Lightning SR - no home charging experiences?

[wellowl90]

We have two compareable SR/Pro one with 50k miles and other with 5k at 100% charge they give exactly same 381 kms. Two ERs one with 55k miles and one with 20k - both show 541km at 100%.

The high mileage ones see DCs regularly, the lows only get level 2. I’ve seen zero difference on the degradation end at least via GOM. We also charge 100% all the time.

awesome thanks for the reply. I appreciate the breakdown of your experience with fast charging. Puts me at ease! Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[wellowl90]

So, EVSEs can be installed outdoors. Any chance you can get your HOA to allow that? Not sure what the parking situation would be with such a short driveway though…

Edit: they may not be able to stop you from doing so.

yep fiancée just suggested asking the hoa to put in outdoor chargers too. Planning to investigate the option this weekend!
I’m going to figure out how to make charging work for me because I love the truck. Never driven anything as smooth or with as much torque. Love the truck lol

thanks for the response!

 

[I <3 My Lightning]

Pictures always helps. I take it you are not manually opening the garage. How is the overhead garage door opener powered? Outlet on ceiling? Can the garage be accessed from inside your condo? Where is the panel box?

 

[Tony Burgh]

Without FCSP running at 80 amps at home, I wouldn’t own this truck.
Can you make something less work? Of course but why bother.
Unless there a reason to override economics, cut losses and move on.

 

[RickLightning]

Without FCSP running at 80 amps at home, I wouldn’t own this truck.
Can you make something less work? Of course but why bother.
Unless there a reason to override economics, cut losses and move on.

That's a ridiculous statement. While 120v won't work for many, 240v at 32, 40, or 48amps works fine for the majority of owners. I would bet that well under 50% of owners use 80amps.

 

[hturnerfamily]

we recently moved to a rental home, with our TWO EVs, both SR range, from a home we sold which had the drive thru carport, and PLENTY of options for outlets, etc... the new rental home, with a tight garage, made for an interesting situation for 'where' to charge:

A) there is a typical household outlet on the wall directly in front of both vehicles, which could make for an easy 120v EVSE option: BUT, this outlet is shared on the Same circuit with two interior Kitchen counter GFCI outlets... therefore, not a good option to share with a coffee maker and a toaster.

B) there is also another garage wall outlet, although near the door side, and would require an extension cord, and probably would present a constant tripping hazard to us humans. : /

C) interestingly, the garage door openener has it's OWN outlet in the ceiling, above the unit, in the middle of the garage... a nice location to 'hang' a 120v EVSE between both vehicles. Would need to make sure the EVSE is not in use, though, when opening or lowering the garage door, since it would likely trip the breaker.

D) but, right inside the garage house entry door is the utility room, where the Main Panel is located. So, we have access to running a 240v line instead of being relegated to 120v options. I am confident and capable with electrical knowledge, and experience, so....with an open slot for a 240v 30amp breaker set, I ran a 8awg 3-wire SOOW cord from the panel, out the dryer vent opening, and right back into the garage, under the corner of the door opening. I snaked this up and over/thru the garage door framing, and to a NEMA 14-50 outlet, hung from the garage door opener.
My adjustable MaxGreen 30amp EVSE is plugged into that outlet, and easily reaches either vehicle.
When we leave this rental, I will simply remove this cable and outlet and take it with us.

EVERY situation is different, but sometimes you just have to get creative

 

[flyct]

Without FCSP running at 80 amps at home, I wouldn’t own this truck.
Can you make something less work? Of course but why bother.
Unless there a reason to override economics, cut losses and move on.

Tony,

80 amps only works with 2022-2023 ER trucks.. A 2024+ ER can only charge up to 48 amps. (Other than special ordered Pro fleet truck).

We also own Teslas. They recharge relatively quickly on 48 amps to replenish battery used compared to the Lightning. Lightning at 48 amps replenishes about 20 miles of range for each hour on the charger.

 

[hturnerfamily]

yes, and there are PLENTY of us SR EV owners, like me, with almost 60,000 miles, who have NEVER used any EVSE anywhere CLOSE to 80amps... my Ford Mobile 30amp EVSE, or using our adjustable 30amp MaxGreen EVSE, works just fine, and I don't even plug it in often, or certainly every night.

The EVSE is also SHARED with my wife's EV9 SR, and, like my LIGHTNING, has no issues with going wherever it wishes, whenever it wishes....

One garage, TWO EVs, ONE EVSE.... don't sweat it ... no one 'needs' 80amps every day.

 

[Tony Burgh]

That's a ridiculous statement. While 120v won't work for many, 240v at 32, 40, or 48amps works fine for the majority of owners. I would bet that well under 50% of owners use 80amps.

Are you trying to tell me I would own the truck if I couldn’t fast charge at home? Or I bought the truck for emotional reasons, not economic? Or should settle for less?
Nice leap without knowing me.

 

[Tony Burgh]

Tony,

80 amps only works with 2022-2023 ER trucks.. A 2024+ ER can only charge up to 48 amps. (Other than special ordered Pro fleet truck).

We also own Teslas. They recharge relatively quickly on 48 amps to replenish battery used compared to the Lightning. Lightning at 48 amps replenishes about 20 miles of range for each hour on the charger.

Doesn’t sound like OP can even do 48 amps. Or anything at 240v.
Running exclusively on DCFC kills the economic incentive for paying the premium for an EV. I wouldn’t do it. My opinion after knowledge from 3 years of ownership.

 

[SSNutz]

Without FCSP running at 80 amps at home, I wouldn’t own this truck.
Can you make something less work? Of course but why bother.
Unless there a reason to override economics, cut losses and move on.

WTH you talking about. I can run 48amps, but usually only set my EVSE around 16 amps(240v) for most every other day charging..... do you travel 250miles plus each day or only have few hours to charge?

 

[Vulnox]

Yeah the 80 amp EVSE comment is odd. Sure it would be nice on some occasions, but being the fastest to 80% is pointless unless you're running a service company with a truck depot. While our MME charges at home daily, I generally only charge the Lightning once a week at work on an 8.3kW EVSE. Generally gets me plenty of charge by the end of the work day to get me through the week until I need to charge again. Even when we got back from our road trip at ~25%, our home EVSE at 40 amps got me back to 80% that same day. I would take an 80 amp if it cost about the same, but we manage two EVs full time on one EVSE we usually keep at 30 amps and the work charger, and I only use the work one since it's "free".

Just my opinion after over 5 years of pure EV ownership, 4 years of plug in hybrid ownership, and now having two full time EVs.

If there is an outlet that the garage door uses (and since the garage door can't close with the truck there don't have to worry about it being used), I would see about running on the 120v the door opener uses to your truck as often as possible. Once you get it checked out as you noted. But odds are the wiring is fine, it just may benefit from an outlet replacement depending on age.

While it's slow, I used it on a recent trip at a house we rented that had a 120v outdoor outlet. We drove each day of the trip into town and to the beach and the 120v was still enough to get us back about 8% or so per day. Not huge, and would still need to top up sometimes, but depending on your distance from work may keep you going to where you only have to DCFC once a month or so for now.

All that is to say, this is my thought on if you see a sign of getting back to an L2 EVSE in the future. If just holding out for the HOA to respond and all that. I do agree with others, I wouldn't have two EVs, and may not have even one EV, if we couldn't charge at home at all. I would consider something like the Mach-e if we could only do 120 at home and have a PowerBoost F-150 as the second vehicle, but the battery on these trucks is massive.

 

[Tony Burgh]

WTH you talking about. I can run 48amps, but usually only set my EVSE around 16 amps(240v) for most every other day charging..... do you travel 250miles plus each day or only have few hours to charge?

You can run what you want. I stated what I did. WTH is biting your butt? Me thinks you complain too much.
With the angst I’m seeing, too many people are married to their Lightnings. It’s just a truck, if you have a life.

 

[SSNutz]

You can run what you want. I stated what I did. WTH is biting your butt? Me thinks you complain too much.
With the angst I’m seeing, too many people are married to their Lightnings. It’s just a truck, if you have a life.

Salty, so salty. Most Lightnings that are sold todate can't charge at 80amp (huge waste installing that)...so talk about it is just truck, yes it is and most here like factual conversation and will call out BS, but you do you.

 

[RickLightning]

Are you trying to tell me I would own the truck if I couldn’t fast charge at home? Or I bought the truck for emotional reasons, not economic? Or should settle for less?
Nice leap without knowing me.

I, and others are saying that claiming, as you did, that if you can't charge at 80amps you shouldn't own the truck, is a ridiculous statement.


Tony Burgh said:
Without FCSP running at 80 amps at home, I wouldn’t own this truck.
Can you make something less work? Of course but why bother.
Unless there a reason to override economics, cut losses and move on.

Sponsored