RV Trailer Towing With F-150 Lightning - Considerations & Discussions

Sdctcher · Oct 6, 2021

The first generation 2022 Lightning is full of limitations. If you cannot accept all of these then wait or buy something else. We used to call a purchase like this "The Bleeding Edge".

My RV camping fifty years ago planning included trying to find sites with running water, outhouses, and maybe a power outlet.

My Lightning will pull a 7,000 lb. 31 foot travel trailer with 30 amp input but with plenty of 12v backup batteries and portable solar panels (1600 watts).

I have hopes of a 150 mile range on mostly level roads in decent temperatures and I will use the hypermiling techniques learned from 11 years in a hybrid (no jack rabbit starts, coasting when possible, anticipate stops, and limiting AC). I will preplan for RV Parks with 50 amp plugs to recharge and use the Lightning bed plug in to power my trailer when possible. When not possible I camp with 12v power. I will enjoy my trip more by booking two days at each campground. I hope I can camp as close as possible to cities with quick charge stations and go to them with my trailer parked elsewhere. While charging or waiting for a charger I hope I can plan to go to a nearby restaurant or just walk around and enjoy the new town's parks or shops.

I assume I can daisy-chain my trailer to the Lightning while it is charging but the back-up plan would be to plan to use one at a time over the two days (use 12v in the trailer at night).

RVing used to be at a much slower pace than the hundreds of miles rigs are now pulled each day. Going back to that time is a Lightning limitation (at least until the 2nd Generation).

The plus would be now I will be able to afford using my RV again. Pulling it with my Silverado 2500HD cost me $0.40/mile. Figuring a $15.00 EV 'fill-up' that will cost me $0.10/mile and zero $ if I fill up through my RV hook-up over a two day period.

Of course, I only camp less than 5% of the year so the rest of the time I will drive my Lightning for about $0.05/mile.

Somebody tell me how wrong headed I am.

biers · Oct 6, 2021

I’m sure several will take issue with your post but I think it is spot on! Is the Lightning the perfect truck? No. Will it be an awesome truck for a lot of people 99% of the time? Absolutely. Can’t wait for mine.

130 Ghost_Riders · Oct 6, 2021

Sdctcher said:
The first generation 2022 Lightning is full of limitations. If you cannot accept all of these then wait or buy something else. We used to call a purchase like this "The Bleeding Edge".

My RV camping fifty years ago planning included trying to find sites with running water, outhouses, and maybe a power outlet.

My Lightning will pull a 7,000 lb. 31 foot travel trailer with 30 amp input but with plenty of 12v backup batteries and portable solar panels (1600 watts).

your thoughts are pretty close to what mine were and why I didn’t go with a lightning. I have a young child and I didn’t want to worry about what to do for 30 minutes while I recharge and adding another hour or more to what could be a 3 or 4 hour trip. If you have the ability to make the trips long and relaxing that‘s a way to do it.

vandy1981 · Oct 6, 2021

Sdctcher said:
Somebody tell me how wrong headed I am.

I'm in the same boat as you. We never take our RV more than 3 hours away from home so we should be able to make it to our destination using the existing charging infrastructure. It will just take a little longer than it would have with our Ram 1500.

I think part of the fun of being an early adopter is learning how to work around the limitations of the technology.

Sdctcher · Oct 6, 2021

vandy1981 said:
I'm in the same boat as you. We never take our RV more than 3 hours away from home so we should be able to make it to our destination using the existing charging infrastructure. It will just take a little longer than it would have with our Ram 1500.

I think part of the fun of being an early adopter is learning how to work around the limitations of the technology.

It is unfortunate that Ford chose to use a marketing photo of a Lightning pulling a double axle Airstream trailer. The available towing range and capacity I am sure was meant more for the commercial market towing equipment and supplies to building sites or the weekend warrior towing the fishing boat to the lake.

I am one of many like you looking forward to using the limitations and expanding them in my own way. The original Escape Hybrid was never meant to tow but I adapted it right away to pull a ton with no problem. Now the new Maverick is using basically the same drivetrain to pull a ton. I also think I can use smart driving to improve on the estimated 150 mile towing range.

But if you live at altitude, in extreme hot or cold, or way way out in the Boonies, this is probably not the truck for you.

Easycamper · Oct 6, 2021

80% our camping trips are within 30 mi / 50 km of home. Unserviced sites are easier to get. I could run the trailer from the truck for a weekend trip.

We take one or two long trips each year (to a serviced site) where I might have to fast charge once each way. Maybe a bit inconvenient but so is going to the gas station.

TRP · Oct 6, 2021

Sdctcher said:
It is unfortunate that Ford chose to use a marketing photo of a Lightning pulling a double axle Airstream trailer. The available towing range and capacity I am sure was meant more for the commercial market towing equipment and supplies to building sites or the weekend warrior towing the fishing boat to the lake.

I am one of many like you looking forward to using the limitations and expanding them in my own way. The original Escape Hybrid was never meant to tow but I adapted it right away to pull a ton with no problem. Now the new Maverick is using basically the same drivetrain to pull a ton. I also think I can use smart driving to improve on the estimated 150 mile towing range.

But if you live at altitude, in extreme hot or cold, or way way out in the Boonies, this is probably not the truck for you.

I agree with your original post. All reasonable expectations. You mention the double axle Airstream....have you looked up the weight of that trailer? I've looked and I'm hard pressed to find any Airstream that weighs more than about 8500lbs. That puts it well within the weight limit of the ER battery pack with the tow package, 10000lbs. It's not a pop-up or other lightweight trailers but still.....

astricklin · Oct 6, 2021

TRP said:
I agree with your original post. All reasonable expectations. You mention the double axle Airstream....have you looked up the weight of that trailer? I've looked and I'm hard pressed to find any Airstream that weighs more than about 8500lbs. That puts it well within the weight limit of the ER battery pack with the tow package, 10000lbs. It's not a pop-up or other lightweight trailers but still.....

Also that airstream is much more aerodynamic than a standard boxy camper trailer so I bet you will have better range. Plus they almost always use an airstream with advertising because it's such an iconic camper everyone knows what it is and it's also a premium camper trailer. Plus they could use that same photo in 3 or 4 years and you wouldn't be able to tell as the airstream design has stayed pretty much exactly the same.

astricklin · Oct 6, 2021

Sdctcher said:
The first generation 2022 Lightning is full of limitations. If you cannot accept all of these then wait or buy something else. We used to call a purchase like this "The Bleeding Edge".

My RV camping fifty years ago planning included trying to find sites with running water, outhouses, and maybe a power outlet.

My Lightning will pull a 7,000 lb. 31 foot travel trailer with 30 amp input but with plenty of 12v backup batteries and portable solar panels (1600 watts).

I have hopes of a 150 mile range on mostly level roads in decent temperatures and I will use the hypermiling techniques learned from 11 years in a hybrid (no jack rabbit starts, coasting when possible, anticipate stops, and limiting AC). I will preplan for RV Parks with 50 amp plugs to recharge and use the Lightning bed plug in to power my trailer when possible. When not possible I camp with 12v power. I will enjoy my trip more by booking two days at each campground. I hope I can camp as close as possible to cities with quick charge stations and go to them with my trailer parked elsewhere. While charging or waiting for a charger I hope I can plan to go to a nearby restaurant or just walk around and enjoy the new town's parks or shops.

I assume I can daisy-chain my trailer to the Lightning while it is charging but the back-up plan would be to plan to use one at a time over the two days (use 12v in the trailer at night).

RVing used to be at a much slower pace than the hundreds of miles rigs are now pulled each day. Going back to that time is a Lightning limitation (at least until the 2nd Generation).

The plus would be now I will be able to afford using my RV again. Pulling it with my Silverado 2500HD cost me $0.40/mile. Figuring a $15.00 EV 'fill-up' that will cost me $0.10/mile and zero $ if I fill up through my RV hook-up over a two day period.

Of course, I only camp less than 5% of the year so the rest of the time I will drive my Lightning for about $0.05/mile.

Somebody tell me how wrong headed I am.

I'm with you about 100%. Two things to consider. You will leave home on 100% charge but you will probably only run down to about 10% before charging if there's a charge station at that point in your journey. Also each fast charge session you are probably only going to want to charge to 80% so each subsequent leg you will only have about 70% of your range to work with and then cut that in half for towing. Standard range your looking at about 70 miles and extended about 100. This is assuming you lose 50% range and we honestly don't know if that's the case or not.

Also Dcfc is typically .30 to .40 per kWh and I'd you're getting only 1mile per kWh, you'll be at roughly the same cost per mile when towing on the Dcfc miles. However the whole rest of the time you'll be significantly under.

Blainestang · Oct 7, 2021

Yeah, I think you've thought it out pretty thoroughly.

I'm thinking that if I want to use a camper, that it's going to have to be mostly regional (which it would be anyway). Cross-country type trips are just going to be rough with the Lightning UNLESS you've got unlimited time and can hop your way across the country with shorter distance days and campsites with 240V power available.

Duckwrangler · Oct 7, 2021

I think your plan sounds right on. The ability to tow affordably is definitely part of the attraction of this truck for my husband and I. My thought process is something like this:

If we are going to our long term campsite only 80 miles from our house, it isn't an issue at all.

If we do venture further, our max weekend trip range is no more than 250-300 miles in an ICE vehicle or the Lightning. We always plan to stop and eat a meal after 2-3 hours of driving anytime we do a longer tow. So for example, we will pack a cooler, drive that first 150 miles, eat, and walk around a bit (I have RA and can't spend hours sitting down). And the driver gets to rest their brain from driving while towing. Then we drive another 150 miles to our campsite. So as long as we do our lunch break while the Lightning is charging, the trip shouldn't take significantly more time than it does now with an ICE suv.

Realistically, we aren't going more than 250 miles away for a weekend trip anyway, and that extra 30-45 minutes (of rest) each way isn't going to affect our enjoyment of the trip even if we didn't use it to eat.

Now thinking of the only big cross country trip we've done pulling a camper - Ohio to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and back - I think we ended up driving around 3000 miles in 18 days. We probably would've had to add a solid day to our trip in the Lightning due to charging (I'm estimating 20 charging breaks). But the money saved in fuel costs would have paid for that extra day. And having electricity at the dry camping sites would have been awesome.

Sdctcher · Oct 7, 2021

I am encouraged by the number of post responses that, like me, are planning on RVing with Lightning to the extent possible.

But we are going to have to go at it like an adventure requiring extensive planning and resourcefulness. Astricklin is correct that the cost of quick DC charing can be as high as $030 - $0.40 per kWh but in states such as Kentucky and Indiana as low as $0.15 to $0.25 per kWh. So an important part of RV trip planning will be information about DC chargers on route. Ford says they are going to give this to us in real time, over the air, on our dash screen (I won't completely trust that).

If you are not a flexible enough type person don't even think about trying this.

But most of the year we will use the Lightning to go to town and back from the farm, sometimes hauling feed, hay, and building supplies. Town, for me, is 12-15 miles. My electric rate here in Kentucky is $0.08 per kWh so overnight charging saves me a bundle over my gas cost for the now-departed Silverado 2500HD.

Unfortunately, Kentucky does not believe in EV tax credits or any state benefits at all. Lucky You, Californians.

Buying the Lightning comes down to a personal choice and there must be a purpose. Do you really have a realistic use for it or is it for "show"? As vandy1981 said "I think part of the fun of being an early adopter is learning how to work around the limitations of the technology". I will add that early adoption with elevated, unrealistic expectations leads to only pain.

Blainestang · Oct 7, 2021

Sdctcher said:
I am encouraged by the number of post responses that, like me, are planning on RVing with Lightning to the extent possible.

But we are going to have to go at it like an adventure requiring extensive planning and resourcefulness.

Yes, towing with a 1st Gen EV truck will be reminiscent of road tripping with an early EV: Not a lot of range (with trailer), mediocre charge rates (relative to efficiency), limited charging options that are trailer-friendly, and trying to find overnight RV stops with plugs (like many early EV drivers had to use because there were so few charging stations).

Easycamper · Oct 7, 2021

I think the most adventurous part for me is going to be getting the fifth wheel hitch installed, just because the frame design is different from the ICE/Hybrid F-150.

The electric part of it I’m honestly not too concerned about. Plan on range being cut by 50% and I shouldn’t be disappointed. I’m sure trying to DC fast charge with a trailer attached might get interesting, but I’ve had quite a few interesting experiences over the years getting into gas stations with the trailer attached too.

RV Trailer Towing With F-150 Lightning - Considerations & Discussions

Sdctcher

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biers

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130 Ghost_Riders

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vandy1981

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Sdctcher

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Easycamper

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TRP

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astricklin

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astricklin

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