate every other EV option by focusing only on DC charging speeds and network coverage. Essentially, "You shouldn't buy that EV because it charges so slow. And where would you charge it anyway? Oh, and here's my referral code if you want to buy a Tesla instead."

[@danielhomant2832]

Same with GVWR, 0-60, cornering, etc. almost nobody uses their vehicle to full potential all the time, yet people still want high performance. It is about having the ability and being able to do it, rather than doing it all the time.

[@alraguc]

A level 2 home charger is not slow. It charges about 100 miles from the time I get home until I go to bed. I have no problem with that. I only drive about 200 miles per week for my business so only charge a couple times per.week. Costs about $35 per month in electricity vs well over $200 per month for my old gas truck. Save about $2500 per year. No engine or transmission to maintain. Use one pedal driving for Regen braking. Probably won't need brakes changed for years. Just tires and windshield fluid.

[@scott8919]

And then you also got people like myself who are EV enthusiasts and are happily willing to work around the car's limitations because the tech is so fascinating.

[@farmdutymotorman]

Exactly if I had to depend on public charging, I probably wouldn’t have bought my lightning.

[@5252085]

"Tesla is still the best for range and charging" My 2024 Silverado EV would beg to differ. 800km range and charges at 375kW

[@paulrybarczyk5013]

Longest range by far, but still no Supercharger access. Tesla’s network is a game changer for the occasional long trips.

[@5252085]

@@paulrybarczyk5013 hopefully GM sends out the NACS adapter soon.

[@jefflethuman9794]

Not gonna help you charge at home. Very few DC chargers can deliver that rate. So you will be charging twice as long.

[@5252085]

​@@jefflethuman9794 charges at 80amps. More than enough for me. I agree though, really only Electrify Canada and a few PetroCanada stations have that faster charging speed. But it's still faster than tesla.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@jefflethuman9794 This is untrue. More than 50% of Electrify America and EVgo's stalls are now 350 kW capable, and they are the two largest public charging networks in North America.

[@bradcarr2962]

My Rivian R1S towed a Uhaul 6x12 closed trailer from Boston to Philly to move my son. The Rivian estimated the trailer weight at 3,500 pounds. I stopped to charge 3 times for probably 30 min each. Not a problem with the Rivian and Tesla chargers along the way. I'd say it added an hour to the trip vs a petrol truck if you don't stop for rest breaks, etc.

[@Wicked_Runs]

90 years old and things are ALREADY breaking?!?

[@Cloud30000]

To be fair, that truck was never meant to exceed 50mph. Tow a Miata at 250mph, and bad things happen as well if you hit a gust of wind.

[@GerthebearBrady.]

The lightning is still the EV truck I would choose for my needs.

[@willp.9731]

I have a 23 Lightning Platinum. 0 regrets

[@youruniquehandle2]

Just slow down a little bit. I tow a vintage camper with my Model X and driving 60 instead of 75 adds 50 miles of range. I've gone over 200 miles on a single charge and the tesla can add up to 70 miles of towing range in 10 minutes at a supercharger. Or 100 miles in 15 minutes. It's great for going on long camping trips with my family of 5, drive for 2 hours, stop to charge for 20 minutes while we eat/walk/bathroom, get back in and do it again. Pull into the campsite and plug the car into the 240 plug and we are good to go again by the morning.

[@tylergood1223]

Have you had any camp grounds unwilling to let you charge on 240v?

[@smiller225]

I agree this is the case with gas trucks too 75ish on the hwy i can see under 10 mpg sometimes stick to backroads 12 plus mpg. KZbinrs tow with evs very fast and are surprised when range drops drastically but never do towing tests at lower speeds.

[@vancity_coaster]

I bet it took some time and data for the computers to be able to adjust. That’s a neat feature.

[@charleshelvey577]

I tow a 5000lb camper over the mountains between Virginia and West Virginia. As well as to our many state parks in my area. As long as I plan properly I’m fine. The RV parks usually have 14-50 plugs to recharge it. As far as power, you can hardly tell that the trailer is attached. My old truck would get 7 mpg towing the same camper, now I can pretty much tow it for free. When I am on the mountains I typically set the gain on the trailer brakes to 0 since regen keeps me slow enough without it - the roads are so curvy that I don’t drive very fast anyway. I’ve had an excellent experience with it for the short ranges I use it. I will say that there need to be more pull-through charging stations before I would consider longer range towing like to the coast. Most charging stations would require the trailer to be detached before charging.

[@ebnhahn1993]

Great Video Andre and Tommy!!. As many already mentioned, For around town running errands, Delivery and long range home to work driving (driving an hour to work..), this truck is the way to go...

[@helinglasso3963]

My husband and I bought a new M4 in Texas. However, I didn’t want to drive it on the crazy Texas highways so we rented a U-Haul car hauler. It was fantastic! It didn’t even feel like we were towing anything at all. The max range, however, was about 120 miles in towing mode. We towed it from Texas to Oklahoma. Cannot complain one bit.

[@a1qcaguy]

Great video as always. I used your series to buy my 2021 F-150 and then a 2023 Mach e. I hope your audience understands that pre-conditioning the battery for maximum DCFC is paid option with Ford products. It is free for the first 3 years and then you have to pay for connected services.

[@usa-ev]

Hoovies battery also died and needed to be replaced under warranty shortly after that video as well.

[@henryford2736]

I have 3.0L F-150 diesel ⛽ and get around 300 miles on a tank towing 7K lb camper. Towing will just about half the range. It doesn't matter if it's diesel or electric ⚡

[@Longsnowsm]

It is true. Depending on what I am pulling my range gets cut in half with my Cummins. Of course we have a lot more energy on board to take that beating. LOL

[@darpompie4354]

It makes sense. Energy doesn't just magically appear because you are using something different. If you are trying to move twice the weight (truck + trailer) you are going to use twice the energy, hence, your range gets cut in half. The problem here isn't the towing or the range, it's the infrastructure and the time it takes to charge. If I needed my lightning for long distance towing (which I don't or I wouldn't have bought it) I would be perfectly fine with 180 miles of towing range as long as I could charge back to full in under 10 minutes. Right now that is not a possibility, but in 5 or 10 years, I could easily see it. At that point, it would be a no brainer to get an EV for all use cases.

[@gregandersen8475]

I love the part where they are driving on the bumpy part the highway around 8:35, the truck complains and Andre just naturally clicks the okay button with his thumb. Based on the bit of towing I've done with my lightning, the bumps may have caused the tongue weight sensor to complain. I'm not a Ford engineer but I would have skipped the trailer weight scales and spent more on tow cooling and a beefier hitch. The power is there to tow A LOT.

[@thestrange_1]

As nice as EVs are, they don't do well as trucks if you're towing more than a couple hundred miles in a day. I think the best EV type for towing is one with a range extender setup. Build the truck with an EV-only range of around 100 miles, with a range extending generator that can provide full power to keep the battery charged at an operating level, and that will suit pretty much everyone's needs. That 100 miles is more than most people would use daily, so you're operating as a full EV for the majority of the time while only needing to charge at home over night. But if you need to go further in a day, or need to tow more than 50 miles, you can use gas stations instead of charge points to go the distance, saving you a whole lot of time on your trip while never needing to uncouple your trailer. You'll lose the frunk, but it's the best option if you plan to tow, or routinely drive long distances.

[@spenceralridge4958]

Exactly. It all goes back to identifying your use case.

[@toyotaprius79]

Nikki Gordon Bloomfield of Transport Evolved said that (paraphrasing Ford) that F150 Lightning owners drive more truck duty miles than any other current-generation gas or diesel Ford F150....

[@usa-ev]

Neat!

[@TonyBasuro]

I find it Troublesome that they know that.

[@PraiseYAyoupeople]

Its simple, if you tow long distance, don't by EV truck, if you tow around town go ahead and buy one and make sure you can charge at home, that goes for any EV

[@AverageOverlander]

As a previous owner of a Platinum Lightning EV for two years, I have to say this has to be one of Ford’s biggest mistakes. Between the lackluster range while towing and being extremely overpriced at launch (prices have since dropped), this truck did not meet my expectations. I took a large loss when I sold this sadly since nobody wanted it based on the negative press it received.

[@ranig2848]

Less than 4% of truck owners never tow long range and even those do it seldomly with 94% of miles done not towing or towing short range. EV trucks are AMAZING for everyday and non long range towing and as their prices will come down, more and more people will transition to them.

[@chrislodholm7034]

It is not 50% reduction in fuel to tow in a gas truck, more like 30% in my 5.0 f150, plus I get 700 miles to a tank empty!!!

[@nicholassmith4154]

My 21 F150 shows 700 to 720 miles when I fill it up. Realistically, I can only get around 580ish. If im towing our travel trailer, I get around 350 miles. Same travel trailer with the standard range Lightning I get 115 miles per full charge.

[@nvennard]

You didn't mention how much charge was left in the battery at the end of the video so going off the shot of the dash where you said the charge remaining was 63% and you had travelled 64.6 miles the range should be (64.6/(100-63)) x 100 = 175.6. I suspect the truck has adjusted the range to the second part of your drive where you were using more power. I have a 2010 F-150 and when towing my 7000lb travel trailer expect to lose about half my range. As was mentioned in the video, I think the Lightning (or other EV trucks) work well if you can charge every night at home but won't work for a long distance tow. Has anyone found a public charger where you can charge without unhooking?

[@ronniebeaty4730]

Tyler done another video later after he sold his lightning and said he must have gotten a bad battery from the factory because the car lot it was sold to had to have the battery replaced as it went dead sitting on the lot and wouldn't recharge

[@Dankcatvacs]

thatsa shit battery quality

[@rickdykstra4518]

Speaking of Model A, these new EV vehicles are the current Model Ts. This is just the beginning and the advancements will come much faster than they did with the original Model Ts:).

[@StuartBreland]

Ford needs to design it in a way to allow regen braking from the trailer and if the trailer has it's own on board batteries to pull from it too.

[@evahsia]

It already gets regenerated power from the trailer if you don't activate the trailer brakes during minimum braking. (Or like in my case, my boat trailer doesn't have electric brakes.) The weight of the trailer is added to the regeneration load. More power to get up to speed, more power regenerated while slowing down.

[@Trashed20659]

Not intended to be a long range hauler, and Ford never tried to pretend it was. But for local service vehicles, it save gas, saves maintenance, and saves the need to carry a generator to power your tools (which have their own gas and maintenance needs). Local contractors have fleets of them and love them for those reasons. If I was local contractor, it's just what I's want. When you DO tow, you immediately see the advantage of electric drive... it's like you aren't even towing anything, based on the description most often given by those who have. That's because there are no gears to shift through, so it's like 1st gear goes up to 100 miles an hour. Chevy's new Silverado EV has the extra batteries, but of course that adds cost and weight, so if you don't need them you buy the Lightning.

[@iissac22]

Petrol vehicles have been around longer and still have some of the hugest recalls. Give ev vehciles the same amount of time and test.

[@Gnosticware]

EV's have been around for longer than a decade, I've had my Bolt seven years, how long do you need?

[@philgriffiths4713]

​@Gnosticware 10 years is very little time. If you looked at the tech 5 to 10 years ago vs the last 5 years there have been significant improvements on tech, range, ect. Give it another 5 years. Also. The silverado ev rst towing 9,000 lbs can go 230 miles vs this test at under 6,000lbs went 62 miles and maybe it would get to 140 but likely 130 or less. So things are on the right track.

[@iissac22]

@@Gnosticware I don’t need time, they do. Why do petrol vehicles still have the largest recalls after 30+ years. Engine and transmission failures, with huge repair bills. Nothing has become more efficient or cheaper with petrol vehicles after all these years. They are more expensive, now that they are considered rare.

[@thesandman775]

​@@iissac22 Did it ever occur to you that the volume of ICE powered vehicles sold is many orders of magnitude above EVs? Clearly it hasn't. Recall frequency tells one nothing about the viability of towing with an EV, which is what this was actually about. Not sure why you keep rambling about recalls.

[@iissac22]

@@thesandman775 maybe if you payed attention to what the rant was about instead of posting your nonsense you would understand. Expecting an ev to compete and dominate so early with Dino machines who still fail in huge numbers is stupid.

[@mikek5298]

By now we ALL know 1). That towing is "effortless" because of the power; 2). It's a GREAT tow vehicle (because it weighs more than the towed trailer+ vehicle). When are the KZbinrs going to move beyond the "how does it tow" question that has been answered a hundred thousand times for every EV.

I'm not into buying an EV. But, I still want to keep myself informed as to their improvements in range and charging. As well as the improvements in the vehicles themselves.

[@SpicyEvo]

That’s why I went middle ground. I like the tech. I got the rav4 prime and it works great for me going back and forth to work. I fill up once a month or every 500 miles

[@mattmortensen8492]

Statistly I tow more than 95% of 1/2 ton pickup owners do with my standard range XLT Lightning. Bottom line this truck, even the standard range meets the towing needs of over 99% of 1/2 ton truck owners. The Lightning automatically halves the range on the gom when you first plug a trailer into it and enter the dynamics, then over time, a long time and several hundred miles it adjust the range based on actual consumption with that particular trailer. In my experience it is almost always pessimistic and the range prediction will grow with time. Ps. I regularly tow a full heated hot tub and heat it off of the pro power on board. I have done this on 500 mile trips. Now that we have acsess to the NACS charging is fast and available everywhere. It also must be noted that when towing an RV or a cab over camper campground 50 amp services recharge the entire battery overnight and keep everything in the coach running.

[@lowtech_1]

Where are these tow Statistics? I hear this all the time. Be Interested to see.

[@mattmortensen8492]

@@lowtech_1ford did internal surveys of f150 drivers during the years preceding and up to production, they found that 75% of respondents towed less than 1 time a year, those that did tow more towed on average less than 30 miles. Go to any state park in your state and look at the license plates on the RVs and trailers, it’s like 99% local. Look at the big rigs in Yellowstone or other big national parks. they are almost all super duty or HD 3/4 ton and above.

[@jonascampelo871]

Impressive! When you guys stoped on the red sign there were six cars in front of you and five were Subarus.

[@Ruby5point0]

I built that truck. Love seeing them being used

[@bruceklassen8261]

Exciting video, but Ford is trying to improve things, and it will only continue to improve

[@jeff96762]

You should note that its all about weight and wind resistance for electric or gas. When you tow with a gas truck I bet you cut the mileage rating in half and not one complains. Sure when you tow a trailer that is almost the same weight and wind resistance then the mileage should cut in half because you are propelling twice as much. But the power is so much better! That's why you don't feel the load as much. Performance is great!!

[@digger450r]

Uhaul needs to develop a range extender generator they can rent out for people doing the occasional long tow

[@roydelpozo4816]

You can buy a level 2 capable generator at harbor freight for less than 1k . It will eat gas and be inefficient but it will charge you .

[@roydelpozo4816]

More than 1k unless on special

[@digger450r]

@@roydelpozo4816 I'm aware. I think the issue is getting the truck to take a charge while driving, so that it's actually a range extender and not just a portable charger

[@roydelpozo4816]

@@digger450r sorry that won’t happen . First … it would be slower than the power you’re using . You would need a 100kw generator to power you on the move and that would be untowable by the truck . Your answer should be the new ram erange . Built in 3.6 liter engine to act as generator If you towed long enough and often enough to have the two powertrain costs and weight associated. I tow less than 100 miles so for me it’s perfect. I slow down too 55 miles an hour and I’m able to get over 140 miles of towing range. It’s slow and gross, but it works. For any long range trips that I might have to do. I have kept my 2003 Dodge ram common rail diesel. It lives in the barn, barely used, but it’s there when it’s needed.

[@digger450r]

@@roydelpozo4816 well remember, I'm talking range extender, not series hybrid. Also my thought is aiming at the large percent of 1/2 ton pickup owners that rarely tow, and do a long tow maybe once per year. It's not worth it to have the full genset 100% of the time if you almost never use it. Honestly I think the ram charger is gonna be a big flop. I bet it's gonna be as much or more than a 2500 diesel and really not get any better mpg, especially towing.

[@newscoulomb3705]

It's also worth noting that you actually leveled the trailer and distributed the load over the axle rather than creating a parachute by leaving it tilted at a 20-30 degree angle like a rube.

[@rubbinsracin6953]

Can we just get an interior in an electric vehicle that actually goes together and flows as opposed to slapping iPads on the dash and calling it premium interior?

[@darpompie4354]

All subjective. Have you been in a lightning. They are actually quite nice. I prefer Fords interior over Tesla and Rivian where you have absolutely no physical buttons and a minimalist design. But again, it's subjective, others prefer minimalist designs and hate physical buttons so they prefer those trucks. Luckily we all have choice so we don't all drive the exact same vehicle.

[@ryanwalters6184]

Lower teir dash(xlt/pro) has dash like that. Looks way better....

[@sammy60164]

I love watching Hoovie, but I think he's more of a lead foot, which probably made a difference and if I remember it correctly he did it in winter

[@patricksquires77]

TLDR - Luxury towing experience to kids day care and back. No problem.

[@NatesHomeTours]

Math aint mathin, 45 minutes on mostly highway would, you would have done a lot more that 31 miles if your were doing 70-75 mph. That trip should have been more like 25 at most 30 minutes. So you were really doing mostly slow speed which helps the range.

[@ShaneZertuche]

The way I look at it is towing with a EV is on par with gas when it comes to cost maybe even slightly more expensive on the longer 500+ mile trips. But it doesn’t compare in town everyday efficiency and cost. Which is what the truck is probably doing 95% of the time. I have a SR and if we have to stop every 100-120 miles with our trailer it’s not that bad. I got three kids under ten they don’t last much longer than 100mikes anyways😂 but to stop and charge three or even 4 times would not be bad at 20 minutes or less a charge.

[@smiller225]

My 1/2 ton 2wd f150 mpg drops from 22 to 10 mpgs when towing a 4000 pontoon boat.

[@eighty6films]

No landscapers but Caltrans is driving electric Chevys now

[@MrGodspeed182]

I have not seen a charger in my travels where I can pull in with a trailer and not block the road. Second I trailer my boat across the state, I would have to stop and charge maybe twice if I had an EV adding too my rims to my trip.

[@wagnerfamily4229]

I love the lightning and want one with the exception of the very poor towing range.

[@peiguy1982]

ER is equivalent to 15 liters more gas in energy. Really not that much of a difference and not a must have.

[@sirgardensalot]

One guy towed an airstream 5000 lbs extended range battery on the lightning and charged all the way using Tesla charging stations he made 13 stops stayed off the freeway to Florida the 1300 miles

[@brentweaver3092]

That range is perfect for me

[@mikeg03054]

Tommy - how much time do you spend on your hair in the morning? There is no way that is natural 🙂. Love the video guys !!!

[@DylanE123]

I think he slept in the F150 and they woke him up to make the video.

[@chrisballengee5746]

When will they do pull through chargers like gas stations instead of pull in.

[@Ole-JonathanJende]

First🎉 Just logged inn😊

[@AdemVessell]

Dang thought I was gonna be first with this one lol 🎉

[@benoitveronneau3538]

I would like it with a longer bed. I don't tow but I haul lot of things.

[@gregducati999]

the f150 Lightning needs to copy the BYD shark and have a range extender added, it would fix all the f150s problems

[@killer5846]

Didn't Hoovie test his in the winter? I have a memory of it being cold.

[@Apoplectic_Spock]

Ford's door-open chime is so annoying.

[@Bzzap83]

One of the top 10 things we dislike in our MachE

[@thetruthhurts6260]

was this a Lightning with the long range battery?

[@collinsimmons7156]

You need to do a group comparison with the other ev trucks, the new rivan and chev ev.

[@Stevonoles1]

What outdoor temp did Hoovie do the video in?

[@dillonh321]

It was in the winter in Kansas and if I remember correctly.

[@michaelmackey754]

I own a 2023 XLT standard battery Ford lightning I’ve had it for a few months now and I compare it to when I got my divorce from my first wife that feeling of happiness. It’s the exact same feeling I got when I bought this truck it’s like my life is starting all over again… Lol all I’ve owned my whole life or Ford super duty diesels

[@alancobbin]

Well done Ford “Good Improvement”,cheers Guys 👍😉💪

[@ClayBellBrews]

the RAM Charger is gonna eat everyone else’s lunch. I’m gonna say it will be the number 1 truck within 6 months, assuming they can ramp production.

[@jensalan]

The Ram Charger's REEV hybrid solution is the best of all worlds. I just really hope they don't price themselves out of the market. If it's successful, I hope that setup makes it's way down to smaller vehicles. The BMW i3 REEV may have failed, but maybe it was just before it's time like the Chevy volt was for PHEVs.

[@l10industries]

Nah, I give a 0% chance Stellantis doesn't screw it up somehow.

[@irawatson2006]

If Chrysler survives long enough for it to be put into production

[@ClayBellBrews]

@@irawatson2006 Chrysler died years ago, Stellantis owns their brands and IP. RAM is an American made Chinese product. As are Jeep, and the other models.

[@ClayBellBrews]

@@l10industries I would normally disagree; They make the nicest full size truck and they generally just don’t miss on quality. But given the abysmal failures of the Lightning and Cybertruck, I’m not super optimistic. IF however there are no functional issues and it can tow even 1/3 of its total range, it will crush every other truck out there until you get to the 1 ton market.

[@SpicyEvo]

No lies detected. Gas is just as horrible just quicker to fill. 14 mpg in the Yukon normally 7 when towing

[@jamesbyington2101]

Range is why HD trucks won't change substantially for at least the next decade.

[@Longsnowsm]

I think they are talking we will start to see first gen HD/SD trucks in 2027. They will need some sort of range extenders on board. I know they are actively working the problem. I see some pushing the idea they may use hydrogen, but that would be a poor choice since there is zero infrastructure for that. I guess we will see soon enough.

[@ChicagoBob123]

Yes towing with the lightning is hard since charging is slow. Silverado charges fast and tows.

[@dmegahan]

But who is long distance towing? Most people who buy this for work and towing are doing it around town where it gets the best mileage. Charge slow and at your house and save money.

[@TheDrewPeters]

Exactly! No body is using these as a road trip while pulling a trailer

[@ChicagoBob123]

@@dmegahan trucks are Swiss army knives. Trucks get used for everything including RV towing. Even doing multiple trips to the same place makes the short range an issue. Cold also drops range by 20 to 30%. So there is issues and I would by one if they weren't so expensive because they do what I need and I love the lack of maintenance

[@jeffs2809]

And Chevy starts at ~$80k??? While the Ford (xlt) starts at ~$63k. In any case, I wouldn’t be buying either one for those prices, considering their value to ME.

[@danharold3087]

@@jeffs2809 Rrealize that without them we will not see future trucks with better prices and ranges.

[@ClayBellBrews]

I think it’s cute but realistically the only towing that matters is RV towing. The whole point of having an electric truck is to have a daily driver that is cheap to use, that can also tow.

[@rusticroads]

The only towing that matters is the towing the each buyer/owner does. Your priority is RV towing but mine might be hauling a covered trailer with work tools daily. The nice thing about trucks is they can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Know your usage and buy the best truck for that purpose. Videos like this help people make that decision for themselves.

[@gdub350]

Long haul truckers are just wanna be’s compared to the retired senior citizen on vacation.

[@gregbarhorst3986]

Extended warranty companies are crooked af.

[@SpicyEvo]

Wonder what someone in lightning owners Facebook page did wrong. Someone said they got 56 miles towing a 7000 lb boat

[@LeesChannel]

Maybe they were towing it up Machu Picchu

[@LX450_Adventure]

I would blur out that fordpass login ASAP. I won't timestamp it but it is as clear as day.

[@Jay-me7gw]

Whats the difference between a 2025 and a 2022? Havent we done this before?

[@agentcarder]

2025 has heat pump and can’t charge at 80 amps AC anymore, but none of that matters in this test.

[@hbr6192]

I have lightning. I have charging problem. So I call local dealer they ask did you bought the vehicle with us I sad no you didn’t have the one I wanted. They said no service for you. We only service our vehicle. Think twice before buying ford. I do love my lightning but service in not great

[@Dankcatvacs]

so much for not needing differentials and a transmission

[@andrewmutavi590]

So the Silverado should tow the same load at least 300miles

[@killermobiledetailing2795]

You guys need to do one with just payload on it only 1000 pounds in the water tank the gas 75 mpg with and without u be surprised on all trucks how they loose mpg by -4-5 mpg a gallon as a detailer I carry over 1000 pounds of payload every day driving freeway in street and I have driven with and without weight do you get more sagging in the back but you also lose a bit of MPG would be interesting to see on electric truck I never got an electric truck because of that I drive 100 miles back-and-forth sometimes 200 miles. I’d be losing way too much time to charge that thing every day.

[@agentcarder]

Payload doesn’t seem to really matter. I put my atv almost 1,000 pounds in the bed and get 2 miles a kilowatt hours still, basically 200 miles from full charge on standard range battery

[@peiguy1982]

SR = 44.5 liter gas tank in energy. ER = 59.5 liters.

[@aaronw8606]

Umm... your math is a bit off. There's 8.9kwh of energy per liter of gas. The SR has a 98kwh battery and the ER has 131kwh. SR = 11 liter (2.9 gallon) gas tank in energy ER = 14.7 liter (3.9 gallon) gas tank in energy

[@peiguy1982]

@@aaronw8606 Did you forget about thermal efficiency of ICE? 75 percent of the energy is wasted as heat. Why in the F do people do those calculations assuming 100 percent thermal efficiency, which is an impossible number. Most gas are 25 percent for kinetic. No my calculations are right and a whole shit ton of irrational people have it wrong (Including TFL). Diesel is closer to 40 percent for some, not all.

[@aaronw8606]

@@peiguy1982 No, I didn't forget about thermal efficiency, because it doesn't matter in the context of what you presented. If your goal was to try and show how much fuel an ICE would need to travel the same distance based on an arbitrary MPG number, then you failed. What you presented was stored energy equivalency and that's what I replied to, because the numbers you gave were wrong. And besides that, what does the thermal efficiency of a given propulsion system have to do with the capacity of a fuel storage unit. If I swap 1% efficient ICE for a 50% efficient one, my 100 liter gas tank is still going to be 100 liters. Thermal efficiency has nothing to do with energy storage, only energy use.

[@peiguy1982]

@@aaronw8606 All gas engines are between 20 to 30 percent thermally efficient. ALL of them. Diesels 40% and higher. So simple to calculated. EVs very little wasted heat to kinetic energy.

[@aaronw8606]

@peiguy1982 Then do it. Show me the math that supports your original post. Because you're right, it's very easy to calculate the potential energy equivalency between a battery pack and gas/diesel tank. And, once again, thermal efficiency of a propulsion system has no effect on the capacity of an energy storage system. Remember, your original post was about energy storage equivalency...not the thermal efficiency between ICE and electric.

[@badtoro]

That trailer weighs more than the old ford

[@CucvDetroitM1028A1]

1/2 tons aren’t built to tow especially Ev’s. Let’s see an ev last 40 years with mostly original parts. I own a 84 Chevy army truck and it still has 85% of its original parts when it rolled off the assembly line back in 1983. Electric cars are a joke for a problem we don’t have. And their ad about "extended warranties" are a joke. They don’t cover anything. They do everything they can do to not have to pay for it. They make you wait months for them to figure out if they are going to pay for it or not and 99% of the time they don’t cover it. This is just government sponsored ev propaganda

[@kidamere2408]

Lol yeah no other manufacturers ever try get out of warranty work

[@themechanic9226]

The Mulroney sticker has a user ID and a password on it - hope you changed that password! 😆

[@ottf24]

looks like a bunch of bucking from the trailer load??

[@getlosttoday4045]

Sorry nothing is compares to the kick down of a V8.

[@danharold3087]

Maybe TFLEV needs to start testing tires. The CyberTrucks with Pirelli Scorpion all-season tires have picked up about 52 miles of range over the all terrain tires the truck was originally shipped with. 370 miles give or take a bit depending on driving style of course. A fellow reported 377 to Torque news.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Range is a tricky thing to factor sometimes. I'm sure the Pirelli tires are more efficient than the Goodyear tires, but a 15% increase in range is likely only possible under low-speed, low-load driving. At highway speeds while towing a trailer, the static losses from rolling resistance would likely result in a much smaller range difference. Also, the odometer/speedometer need to be updated to match the OD of the tires, which Tesla doesn't always do, and that can give false readings when calculating efficiency.

[@danharold3087]

@@newscoulomb3705 Exactly This is why we need to see some testing.

[@nolanmartin3640]

I think Ford had too much confidence in American common sense. If you tow a trailer that weighs the same as your truck and then possibly add more wind drag, no duh! Its gonna cut your range in half or more. Ford did it right, proved that electric is not practical besides city driving, Proved something to Tesla about timing. And made the most practical EV truck

[@3rdpig]

Cost of the Truck? Resale value after 10 years? Replacement battery cost? How much does does extreme heat like living in the desert cut the battery's overall lifespan? My fear is that in 10 years and 100k miles EV's are going to be basically worthless because the battery will no longer hold a charge and replacement will cost more than the vehicle is worth. And in 10 years battery technology will probably have advanced to the point where the older tech EV will either be unsaleable or sold for pennies.

[@BumbleBeeJBG]

Yeah so some of your fears are valid but they're also not as bad as they seemed for several reasons. First off the cost off the trucks are actually pretty low right now, you can get them cheaper than equivalent spec'd Powerboosts. I don't expect that to remain true for long though once Ford clears older inventory their cut production numbers take effect. As for battery replacement, longevity and value I can't sit here and BS and tell you I know exactly how it will look for replacement cost but the battery in your truck doesn't drop to $0. In fact, it retains much of its value even when you can't use it in your vehicle anymore. Old car (and especially large truck) batteries are being recycled for grid energy storage, home battery backup solutions, etc and that market is only just being born. Beyond that the minerals have high value for recycling. Where this all nets out is unknown and there's going to be a cost associated with replacement in year 13-17 of a truck's life. You can go on eBay and see these modules being sold right now on any EV from wrecks. The future is now on value for used cells. As for being the in desert, that really hasn't been a problem for several years. Modern battery management systems keep the packs within a certain range with sophisticated liquid cooling systems. The days of the air cooled Nissan Leaf are over (or very near an end, they do still sell the thing). The bigger factor is charging habits, there are stupid things you can do, like charge to 100% and let it sit every day at high state of charge. The difference between that guy and the guy who only charges to 60% every day will be night and day. The TX owner vs. the Minnesota owner should be negligible differences. Some measure of range loss over that time is definitely going to occur. You should check out the "Engineering Explained" channel for this stuff. He does a great job breaking it down in a unbiased way. Electric vehicles can stack up really well for a lot of consumers even if it's not for everyone.

[@mikecarter2737]

TFL guaranteed not to mention pollution, the primary reason electric trucks are produced!

[@MichaelCourtney-q9z]

Janelle Circles

[@gregc9220]

With the push for electric vehicles how does a middle class American that needs a truck afford these prices? Before someone says it I know the used market will be cheaper, everyone deserves to buy a new vehicle if he or she wants and not have to buy a hand me down of someone else's problem, other words when this electric truck is 5 years old out of warranty and now only cost $40k the person buying it better hope it doesn't break because the repair cost would be outrageous.

[@chiplangowski3298]

Nobody "deserves" anything. You get what you work for and pay for yourself.

[@gregc9220]

@@chiplangowski3298 exactly! A guy or gal busting their ass 5 days week or more deserves to be able to buy a new vehicle and not a used vehicle, not every job pays over a $100k a year, the average working American income for middle class American is only around $50k a year, how does that person that hauls the lumber to build your house, bails the hay to feed the beef that's on your table each night or plants and harvest the soil beans pay for new truck prices?

[@jeffs2809]

@@gregc9220I think you have no idea how much farming costs, I can assure you that farmers are very accustomed to buying used. Just for fyi, a new harvester (aka combine) can easily be over $400k for the machine without the header (the front section that cuts & initially collects the grains). Add another $100k+ to the price,(actually $200k) because you’ll need one of corn and another for other grains (wheat, beans, etc). This is all for a piece of equipment that’s used a couple months a year. This is not even touching on tillage, fertilizing, planting, weed & pest control, crop storage or transportation.

[@AkioWasRight]

@@chiplangowski3298 People work, but inflation and regulation devalues the work people put in. It's like swimming upstream with a damn in the way.

[@gregc9220]

@@jeffs2809 dude I am a small farmer trust me I know, I'm about to buy a tractor New Holland TS6 cab $80k I have to finance it for 72 months