Muddin’ in Ford F-150 Lightning EV
It’s only fitting that the last vehicle I tested in 2022 was a Ford F-150 Lightning on New Year’s Eve.
Lightning was the talk of the pickup world in 2022 as the first volume electric vehicle. Like the love child of a Tesla and F-series, Lightning strikes with instant, stealthy torque while offering a frunk the size of a Manhattan apartment. It comes with all the shortcomings of range anxiety, too. From pricing to towing to charging, Lightning helped us evolve our understanding of electric vehicles’ place in the world. Pickups are Swiss Army knives, and I had the opportunity to test the Lightning’s tools throughout the year. I drove the base $45,284 Pro model in Texas ranch country in May, then its top-drawer $94,004 Platinum edition on a road trip up north in October.
The last challenge? Off-roading. So I headed to Holly Oaks, an off-roading park, in a mid-range Avalanche White $86,199 XLT on the last day of the year.
My road trip experience taught me that Lightning is best suited for metropolitan truck duty. Charging is a chore on third-party charging networks. More significantly, Lightning drinks electrons when towing — getting just 30% of range when hauling 5,000 pounds, according to TFLTruck.com tests. That means the longrange 320-mile model may not make it the 120 miles between chargers.
In May, I described Lightning as “fast, affordable and frunk-adelic.” Scratch affordable. Ford’s base Pro went from
$39,974 to $55,974 by year’s end — a 40% price hike and about $22,000 north of its gas counterpart. My XLT tester starts at $65,269, but the long-range 320-mile battery adds $17,500 for a starting sticker of $82,769. When I headed to Holly on a cold, wet Dec. 31, I thought I might need every bit of it. Using my home 240-volt charger, I filled the Lightning XLT to 316 miles overnight, then headed out for morning exercise at my athletic club. A 7-mile round trip later and my range indicated 290 miles. What? The range suck would continue on my 34-mile trip to Holly Oaks. At 75 mph in the rain, I took 67 miles off the battery.
The Lightning has a ridiculous standard 775 pound-feet of torque (horsepower increases to 580 from 452 with the extended battery), and driving is effortless. The Ford overtook on the highway like, well, L lightning — ZOT! — with a jab of my right foot.
I sailed along on adaptive cruise control (which centers the truck in lane while maintaining a gap from cars ahead) in luxury — listening to Sirius XM while cloth seats cradled my big frame. I met a couple of Jeep Wrangler 392 Rubicon buddies at Holly
Oaks. Using a modified version of F-150’s tough ladder frame (batteries snugged between between the rails), Lightning was plenty competent over Holly’s heaving terrain. I selected Off-Road mode, which locked the rear differential for better traction. Lightning clawed up Mt. Magna’s Potato Salad Hill — the 8.4-inch ground clearance proving useful. It navigated tight Darlene’s Ridge with easy torque. And on sandy flats, it made for a willing four-wheeldrift partner. My 7-mile, two-hour Holly adventure took 70 miles off the Ford’s battery. That’s some serious electron-guzzling.
With 151 miles of range, I headed home. Along the way, I topped up on electrons at an EVgo station. I gained 75 miles in 20 minutes. The last leg of my journey brought one more surprise. At 70 mph, Lightning took just 27 miles off the battery over 36 miles as the onboard Intelligent Range software tried to predict range according to the day’s wide variety of driving styles.
EVs are complicated.
But if you drive locally and have deep pockets, Lightning is a treat.