It Now Costs $145 to Fill Up a Ford F-150

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

trickle down and more costs for everything. Everyone loses.

Not Everyone...if you're a N.American supplier who is not directly affected by the middle-east conflict for your supply, you're just riding higer world oil prices ... ie making a lot of money without added cost of production...

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[BigLeagueChoo]

To play devils advocate, in some instances it is cheaper and logistically smarter to drive an ICE vehicle.

For example: upcoming I have as Harrisburg, PA -> King of Prussia, PA -> Newark, NJ -> Boston, MA -> Providence, RI -> Harrisburg PA trip. Additional stops are there, so it'll be roughly 1200 miles or so.

Cross referenced last night against Grok and ChatGPT, I would spend about $225 in fuel in my wife's 2024 Navigator L.

If I took my Lightning, it would cost about $353 assuming $0.55/kWH. Even at a lower rate of $0.40/kWH, it would still cost $256.

More stops to charge = less time at destination.
No waiting at fuel pumps like some charge stations.

*however*

More stops = I get work done sooner on the workstation - so when I check-in to the hotel I don't need to work. Right to dinner.

In sum: I'm still taking my truck because I'm stubborn but you guys get the point I'm trying to make.

___

Now, for my local travels - I can get down and back to Annapolis/Baltimore on one charge and it only costs a few bucks at home overnight, so I know I'm preaching to the choir in this example.

 

[RickLightning]

You need to find free hotel charging...

 

[RickLightning]

I never said it didn't impact people or that I didn't to understand the huge impact the rise in petroleum cost is going to have on products that use it, fuel for factories, or transportation.

But if you buy that fancy truck with the V8 or diesel, then jack it up with monster tires that you know kill mpg, then don't whine when your operating cost goes up by 1/3rd. You should have been putting those funds into your retirement account all along, or your kid's 529.

And that boat that uses 10 gallons an hour. Should have done the math to understand what it could cost in times like this.

There will be a huge amount of toys parked and traded in the next few months.

 

[bc1]

I never said it didn't impact people or that I didn't to understand the huge impact the rise in petroleum cost is going to have on products that use it, fuel for factories, or transportation.

But if you buy that fancy truck with the V8 or diesel, then jack it up with monster tires that you know kill mpg, then don't whine when your operating cost goes up by 1/3rd. You should have been putting those funds into your retirement account all along, or your kid's 529.

And that boat that uses 10 gallons an hour. Should have done the math to understand what it could cost in times like this.

There will be a huge amount of toys parked and traded in the next few months.

Maybe someone will bring back the Cash for Clunkers program? a/k/a car allowance rebate system. I suppose I can take someone's yacht off their hands for a few bucks to save them some grief.

 

[RickLightning]

I used Cash for Clunkers. It lasted a weekend, then funds were exhausted.

 

[bc1]

I used Cash for Clunkers. It lasted a weekend, then funds were exhausted.

I had my 1998 Expedition back then. Most they would give for it was 2500 bux. I kept it for another 16/17 years more of use and I still got 2500 bux a few months ago.

 

[chl]

The rest of the world is buying EVs like crazy according to reports from China, and India:

India EV Sales Trend Mar 2026 - India recorded 2,79,530 EV registrations in Mar 2026, up sharply from 1,95,793 in Feb 2026. Over the last 12 months, India registered 24,52,056 EV sales across vehicle categories.

Not to mention solar...

Who's steering this ship and is that an iceberg ahead?

 

[RickLightning]

Who's steering this ship and is that an iceberg ahead?

 

[Rice_classic]

To play devils advocate, in some instances it is cheaper and logistically smarter to drive an ICE vehicle.

For example: upcoming I have as Harrisburg, PA -> King of Prussia, PA -> Newark, NJ -> Boston, MA -> Providence, RI -> Harrisburg PA trip. Additional stops are there, so it'll be roughly 1200 miles or so.

Cross referenced last night against Grok and ChatGPT, I would spend about $225 in fuel in my wife's 2024 Navigator L.

If I took my Lightning, it would cost about $353 assuming $0.55/kWH. Even at a lower rate of $0.40/kWH, it would still cost $256.

More stops to charge = less time at destination.
No waiting at fuel pumps like some charge stations.

*however*

More stops = I get work done sooner on the workstation - so when I check-in to the hotel I don't need to work. Right to dinner.

In sum: I'm still taking my truck because I'm stubborn but you guys get the point I'm trying to make.

___

Now, for my local travels - I can get down and back to Annapolis/Baltimore on one charge and it only costs a few bucks at home overnight, so I know I'm preaching to the choir in this example.

Is gas cheap where you are?
At $5/gal, that 1200 miles trip means your Navigator is getting 26.6mpg which is great mpgs! But I assume your fuel is around $4 or less?

 

[Rice_classic]

I was talking with a customer of mine who is politically red, and while we were commiserating on the price of gas I told him how much I am glad I got my EV when I did. He had the typical talking points but was curious and really got him being more open when I said: “I can easily produce my own electrons at home, but refining oil into gasoline on my roof is much harder - energy crisis do much impact my own personal transportation costs.”

 

[BigLeagueChoo]

You need to find free hotel charging...

I prefer to stay in more vibrant areas so I can walk to and from a pub. Most of the free charging stations are at hotels that are not in downtown areas. Need to be selfish and have my "me time"! lol

Is gas cheap where you are?
At $5/gal, that 1200 miles trip means your Navigator is getting 26.6mpg which is great mpgs! But I assume your fuel is around $4 or less?

$3.99 at most Sheetz - for both of my equations I used the floor.......most fuel would be $4.30ish and most Tesla Superchargers are at $0.60/kWH.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

It still comes down to just these two numbers really: cost of overnight electricity where you live, vs cost per gallon (or Litre) of gasoline where you live.
Where I am, in US-dollars per US gallon gasoline is now $4.95 but my overnight charging in USD is 5-cents per kWh...and wait for it...I get 3-cents CDN per kWh back in Grizzl-E Club carbon credits at the end of each month...impossible to beat that math. oh and the credit is going up to 4-cents in April.
My wife has a hybrid Escape that gets very good mileage but if we need to choose a vehicle to go somewhere together guess what she says we should take..."lets go in the low cost per mile truck" - yeah just for local driving mostly.
For me, though, since 90% of the driving is "nearly free", I don't actually mind what any DCFC costs for the other 10% of my driving, as long as they are available and working, I'm happy."

 

[lslick23]

I prefer to stay in more vibrant areas so I can walk to and from a pub. Most of the free charging stations are at hotels that are not in downtown areas. Need to be selfish and have my "me time"! lol

$3.99 at most Sheetz - for both of my equations I used the floor.......most fuel would be $4.30ish and most Tesla Superchargers are at $0.60/kWH.

Even with the membership? Seems like most of the high usage prices with the membership around the country is .34 cents a kw.

 

[EV Engineer]

It still comes down to just these two numbers really: cost of overnight electricity where you live, vs cost per gallon (or Litre) of gasoline where you live.
Where I am, in US-dollars per US gallon gasoline is now $4.95 but my overnight charging in USD is 5-cents per kWh...and wait for it...I get 3-cents CDN per kWh back in Grizzl-E Club carbon credits at the end of each month...impossible to beat that math. oh and the credit is going up to 4-cents in April.
My wife has a hybrid Escape that gets very good mileage but if we need to choose a vehicle to go somewhere together guess what she says we should take..."lets go in the low cost per mile truck" - yeah just for local driving mostly.
For me, though, since 90% of the driving is "nearly free", I don't actually mind what any DCFC costs for the other 10% of my driving, as long as they are available and working, I'm happy."

Exactly. DCFC is just so much more rare than I even anticipated and I have a SR.

200 miles leaving the driveway everyday covers a LOT of trips.

A 20% top off at a DCFC is just not that expensive all things considered.


I believe FORD engineers built an incredible precise vehicle in the Lightning and got the range correct. Even more so for the ER.

MOST People just do not buy cars in a rational fashion unfortunately.

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