Is an Electric Pickup Truck A Terrible Idea? (My 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Build Thread)

Time for a little update.

I loaded my 20' enclosed trailer to the gills for the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge:

Then I filled the frunk, cab and bed with stuff:

And then I drove the whole rig 500 miles to Atlanta:

"But electric trucks can't tow."

Well, that's partially true. The F-150 tows the enclosed trailer like an absolute dream. Briefly.... Range while loaded like this was only about 120 miles. I knew this wouldn't be great, which is why I posted that "for my one or two long tows per year, I'd rent a diesel truck or borrow my mom's Expedition."

Driving from Daytona Beach to Atlanta, a distance of about 500 miles and all highway, took me 13.5 hours. Normally it's about an 8-hour tow. Yeah, the technology just isn't quite there yet for this use. I haven't made a spreadsheet to add everything up, but I think I fast charged six times plus a little top-up at a slow charger that was next to a Moe's for dinner.

So why did it take so long? Simple: Poor charging infrastructure. If you read my thread during the road trip home from Texas, you might remember that both I and the truck's computer were monitoring charger status to make sure we only stopped at fast, reliable chargers. And with nearly 300 miles of highway range, it's pretty easy to skip the broken or slow chargers and only stop at the good ones.

But with the giant trailer, I didn't have the extra range to be flexible, which meant I was constantly stopping at broken chargers, which meant charging at reduced rates which took forever. And I also couldn't be super choosy and skip the chargers without trailer parking, which meant blocking the road or unhooking the trailer (twice) to get to the cable.

So why'd I suffer through this? Because after I dropped the trailer in Atlanta, I have a two-week-long 3500-mile roadtrip hosting two classic car tours in Kentucky with the UTCC in the middle. I figured having my truck for that would be worth the slow tow to Atlanta, and really didn't want to do the tours in a rental truck or a giant Expedition. And so far, it has been worth it. Once unhooked, charging has been a non-issue. And it's either free or incredibly cheap here--I filled up for $11 on the way up, and then for free last night. Sweet! 

The evolution of charging infrastructure will be interesting to watch. As time goes on, you will get to be more choosy about where you stop on a trip like this. My sister was recently hired by a major gas station company. She is an interior designer, and part of a large growing team. They are focusing (and spending) very heavily on making their gas stations a nice place to spend a little time...

Towing is always going to be the tough use case, because it simply requires a large expenditure of energy. That energy consumed has to be replaced.

A big battery only gets you further until you have to make the first stop. Once you've used up whatever was in the battery when you started your trip, you're going to have to replace it at the same rate you're using it. Then the range/battery size determines how often you have to stop, the actual time plugged in won't really change much. Once I figured this out, our method of EV travel became more free-form. If we wanted to stop for other reasons before a programmed charging stop, no worries. The total amount of charge we needed to complete our trip didn't change, even if it meant we had to make an extra stop. 

So at that point, it's the convenience of the chargers that matters, as there's some overhead in getting off the highway, parking and getting the charger started. That overhead is the only real "cost" of a shorter range along with less freedom of choice. The overhead is similar to that of a gas stop.

Tom, you need to talk Mr. Brock into loaning you an Aerovault for magazine use. That's how you're going to cut down your energy needs on a long trip and EV towing is an excellent reason to use one.

maschinenbau, the gas station in Edwards, CO has figured this out. They've got a well-signed walkway going from the chargers into their station and a little lounge area inside. They also sell fresh fruit instead of just gas station junk food. All trying to make it a nicer place to be.

Well put, Keith.

Speaking of lighter, more aerodynamic trailers.... let's just say I'm working on it. A new trailer is well out of my budget, but Tim has a new one being built that I'm planning to borrow:

I'm finally headed home after about 2000 miles of leading Classic Motorsports Road Tours through rural Kentucky. Over those miles, I stopped to charge zero times and I spent $0 on charging. During past tours in the GTI, I would have to stop for gas daily in order to keep driving. This time, the truck was full every morning when I walked outside. Success!

Then I hit the road home through Great Smoky Mountains National park. Here's a shot from my lunch stop and charge in Cherokee, NC:

I stopped in Atlanta to grab our empty open trailer for the final leg home. After a free charge overnight at the hotel, I'm now charging at the halfway point. Range in this configuration is about 250 miles. 

I really wish I would have bought a ER

electric trucks have always been interesting, wonder how it is offroad.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

250 miles towing a flat trailer isn't bad. Most of the trailers we tow are flat and only have 900-1000 pounds on them. On the longer runs, we would need to charge to get back to town. 

Are you using an app that lists all chargers or do you have to go through each company's app? 

Looking at Charge Hub, it looks like most of the chargers near me are destination chargers. Are they still useable if you are only there to charge?

I mostly use PlugShare, which lists every charger and has great filtering tools. But more and more I'm just trusting the factory Nav system--it's actually a really good trip planner, especially when towing.

Destination chargers are really only useful for overnight charges, or for a free electric snack at a place you're going to go to anyway. For road trips, I'll only stop at 150kw+ fast chargers. Or maybe the occasional medium-speed level 3 (50-100kw) if it's near a restaurant I want to stop at. 

The PlugShare website is 100% better than ChargeHub. Nice. 

Do the current Fords have the capability of using Tesla chargers or is that still in the future? It looks like the Myrtle Beach, SC area is a charging desert if you don't have access to the Tesla charge network. 

Right now I can use Tesla level 1 and 2 (AC) chargers with a third-party adapter. And I do that fairly often--they're usually faster than the standard J1772 chargers, and there're usually more of them.

I can also use select Tesla Superchargers (level 3 DC fast charging) that have been equipped with Tesla's "Magic Dock:"

Supposedly this spring, Ford/Tesla will flip the switch to allow charging at most Superchargers with an adapter. The adapter isn't the hard part--it's just a few wires--but the authentication between the truck and the charger is what we're waiting on.

Thanks for the info!

They are getting closer to being usable every day. 

Ford!! Build me a damn long bed!!! Or at least a 6' bed. The 5.5 is too short. 

I thought I'd never be able to live with a short bed, but the frunk solves that problem and then some. Everybody's use case is different, but in my case the frunk swallows up all of the smaller/more delicate stuff, which leaves the bed free for the rest. I haven't missed my 6 3/4' bed yet. 

In reply to Tom Suddard :

The frunk will be awesome for tools and such. The problem is the 6' ladder that all of my trucks carry in the bed and the 84" and 96" tall door panels we haul regularly. Not to mention the 10' headers and such. I don't run ladder racks on my truck now because they are worth 2-3 mpg on a gas truck. Loaded with ladders and materials they can cut economy by 20-25%. Anything less than 6' is a nonstarter and I really need an 8' bed.

Even Chevy screwed this up. They built a 5'11" bed. Is one lousy inch too much to ask for? 

Toyman! said:

-Is one lousy inch too much to ask for? 

This made me giggle. 

I don't use my little truck for truck things often, so I don't need the standard 8' bed; for a legitimate work truck on the other hand, it's basically a requirement.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

And one more note: After parking the truck in my driveway with an empty tank at 10pm, I walked outside the next morning to run errands and it was full. I still don't understand why this feature isn't front and center in every single EV commercial.

Oh,  I've been saying for years that's the #1 reason I want an EV. 

The idea of using the truck to boondock-power a small RV trailer is pretty cool. 

I'm sure in 10 years the normal use of EVs will change quite a bit. 

Tom, I'm really excited that you went ahead and got this truck.  There's so much hand-wringing about how an EV truck might fit into this hobby, and I'm glad you're addressing the question.

And now I totally want one.  Give it a couple years.  Get the girls thru college.  Let the supply chain smooth out.

Tom Suddard said:

 

 I really enjoy these 'welp, I need to charge and I'd rather not be blocking a lane of travel!' pictures.

I'm glad somebody noticed! Towing with an EV definitely increases the parking etiquette challenge, but usually I can figure something out.

And Scott, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

 Full disclosure: I pitched this story to Ford and asked for a long-term Lightning loaner to explore how it would fit into the hobby. They politely said no, I think at least in part because they weren't sure if it would work, either. That was just more motivation to buy one.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Could you snap a pic of your dashboard?  You'd mentioned the XLT has more buttons and knobs than other trims.  I'm curious what yours looks like.

I appreciate buttons and knobs too.

Edit: Used the comparison feature on the Ford website:

I definitely prefer the XLT dash.

Technically this is Lightning content, right? New Miata engine is headed home!

In reply to Tom Suddard :

That seems a little wide for a Miata engine. 

In reply to Toyman! :

His Miata sounds weird too.

I really need to stay off Facebook Marketplace.... tested the Lightning's weight capacity this morning!

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Surface Grinder on the right? 

Something heavy and shrink-wrapped on the left?