1 Month Ownership Observations and Impressions

[wwise]

Hello Fellow Lightning Fans! I wanted to share my 1st impressions after exactly 1 month behind the wheel. 2022 Lariat with Extended Range battery in Antimatter Blue. Love the color. Many compliments. Fits the Lightning perfectly in my opinion. My driving is all local at this time so only charging at home. My house is older and my electrical system would not support the 100 amp breaker needed for the 80 amp Pro Charger. I had an electrician install a 50 amp breaker and a 14-50 Nema Plug in my garage. I use the Portable Charger that came initially with the truck with the 14-50 Nema plug to charge it. I sold the Pro-Charger shipped from Sunrun on Ebay which paid for most of my electric install in my garage. So far so good for my needs. Now on to the truck. I was nervous I will admit. Never owned an EV before. My previous vehicle was a 2021 F-150 King Ranch that I traded in on the Lightning. It was a great truck. But WOW. This Lightning is a game changer. To be honest the main reason for my interest and order and purchase was the amazing performance and handling. The instant and linear acceleration is incredible. But what I have enjoyed just as much is how smooth and quiet it is. The coil spring rear suspension is excellent at smoothing out the bumps. This is a VERY refined truck and a joy to drive. And...By the way...The Sound System is INCREDIBLE! I am a big Michelin fan but the General Grabber HTS tires have been excellent so far. I run 45 PSI and they are quiet with no hydroplaning. Tread life to be determined. I use the 1 pedal drive mode only. Took me only 30 min to get used to it and it is amazing and maximizes the regenerative braking. I have used the Hands Free Blue cruise on I-45 and it takes a little getting used to but very interesting feature to have. I will at some point in the near future take a drive to Ft Walton Beach Florida on I-10 utilizing Electrify America Fast Chargers and will give an update on that experience. After 1 month with the Lightning I am very impressed. Still learning some of the technology...Old school 69 years old here. But like I said before...This truck in my opinion is a game changer. I feel very fortunate that I was able to get one for MSRP thanks to my very reputable local Ford store. Kudos to them for not ripping their customers off as so many others have reported. Best Wishes Fellow Lightning Owners and Potential Owners! Thanks, Walt

 

[ICED Lightning]

I can attest to it's true value, smooth driving, powerful electrical tools, and it's ease of ownership. I've not stopped at a gas station since. Well, except to pull up next to my wife's car to fill her up.... oh well. They had a McDonalds, too, so the stop was worth it : ) 6,000+ miles later.

I keep a mini fridge in the back seat area. I have a 20amp extension cord plugged in to the rear bed outlet and snaked down thru the tailgate and the tow hitch to provide power to my camper, WHILE towing. I power my home, if needed. I drove mostly in SPORT mode, with it's regenerative 'slowing' that makes the most sense for my driving style - I hardly ever use any 'physical' brakes. As an insurance agent, right now in the midst of the middle of 'Medicare season', I stop at my customer's homes throughout the day - the truck is NEVER turned 'off', it simply waits for my return. There is no such thing as idling. There is no exhaust pipe, muffler, or even 'gas tank', not to mention neither an engine, transmission, clutch, gears, rear end, or oil pan.

My future grandchildren will wonder 'why' us old people EVER put some flammable fuel in a vehicle just to be able to drive it! Crazy old folks!

 

[ICED Lightning]

I've met men who are excited to see such a machine - they've been 'wondering' how all this will work.
I've met men who shrug off any discussion of such a new 'machine', as they doubt it will ever work.

 

[MarkC]

Hello Fellow Lightning Fans! I wanted to share my 1st impressions after exactly 1 month behind the wheel. 2022 Lariat with Extended Range battery in Antimatter Blue. Love the color. Many compliments. Fits the Lightning perfectly in my opinion. My driving is all local at this time so only charging at home. My house is older and my electrical system would not support the 100 amp breaker needed for the 80 amp Pro Charger. I had an electrician install a 50 amp breaker and a 14-50 Nema Plug in my garage. I use the Portable Charger that came initially with the truck with the 14-50 Nema plug to charge it. I sold the Pro-Charger shipped from Sunrun on Ebay which paid for most of my electric install in my garage. So far so good for my needs. Now on to the truck. I was nervous I will admit. Never owned an EV before. My previous vehicle was a 2021 F-150 King Ranch that I traded in on the Lightning. It was a great truck. But WOW. This Lightning is a game changer. To be honest the main reason for my interest and order and purchase was the amazing performance and handling. The instant and linear acceleration is incredible. But what I have enjoyed just as much is how smooth and quiet it is. The coil spring rear suspension is excellent at smoothing out the bumps. This is a VERY refined truck and a joy to drive. And...By the way...The Sound System is INCREDIBLE! I am a big Michelin fan but the General Grabber HTS tires have been excellent so far. I run 45 PSI and they are quiet with no hydroplaning. Tread life to be determined. I use the 1 pedal drive mode only. Took me only 30 min to get used to it and it is amazing and maximizes the regenerative braking. I have used the Hands Free Blue cruise on I-45 and it takes a little getting used to but very interesting feature to have. I will at some point in the near future take a drive to Ft Walton Beach Florida on I-10 utilizing Electrify America Fast Chargers and will give an update on that experience. After 1 month with the Lightning I am very impressed. Still learning some of the technology...Old school 69 years old here. But like I said before...This truck in my opinion is a game changer. I feel very fortunate that I was able to get one for MSRP thanks to my very reputable local Ford store. Kudos to them for not ripping their customers off as so many others have reported. Best Wishes Fellow Lightning Owners and Potential Owners! Thanks, Walt

I'd be interested in the range capabilities under various conditions. Appears running 45 psi in the tires consistently maximizes that variable. In town vrs on the road is a huge variable with my EV. Assume it is similar in the truck. Highway speed with such a large vehicle likely has a great impact on miles per kwh. Is that something that you have some data on under various conditions? For point of reference, my EV gets over 4 miles per kwh in town (usually 4.3 or so), but drops to 3.5 to 3.9 on the highway and that's limiting my speed to 65 mph. Air conditioning and heat also plays into this, but being in a mild climate, it's not something I monitor.
I'm going to sell my current EV and buy either the Lightning or the Silverado - probably in the next few months. Just trying to understand the limitations!

 

[wwise]

4 months of ownership now. Winter time in Texas has all of the extremes weather wise. I have averaged 2.3 to 2.5 miles per kwh overall. On the highway I set the Blue Cruise at 68 mph. I use 1 pedal drive mode exclusively. I pre-condition the batteries/truck before departure especially when it is cold. As stated previously I keep the tires at 45 psi. I have a BakFlip folding Bed Cover that I think helps with aerodynamics which mean a lot in an EV. The interface with the Ford App on my phone for charging and vehicle info and Ford "Power Up" software updates has been excellent so far. And the performance and ride quality is amazing. My take on the Silverado is wait and see. I thought the GMC version was a MUCH better looking truck. The Silverado looks like a smaller version of the previously produced Avalanche. If you can buy an F-150 Lightning Lariat ER for MSRP I think you would be very pleased. Amazing truck in my opinion. Thanks, Walt

 

[MarkC]

Thanks Walt for the good inputs. As we have essentially the same location - and your highway speeds are very similar to my limits, it's very relevant information for my considerations. I have noticed that this recent cold snap has reduced my around Sugar Land driving to around 3.3 to 3.5 miles/kWh - just to heat the cabin up for short trips. Out of curiosity, do you have an idea of mainly in-town driving in mild weather - with little A/C or heat required? OTOH, I drive 100 miles to a rural cabin quite often and must be able to go the full 200 miles without charging even during cold, wet, windy weather. Some of the YouTube videos are showing huge reductions in miles/kWh in cold weather with head winds. But it is internet information with many "grains of salt".
I've been "conditioning" my kids and grandkids to the benefits of EVs and my daughter bought a Tesla. HOWEVER, there are so many limitations to consider, that they are definitely not for everyone as currently deployed (considering Texas limited rural charging also). Having said that, having one EV that can haul my dirt bike to local tracks, get rid of my old Suburban AND backup my home power in an emergency is crazy attractive.

 

[wwise]

Hey Mark. You are welcome. In town driving in nice weather will obviously give the best range. 2.5/kwh maybe 2.6. You mentioned a 200 mi round trip. I would be confident my Lightning Lariat ER could do that in any weather conditions. A Lariat SR? I would not be so confident. Hope that helps. If you decide to purchase a Lightning provide me your contact info as I would highly recommend my local Ford dealer. Walt

 

[Kstype]

I must agree with all the positive points made very articulately by the forum members above. I too am thrilled with my purchase and am into ownership for 1 month.

We actually did take it on it’s first long-haul the second week of January From SE Pennsylvania to West Palm Beach Florida (about 933 mi one way) and the truck and charging infrastructure down the I-95 corridor performed excellently. We did have an occasional EA charger that was finicky but never were not able to charge. We also used the BlueCruise for much of the trip and it was fantastic.

The experience got even better at home last week when my ChargeStationPro install was completed by my electrician. Being able to keep this truck at 95% capacity just by plugging in overnight is a game-changer. I also appreciate the KwH usage stats that are available for it in the FordPass app - you can see total KwH for the day/week/month/year in the Insights section (Account > Charge Station > Insights).

You can also see detailed charge logs in the Vehicle > Charging > Charge Logs section and I hope a future SW update for the app will consolidate all the “charging” information in one place. It took me a while to figure out the ChargeStationPro integration was under “Account > Charge Station” when logic would place it in the “Vehicle > Charging” section but it’s new so I’m sure they will adjust.

The driving experience is AMAZING - I never want to go back to a traditional powertrain again, this is smooth, quiet and blazingly fast!

Future plans - My electrician also installed my manual backup whole home generator system several years ago. It has a female twist-lock plug outside and a manual cut-off switch for the electric provider. To give me some flexibility he installed the same type of twistlock adapter next to the charger and will be adding a new transfer switch that will allow me to use either the 7.2 Kw ProPower onboard 240 twistlock adapter in the Truckbed or my portable 6.5 Kw generator I have been for years for my home backup power source (and he is aware of the “bonded neutral” issue with ProPower mentioned in other posts). I will update when we get that connected and tested.

 

[wwise]

Great to see another positive review of the Lightning. Especially your long-haul trek down I-95. I have not done my 1st long-haul yet. It will be from Houston to Ft Walton Beach Fl on the I-10 corridor with Electrify America stops along the way. Thanks for the vote of confidence! Regarding charging...After much research and reading many forums (which by the way have been invaluable in learning more about my truck) I would suggest you consider charging to 85% instead of 95% and not charging every night unless your range for that day requires it. Let it run down to 30/40/50% and then charge to 85%. Just a thought. There are other schools of thought on this and I would welcome any and all opinions. I think you summed up the driving experience perfectly. Smooth, Quiet, and Blazingly Fast! Thanks, Walt

 

[frunk]

I have read that Ford has it fixed to when the truck says 100% charged it is really only 90% charged to protect the battery life. So I will be charging to 90% at home and letting it get down to 50 t0 70 miles before i recharge. If i go on long trips I will only charge at a charging station enough to get home. That makes it cheaper and saves on battery life. Most motel if you valet park they will plug it in for you free

 

[jbart27523]

what great commenets. I have one issue. I have a 25' Grady White boat. Dual axle trailer. 300 HP outboard. Boat etc probably weights 6K pounds. I don't think i could get 100 miles out of batteries. I have 2018 F150 King Ranch. I built a new F350 for about the same price as electric. I am gonna have to wait and see about a truck. I do like sedans that are being offered and some of the new SUV's are cool. Good luck.

 

[Rolokid]

I can attest to it's true value, smooth driving, powerful electrical tools, and it's ease of ownership. I've not stopped at a gas station since. Well, except to pull up next to my wife's car to fill her up.... oh well. They had a McDonalds, too, so the stop was worth it : ) 6,000+ miles later.

I keep a mini fridge in the back seat area. I have a 20amp extension cord plugged in to the rear bed outlet and snaked down thru the tailgate and the tow hitch to provide power to my camper, WHILE towing. I power my home, if needed. I drove mostly in SPORT mode, with it's regenerative 'slowing' that makes the most sense for my driving style - I hardly ever use any 'physical' brakes. As an insurance agent, right now in the midst of the middle of 'Medicare season', I stop at my customer's homes throughout the day - the truck is NEVER turned 'off', it simply waits for my return. There is no such thing as idling. There is no exhaust pipe, muffler, or even 'gas tank', not to mention neither an engine, transmission, clutch, gears, rear end, or oil pan.

My future grandchildren will wonder 'why' us old people EVER put some flammable fuel in a vehicle just to be able to drive it! Crazy old folks!

Do you keep the mini fridge plugged in at all times?? Would that do any significant wear on the battery long term? Kinda wanted to do that myself but wasn't sure of the impact it would have on the battery.