I had a mid size suv and still have the utility trailer and it's a pita to deal with when I can simply just toss it in the back of my truck. You ever try to load half a cord of firewood in the back of an suv? I have.

Now I have a truck and soon it'll be an electric one

 

there we have it, the ideal Lightning buyer: mid size SUV owner who can’t handle using a utility trailer for the occasional Home Depot trips

 

There's no applying logic to that one. Just another name on the ignore list.

 

Ford didn’t convince people they need an F-150. Most buyers want an F-150. You wouldn’t want someone to choose what you drive I would think.

I drove an edge for 4 years and towed with it, up to its tow rating. I had two kids in car seats and a GSD in the back hatch. All luggage on the bumper (this was hell on my back and knees). Got 23 mpg loaded down, all highway. Got 19 in daily driving.

I would buy an Edge EV for the wife though. But not for truck duties or travel (even empty). An F150 is a Jack of all trades. But there is likely a better tool for each job.

 

Honestly, how often do people use a truck as a truck anymore? It's a glorified station wagon. I'm not surprised by the results, tow anything with the aerodynamics of a brick, expect significant losses in range. Give it 15 years and it will get better.

 

Everybody's needs for a truck are different and today's trucks is yesterday's family car. Having said that, I believe Ford is misleading the consumer on this Lightning EV truck in that they equip this truck with a brake controller, back up assist, and a hefty tow capacity and market it for towing heavy loads but can't back it up with a decent travel distance and in this case a pathetic ~86 miles. To me this truck would be more honest if the marketing was towing is for short distances only.

 

Im not sure Ford is doing anything develish with its marketing. Maybe the towing standards needs a section that says the vehicle will tow a certain weight 150 miles before recharge or refuel or something. EVs are so new that these ratings aren’t realistic.

I wonder how far it can tow a teardrop, pop up, Hi-Lo, small boat, etc. There is a towing niche for this truck. It’s just not full height travel trailers.

 

I'm curious to know what kind of testing Ford did for towing. More aerodynamic trailers may help with range. I think people may need to drastically lower their standards when it comes to towing with the Lightning or just face the reality that it will not perform in the way a gas or diesel will at current.

Needless to say, I had a feeling the range numbers were going to suck with a trailer, I didn't know they were going to suck that badly. Hopefully in due time a more efficient battery pack will be out, but like I said that's probably 10 to 15 years.

 

Ultimately Ford got this truck out amongst the first EV trucks on the market and well ahead of any major EV truck competition. It fits the 1/2 ton car... I mean truck segment perfectly

Im real curious about the Chevrolet Silverado EV set for 2024. Its set for a maximum 20k tow rating. Im anxious to see what kind of range it will provide with 20k behind it.

 

If it's any indication of this, probably all of 75 miles

 

Well said...

 

100 years ago there were electric vehicles-Its going tot take a few more years to get the all electric truck to have a workable range.

 

This thread is a bit old, but Motor Trend has recently published an article comparing range with several different RVs. As many of us have been saying for years now, it's much more about wind resistance than it is weight when it comes to highway efficiency. My second thought was that these numbers are completely unworkable for anyone who actually travels with a travel trailer. I think the Lightning will fit a huge number of use cases, but campers will be burning gas for awhile longer.

 

First if you are a recreational vehicle owner, do not fret or worry about towing. These tests while honest, are misleading to an extent. If you need your truck to tow heavy at 10000 pounds, it has to be close in town or it just wont work right now logistically. I own a 04 f350 CCLB 6.0 4WD 6 speed manual, 2016 F150 3.5L Max Tow package and now a 2022 F150 Lightning with the Max Tow package.

You should not drive the F150 Lightning the same routes you would an ICE vehicle. For one, I would 100% avoid the interstate, and only travel on highways and byways that have red lights and obscure stop signs. The reason is that all EVs get better mileage when you stop a lot because of the regen braking! This matters even more when you are towing, and I think some tests playing with the trailer brake levels could net some pretty impressive regen braking.

Conclusion. The F150 Lightning should avoid the interstate in order to maximize your range which will decrease your overall trip time. We drive on the interstate because it maximizes fuel efficiency in ICE and maximizes the range. We have to take the same approach with EVs which is drastically different than ICE vehicles.

 

Looks like route 66 is going to get popular again.