I drive a pickup truck through Texas Hill. The buzzards circle over their heads, the road is empty like a lunar prairie and everything is fine with the world.
Or so it should be. There is a noticeable lack of engine noise coming from under the hood of my truck. This is because there is no engine, only a huge, empty space. Ford calls it the Mega Power Frunk, which is a very stupid name for a very cool feature that truck owners have been pushing for for years: safe storage.
The advantages of the frunk are just one of the many remarkable things about the F-150 Lightning, Ford’s highly anticipated electrified pickup. And yes, the F-150 Lightning is probably the most important electric vehicle yet to arrive, blah blah blah. I’m sure you’ve heard all the reasons why this pickup plugin is so important for Ford, for the automotive industry, for America, for our climate, and so on. Ford electrified America’s most popular vehicle because of course they did.
Ford electrified America’s most popular vehicle because, of course, it did
However, there were a few things that surprised me – and even disappointed me – about this truck. There are certainly trade-offs in electrifying something as popular and beloved as the F-Series. But fortunately, good outweighs bad, and there’s nothing in Lightning that makes me feel anything but optimistic about moving from dirty, gas-powered vehicles to zero exhaust emissions.
Most people who buy a Ford F-150 Lightning (those who are lucky enough to get one) will not have many opportunities to drive it on almost vertical rocky paths, or through puddles of mud to the knees, or even on twisted surfaces. roads while towing an 8,000-pound motorboat. But I had to do it for two days in and around San Antonio, Texas, where Ford called on members of the media to test the F-150 Lightning for the first time.
And the experience was (apologies in advance) enlightening.
Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge
Stimulate impressions
On surface roads, the F-150 Lightning handles like a very sporty truck, similar to its namesake. (During the two-day trip, one joke was that Ford missed the opportunity to revive the original Lightning as a smaller, sportier electric pickup.) However, it’s easy to forget that you’re driving a 6,500-pound vehicle thanks to the low center of the car. the weight of the truck. The truck’s lithium-ion battery cells are located on the floor of the vehicle, which is not unique to electric vehicles – virtually every electric car on the market has a similar layout – but feels unique about a pickup.
Nearly instantaneous torque – 452 horsepower in the standard range, 580 horsepower in the extended range – is also typical of the EV, but completely ridiculous for an F-150 truck. I’ve driven a lot of electric cars, but not many trucks, and the combination of power, acceleration and size of the F-150 Lightning was exciting – and even a little disturbing.
The combination of power, acceleration and size of the F-150 Lightning was exciting – and even a little disturbing
In context, the turbocharged V8 diesel engines that Ford puts in its Super Duty trucks (consider the F-250 to F-450) have a maximum output of around 475 horsepower. These engines really generate 1,050 lb-ft of torque, which is more than the 775 lb-ft that Lightning can do. Still, the F-150 Lightning’s ability to jump from 0-60 mph in just over four seconds is truly amazing. In two days driving never gets old.
Although there was a big bang on the back roads of Texas, I was a little worried about how the owners of the F-150 Lightning would cope with the immediate acceleration in denser conditions, such as the suburban communities where most F-150 owners live. This torque can be shocking, especially for first-time electric car owners. Fortunately, the brakes seem to be more than up to the task of stopping the F-150 Lightning to a complete stop with free space. He did perfectly on both straight and winding roads.
Although not as huge as the Hummer EV, the F-150 Lightning is still accumulated, 35 percent heavier than its gas equivalent, thanks to this 1,800-pound battery. This is where things get tough on the environmental integrity of the F-150 Lightning. Heavier vehicles are inherently more polluting than lighter ones, whether or not they emit exhaust fumes. All vehicles produce emissions without exhaust gases from various sources, including rubber tires, road dust and brakes. This is especially true for electric vehicles, thanks to the added weight of their batteries.
We still don’t know how many emissions without flue gases the F-150 Lightning will create, but we’ll probably find out soon.
Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge
Battery capacity and charging
In terms of energy capacity, I found that I get about 2.3 miles per kilowatt hour of battery use on surface roads and highways. The base version of the truck, which starts at $ 40,000, is valued at 230 miles (370 km) of range and 68 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent), which is the EPA’s unit of measurement for EV’s energy consumption compared to gas. – motor vehicles. If you want a bigger set of batteries with a range of 300 miles, Ford makes you buy a bunch of other options that cost up to $ 74,000.
Obviously, these range numbers decrease when you load the truck bed with a load or attach something heavy to the towbar. (More on that later.) But I eventually found that the range and power consumption are appropriate for most driving scenarios.
For most curious users of electric vehicles, the concern for range gives way to the concern for charging
For most curious electric car users, the concern for range gives way to the concern for charging. Ford didn’t give us any options for charging the F-150 Lightning, so I can’t talk about the time it takes to recharge the battery. Charging is still a painful place for most EVs. The truth is that unless Ford invests in building its own dedicated network (which it doesn’t), the company can do so much to make public charging better.
Ford’s solution for adhesive tape is that it brings together a handful of different independent public charging networks in what it calls the FordPass charging network. All of these chargers appear in the FordPass smartphone app as if they were one big network, and Ford even works with some so owners don’t have to create new accounts or download other apps to start charging. This is a great idea in theory, but it needs more work.
At home, a 120-volt outlet will penetrate 3 miles per hour into the battery, while a 240-volt output can add about 14 miles per hour. The truly exclusive charging feature is exclusive to the extended range versions: Ford sells a new 80 amp home charging station that not only fully charges the F-150 Lightning in eight hours, but allows owners to easily power their entire home in about three days – or even up to 10 days with minimal use – in case of power failure.
However, the ability to draw battery power is not limited to these extreme scenarios. All base upholstery of the F-150 Lightning can produce 2.4kW of on-board power, while the more expensive Lariat and Platinum offer a total of 9.6kW of on-board power. The more expensive F-150 Lightnings also has 11 built-in electrical outlets – seven in the cab and bed, including a 240V outlet and four in the front trunk – plus a handful of USB ports.
Ford has begun to play with the idea of turning the vehicle into a kind of mobile generator with the F-150 hybrid, but the higher-performance F-150 Lightning will offer even more on-board power and will not use gas to generate it. This is not only a great feature for anyone who needs power on the go, but can be a huge benefit for fleet operators or small businesses that want to become environmentally friendly.
Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge
BlueCruise
On my first day driving the F-150 Lightning, I had to test Ford’s hands-free driver assistance system, the BlueCruise. This feature is standard on the Platinum upholstery level and will cost extra to upgrade to Lariat upholstery. F-150 owners who opt for the $ 1595 Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 package can purchase the BlueCruise for an additional $ 600.
I was excited to test this feature because it was Ford’s long-awaited response to General Motors’ Super Cruise, which is considered the gold standard for advanced Level 2 driver assistance systems. that his beta system of complete self-government does.)
These systems work in conjunction with a number of different functions, such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency stop, lane maintenance assistant, dead zone detection, pedestrian monitoring and stop sign recognition. On certain separate highways (Ford says it runs “over 100,000 miles”), F-150 Lightning drivers can take their hands off the steering wheel and feet off the pedals, while dashboard-mounted infrared sensors monitor their eyes for to ensure that they remain focused on the way forward.
I found the BlueCruise system to be very easy to …
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