I’m about to drive Ford’s first-ever all-electric F-150, and I am excited — mostly to see cool hardware and hang out with geeky engineers, but also to drive the thing. Five hundred and eighty horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque should be epic. I have many questions about this truck, and I’m sure you do, too. So hit me with them in the comments.
The Autopian’s first-ever press trip will involve me flying to Texas to drive the Ford F-150 lightning. It’s going to be cool, though I do have some concerns about what will happen to this website when it’s being 100% run by Jason Torchinsky. I’m just going to preemptively apologize for whatever happens or doesn’t happen tomorrow and Wednesday.
Anyway, let me know what questions you have about the Lightning. Do you have technical questions you’d like answered?
Are you curious about off-road performance? What questions do you have on that front?
What do you want to know about the cabin? Should I ask what this little digital dog’s name is?:
Tell me what’s on your mind re: towing:
Are there things you just MUST know about the F-150 Lightning’s ride quality?
Spill your curiosities in the comments, and I will do my best to satisfy them.
Congratulations on the first Autopian press trip!
I can rationalize and even sort of enjoy the basic road-trip, charging time-suck with EVs . . . but the extremely unappealing, TOWING charging scenarios break me and send me back to $5 diesel. So anything you get on towing will be of immense interest.
That, or if you report a clever and useful CAMPING MODE, I’ll ditch the camper forever, problem solved!
How much do I need to be worried about weight limits on forest service road bridges? What is tire wear like?
Do you honestly believe he’ll be able to gauge tire wear from a press test?
For me general use questions (in a real world not sales speak):
– Ride quality.
– Range
– Charge time (varies on type)
– Cargo rating.
– Can it do most of what we ask pick up to do, ie Dump run, Hardware store run, big item hauling.
– Tow rating.
– Is there a factory truck nutz attach point?
Is it possible to mix, set and congeal a full load of Jell-o in the frunk?
Actual range, such as if you loaded this with a half ton and drove from DFW to Shreveport and back again, how many charging stops would that take and what time per charge?
As at least another reader has asked – what happens when you get to a real farm road? If you have to do 100 miles on dirt, how does that impact your range?
Has it been designed to the same longevity standard as previous F series? 10 hours on 220 gives how many miles? How deep of a water crossing can it … ford?
How does it do on a basic USFS road? I don’t think there’s any such thing in TX, but try to find an un-bladed dirt road with some washboard and report back.
Doesn’t the F150 have the payload scale in the taillight? Where are they going to hide the external range gauge as well?
Do they have a good enough relationship with the folks in Milwaukee to bring back the Harley Davidson variant (but, you know, Livewire this time)?
How many Jeep engines can you fit in that truck bed?
Oh no, my least favorite regular “feature” from Jalop has made it over here.
I know, I know. “Just don’t click on it.” But I’ve read every article written here, there can be no exceptions.
I myself am torn on these. They don’t meet our “Entertain or Inform” standard, but they do allow for community engagement. So it’s tricky.
We’re experimenting still.
If you didn’t do them, you’d post your finished review, and the comments would be full of ‘why didn’t you test x’ ‘why didn’t you go on y type of road?’
I’m not sure what the issue is. This is user engagement at it’s highest. David is driving one of the most anticipated and potentially important vehicles of the year and wants our feedback on info he should gather. To me this is super important and shows a high level of concern for the readership. Thank you.
One of the problems with manufacturer PR and with typical reviews (which often just parrot PR) is that there is very little insight into real use case. It’s all just “I had a nice day trying out the feature list in some cool location they flew me to”. I think this kind of interactive discussion might be a good solution to that. Maybe explore that direction?
Sorry, I can’t provide an example myself because I just don’t give a shit about a giant truck, but I’m sure you’ll find some other vehicles that will capture my interest.
Also, it would be real nice to get reviews of base models for the normies here who don’t go fully loaded on vehicles. Wheels.ca does something like that with their base camp reviews.
I didn’t mind the “what do you want to know” posts, but I didn’t like how jalopnik writers would ignore the vast majority of responses. It seemed like jalopnik wanted to be viewed as valuing community engagement, but didn’t genuinely value community engagement. It was particularly frustrating for us untouchables banished to “pending approval” status; no matter what, our inquiries were never responded to (incidentally, thanks for not having an equivalent of the grays).
So if you start writing a lot of the “what do you want to know” posts, make sure you actually engage with the community by answering more than one or two inquiries. If that isn’t possible or practical, these posts are best avoided.
So what your saying is that your standards aren’t standards? That they can be tossed aside if a claim can be made for “community engagement”?
That’s more than just one step on the slippery slope to “Is this Jay Leno’s husband?” features.
We trust you. I am certain that you’ll find many things of interest for your write-ups of anything automotive even if you don’t check with us first. And I think you can trust us to provide a plethora of piñatas, err community engagement in response.
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.” – Immanuel Kant
Maybe this is something for the Instagram or the Twitters?
At any rate, I would like to know how different it feels from similar-if-not-equivalent ICE F150. Do you notice the big battery pack, etc. when braking or in the handling? Does electric insta-torque make up for it?
And how much room in the back seat with the driver’s seat all the way back. Tall dads with kids want to know.
My realistic question is “when can I get one with a standard cab and 8ft long (or more) bed.”
Beyond that, though, how does it “feel” to drive it. I drove a mach-e a while back and it felt like a video game and I kinda hated it. Even with all that torque it wasn’t engaging or fun, and the “unbridled” mode just made it even more apparent that it was all fake to me. I’m not necessarily looking for an electric truck to be my “fun car” but I realistically can’t fit more than 2 cars in my driveway comfortably at the moment, and I /really/ like my bimmer, and the SO really likes her Kia.
I want to know this too, but sadly I think the answer is “when they get around to making the fleet version of the electric Super Duty and are done selling them to people more important than we are.”
Yeah. I think that the single cab truck is going to get more and more rare. The crew cab just makes a lot of sense to anybody with a family. Even companies in construction or landscaping prefer crew cabs to lock stuff inside or transport workers to a jobsite.
Yeah, I totally get why they’re not a thing outside of work trucks nowdays, but in my opinion, a truck should be just that… A truck. The whole point should be the bed, which should be able to comfortably haul anything that I can buy in a Lowes comfortably. There’s no way you’re hauling a 14 footer in any consumer-oriented modern truck without doing something sketchy, though 🙁
I need at least an 8FT bed or a trailer to haul full sheets of plywood comfortably (E.i. without a bed extender or chipping the edges of the veneers them by ratchet strapping them in) for my shop, and I don’t have room for a trailer.
Are the EPA efficiency and range values really tested with 1,000 lbs. in the bed?
I would like to know energy use per mile at 65 and 70mph. I currently have an EV with a range of about 235 miles at 100% charge. It would be good to know how far I could travel in an F150 EV. It might be a good option for road trips with my bicycle.
I’d like to know this as well. Most of my driving is highway, about 800mi/week. But rarely more than 200/day. My wife and I have a reservation for a lightning and I’d love to know its efficiency under our conditions
Yes, 100% this. Given the aerodynamic profile, how much does range suffer if you drive faster than 55mph. I’d like to be able to take (reasonable) road trips in an EV, but highway speeds are typically 75, if not 80 or 85. How much does range suffer if you cruise at those higher paces?
How well can it ford? No, seriously, it’s electric, what’s the characteristics in flooded areas/launching boats? Does it float? (I’d hope not, honestly, but Teslas do, briefly)
>Should I ask what this little digital dog’s name is?
Yes, absolutely.
Sparky
We know it won’t be Rex, because they have no plans for an gas Range EXtender engine. Sparky is probably correct.
What size implements fit in the frunk? Will a shovel with standard-length shaft fit, how big a toolbox, that sort of thing.
You mean…where can I hide a rope, shovel, gloves and a bag of lye out of prying eyes until needed?
Now I need to know more about these aftermarket accessories.
How long does it take to charge on a standard 110 outlet? 220? Special quick charge?
What are the steps for doing that nifty trick where you can power your house (or tools or campsite or tailgate) from the truck’s batteries? How easy and how practical is it to do?
What’s the “frunk” like? If you were doing a grocery run, would you put your bags in the frunk, the bed, or the back seat?
What does it sound like?
Charging on a 120V outlet is so slow it’s utterly useless. On a 220V outlet seems to be 5% per hour. True of any EV really, although obviously the percentage is up to the size of the battery. Living with an EV on just a standard 220V is totally doable, although a smart charger would be able to schedule charging which is nice for lower electricity bills without having to go outside to plug it in at specific times.
You need this to power your home:
https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/features/ev-charging/ford-charge-station-pro/
To power individual corded devices you just plug them into the truck (frunk or bed) and activate pro power onboard from inside the truck, it has to be “running”
The frunk is my favourite feature I’ve ever experienced on a vehicle. The key fob opens it remotely so by the time you even get to the truck it’s already open, throw in your shopping and either close it with the fob, or press the hard button in the cabin. Either way it’s closed by the time you’re settled in. Definitely my preferred method of storage, since I always park a vehicle to drive forwards out of a parking space it’s much more easily accessed in a parking lot. And watching people look confused is fun.
From inside it’s dead quiet, disappointingly so tbh. Outside it makes a faint whirry electric sound
What’s the back seat like? Good enough for a family of four to use as a primary vehicle?
Would a bed cover increase the range?
Re: bed cover – I believe this has been studied on gas pickups by quite a few different groups, and I understand you should expect ~5% improvement in the drag coefficient which equates to about 2-3% improvement in fuel efficiency. It might be worth it, but I would guess the impact on range for an F150L is pretty nominal, especially if the bed cover is a hefty chunk of fiberglass.
The back seat should be the same as any F150. ie absolutely massive. If you’ve never tried one, go to a Ford Dealer. It’s amazing.
The back seats are the same as any F150, 3 big guys can fit back there so a family is no problem. As far as the cover, sometimes you can net minimal gains in efficiency but the big gain is the watertight storage. I carry a lot of tools and expensive items in my bed so being able to lock them up where its dry and [relatively] secure is important
How exactly did they implement the V2G charging capability that they go on about, and what ancillary equipment are people going to have to get to make it work in their home? Or is it a bait and switch that is going to expect you to just plug the essentials in to the power outlets and not act like a real home battery?
You need the Charge Station Pro to power your home
https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/features/ev-charging/ford-charge-station-pro/
https://electrek.co/2022/05/02/ford-f-150-lightning-electric-pickup-needs-a-4000-home-device-use-backup-power/
I’d like to understand the 4wd (or, rather, AWD) situation. I tried searching the web some this weekend, but aside from a note about “user-selectable locking rear differential”, I was curious what the situation was with the front and rear motors and getting power to the wheels.
Real world range with an empty bed and with a full bed.
Personally, I’m just looking for a WWE style deathmatch between this and the Rivian.
Wait, wait, Tailgate to tailgate deathmatch. Pickup Tug-o-War. You know you want it! Extra points if you get tank turning or drifting into it.
Doctor Nine and Watch bit are on to something here, maybe next year, when the budget is better, definitely need to buy the vehicles outright, NO corporate sponsorship, no special editions, no BS, just tail to tail competition
Will there be a Raptor version coming, or are there technical limitations to the platform/powertrain that would prevent that?
I can’t imagine it wouldn’t sell, so if they can do it I’m guessing they will.
I’d expect that on the next-gen (which is heavily in development), to rival the Hummer EV.
I’d be interested in just how much light towing saps your range. And in the ride quality and cabin noise.
How many bodies can you fit in the frunk?
This question is way too vague. What kind of bodies? Are they in one piece? Are they already in trash bags? You need to get more specific here.
How small are you willing to make the bits? A chainsaw will help, but a blender will really get you the max capacity.
Blenders aren’t strong enough to chop up bone. I’d recommend a wood chipper.
Can I get an electric wood chipper to plug into the truck?
An electric wood chipper would be the environmentally friendly option, but for best results, I would recommend a commercial-grade diesel wood chipper. To determine if the Lightning is the appropriate vehicle for body disposal, we need more details on towing capacity and range while towing. Obviously, you can’t dispose a body just anywhere, so the truck needs adequate range to deliver the bodies and wood chipper to an appropriately remote site.
So the question is, how far can a Lightning tow a 7,000 lb. diesel wood chipper?