The Ford F-150 Lightning is Ford’s full-size electric pickup truck and has been relatively popular among buyers. When it was first announced, many of us were excited to see what Ford would bring to the truck market and if it could stand alongside its gas-powered brothers.
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As with any new technology, there are bound to be bugs and issues that need to be ironed out. As it sits now, the F-150 Lightning has some work to do to compete at the same level as its gas-powered siblings. In September, Tyler Hoover of Hoovies Garage showed how poorly the Lightning performed while towing a load.
That video and story exploded on the internet, but it helped to show that the F-150 Lightning is not yet a direct replacement for gas-powered trucks. Now, Hoovie returns with a new video showing how poorly the Lightning performed in cold weather and how cold impacts the batteries. In the video below, he starts with 149 miles of range and ended with 37 miles of range on a 64-mile trip. Watch his video below.
Ford knows that cold will impact the F-150 Lightning batteries and has posted some tips online to help users mitigate the problem. As Hoover states in his video, some of those tips are rather silly, but here they are.
- Park your F-150 Lightning in a garage whenever possible.
- Keep your F-150 Lightning plugged in when parked.
- If planning a longer commute, precondition your vehicle using departure times to warm the battery while plugged-in by using the FordPass app or your trucks center screen.
- If equipped, use the heated seats and steering wheel as primary heat to reduce energy consumed by HVAC.
- When charging, turn off the heater if possible, or lower the temperature enough to remain comfortable. (Especially when using DCFC)
- If your F-150 Lightning is covered with snow, brush all the snow off before driving to eliminate extra weight and drag.
- Keep driving speeds moderate in cold temperature as high speeds use more energy.
- Ensure your tires are at the proper pressure.
This was Ford’s statement concerning the range of the Lightning in cold weather:
The Ford F-150® Lightning™ pickup has been tested in extreme cold conditions. It endured months of real-world winter driving in Alaska and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Its battery has been subjected to temperatures as high as 140°F to as low as minus 40°F in Ford’s atmospheric test chambers. However, all-electric vehicles experience energy decreases in cold temperatures due to battery cell chemistry. Temperatures below 40°F cause the electrolyte fluid to become sluggish, limiting how much power is available to discharge and how quickly the vehicle’s battery can charge. As F-150 Lightning customers across the United States and Canada begin their first winter with their new electric pickup, Ford wants to help make them aware that in low temperatures they could see a significant reduction in range, which is normal.
Ford Motor Company
If anyone wants to use the F-150 Lightning as a serious working truck, they may need to think about how much range they will get out of it. It will be interesting to see how Ford fixes these issues.
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