The United States Forest Service is aiming to electrify its fleet.
Electrified Fleet
While the new Ford F-150 Lightning has proven to be an incredibly popular option for retail consumers, the EV pickup is also quickly gaining favor with commercial and government entities, too. The latest in that growing group is the United States Forest Service, which recently announced that it is testing the F-150 Lightning with the hopes that the truck will help the agency electrify its fleet in the near future.
Photos: United States Forest Service
Testing Purposes
As many are already aware, an executive order signed last year directs all government agencies to convert their entire fleets to EVs, so such a move is quite literally necessary at this point. According to Outside, that's precisely what USFS has done, securing a few Lightning pickups to determine if it's suitable for full-time duty.
Photos: Ford
Necessary Exercise
USFS currently employs a fleet of around 17,000 vehicles - which are subjected to some pretty harsh conditions, as one might imagine. Driving through remote areas with varying weather conditions - which can often be severe - is a test for any vehicle, which is precisely why such an exercise is necessary.
Photos: Ford
Trio of Testers
As of now, the three F-150 Lightning pickups in USFS's fleet are being tested at the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan, and the White Mountain National Forest along the New Hampshire-Maine border. The idea here is to not only explore the Lightning's capabilities, but also to determine how many EVs the agency will need in the future, as well as what sort of charging infrastructure they will require.
Photos: Ford
Base Models
As of right now, the F-150 Lightning is the only EV pickup available through the Government Services Administration, which handles all federal vehicle acquisitions. The three examples being tested by USFS are all base-model Pro trimmed models with the standard battery pack, giving them 230 miles of range.
Photos: Ford
Money Savings
The good news is, these trucks are only deployed during specific hours each day, then they return home to their respective USFS facilities, which means that they can be charged each night using standard 240-volt outlets. As such, USFS doesn't need to spend a ton of money installing fast charging stations.
Photos: Ford
Right Tool
"The Forest Service is embarking on an exciting study of the first-ever use of electric vehicles in a natural resources field setting," said Jason Kirchner, USFS spokesperson. "The research will determine the feasibility of electric vehicles in field-work settings, helping the agency determine the right tool for the job when it comes to electric fleet vehicles."
Photos: Ford
>>Join the conversation about the F-150 Lightning right here in the forum.
For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section of Ford-trucks.com.
