Confession: Got a little jealous of a Chevy EV...

[Jamchampnate]

I just completed my 13th EV road trip of more than 1500 miles (actually, it was part of a longer 3400 mile trip). I am constantly asked what the range of my truck is (Pro SR), and I now reply “it isn’t the capacity of the battery that matters, it is the capacity of my bladder.“

There are a tiny number of cases where a bit more range would be nice, but the reality is that I want to stop every couple of hours anyway. I just plan to combine a charging stop with a restroom break and a snack. For me, it’s actually a very pleasant way to travel.

Same. Gives you a chance to take a breath from driving for hours

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[Ynnhojnorood]

If I were to switch it would be a sierra over the Silverado. Same features in a truck that looks wayyy better.

Discovered that neither of those trucks share the same bed with the standard GMC/Chevy trucks meaning…no accessories for a while.

One of the biggest draws for the f150 is that it’s an f150. Endless ladder racks, tent, tonneau covers, bed caps, you name it. I’ve seen people post on Reddit how little accessories are out there for the Silverado/sierra since it shares only the name with their ICE siblings and nothing else.

That sucks IMO for folks who want to really utilize their truck beyond just the bed.

Oh and as mentioned, they have loud interiors, ride is wayyy stiffer and less comfortable.

That’s the switch I ended up making. I didn’t mind the Silverado EV, but had a base dealer experience. GMC got it done. The 460 max range is 6 figures, but I ended up getting the max range for about $100/mo more than an extended range 6 hours away. I thought I loved the lightning up until I got in the Sierra. The biggest issues I’m finding are the limited accessories, it lacks “Auto Set Speed” despite having speed sign recognition, and no digital key. Overall it was a no brainier against “upgrading” to a ‘25 lightning.

 

[Jamchampnate]

That’s the switch I ended up making. I didn’t mind the Silverado EV, but had a base dealer experience. GMC got it done. The 460 max range is 6 figures, but I ended up getting the max range for about $100/mo more than an extended range 6 hours away. I thought I loved the lightning up until I got in the Sierra. The biggest issues I’m finding are the limited accessories, it lacks “Auto Set Speed” despite having speed sign recognition, and no digital key. Overall it was a no brainier against “upgrading” to a ‘25 lightning.

No digital key and no CarPlay alone would drive me insane. Sick truck though! And yeah the 25 lightning just keeps getting less features. Sucks.

 

[SunPowered]

Just brought home a new Lightning Flash. Chosen over higher Lightning trim levels and over the GM competition. Here was my process/ reason for the choice of Flash:

For a full size truck that functions as a truck, Rivian and CT are out. Rivian bed too small. Tesla out regardless due to brand toxicity. Reliability issues secondary but also would eliminate it. (Plus, you can't efficiently stuff rectangles into a triangle. Super basic.). So down to Ford or GM.

(For some, cost is not an issue. For me, a strong factor.)

To qualify for the (still in force) $7,500 tax credit, one must stay under $80k sticker. If you want max tow 10,000 lbs towing in the Lightning, or ProPower 9.6 Kw, or ANY option on the Ford, the Lariat at $79+K sticker is out of the question. Any single option pushes it over the $80K limit. Therefore, has to be no higher than Flash among the trims, to qualify with any enhanced capacities options.

Almost all longer range GM trims are also out of the running with regard to $80K limit for the tax advantage. Therefore, GM is up front out for me.

More Lightning advantages:

The Lightning accepts most standard F-150 accessories. (Especially topper/ camper top, a big plus, the second GM deal breaker for me.) As was stated by prior commenter. Anecdotally handles better due to the lighter battery. Also previously cited. Has similar load ratings allowed by the lighter battery. No Apple Car Play in GM. That's a big one. And, I personally prefer the Ford interior. Therefore,

No jealousy here. Happy with the range of ER 131Kw battery, for my usual applications around town, and even on the 1,100 mile initial ride home. Going to guess more efficient per mile due to a ton less weight, easier on tires for the same reason, and easier to charge at a slow rate with home grown solar, because the battery requires less overall energy to get to 80% overall. Slam dunk for my use case.

 

[Ynnhojnorood]

No digital key and no CarPlay alone would drive me insane. Sick truck though! And yeah the 25 lightning just keeps getting less features. Sucks.

I honestly don’t miss car play. I had a lot of issues with my iphone audio not working. Even upgraded my iPhone and still had issues. BT is working fine, native Google nav works well, or I also installed Waze. It doesn’t automatically navigate like Ford/maps did.

There’s also no sunglasses holder, which is probably the most annoying of all. I did get used to carrying a fob, but I’m hoping they come out with a digital key soon. Also, no Apple Watch app is kind of aggravating, I forgot about that.

I’m hoping Ford gets it together and makes some progress.

As far as efficiency, I’m getting 2.2 mi/kwh vs 2.3 in the lightning. I calculated a difference of $300 over 100,000 miles. My concern is seeing how the tires hold up.

 

[Jamchampnate]

I honestly don’t miss car play. I had a lot of issues with my iphone audio not working. Even upgraded my iPhone and still had issues. BT is working fine, native Google nav works well, or I also installed Waze. It doesn’t automatically navigate like Ford/maps did.

There’s also no sunglasses holder, which is probably the most annoying of all. I did get used to carrying a fob, but I’m hoping they come out with a digital key soon. Also, no Apple Watch app is kind of aggravating, I forgot about that.

I’m hoping Ford gets it together and makes some progress.

As far as efficiency, I’m getting 2.2 mi/kwh vs 2.3 in the lightning. I calculated a difference of $300 over 100,000 miles. My concern is seeing how the tires hold up.

Thanks for the legit honest feelings towards both trucks! People get into such fanboy mode I can’t even listen.

jealous of your range and that cool ass Midgate! Such an awesome time that we have so many EV truck options now. It’s how it should
be.

 

[jjupi91897]

Yeah, that 400+ miles of range makes me jelly too, especially since I have standard range. I gotta remind myself to be content and thankful for what I got Lol.

After many long trips though (including a recent 2,000 mile trip), I realize that range isn’t as big a deal as it feels. For my use case anyways — your buddy sounds like he genuinely needs that range!

So a little background. I have been having some solar work done, added a second system as non-export to not mess up my NEM 2.0 status on my existing system (I live in CA). The company messed up and originally installed an inverter (Tesla) that PG&E did not have on the supported list. Fast forward 6+ months and lots of back and forth and I got a replacement inverted (for free!!) installed from EG4 which is AWSOME. It has inputs for a battery (added that yesterday) and a generator (to charge the battery). Good things happen to those that wait as this replacement inverter was much more expensive, additionally my new panels got optimizers installed (again free) where before they did not have them.

Anyways, point of the post. I have become friends with the solar tech, Francisco. First time he came he was driving a RAM 1500. He liked my Lightening and asked about range. I said comfortably over 200 at 80% charge. He said he would drive 300+ miles a day so was concerned. A couple visits later he pulls up in a Silverado EV. We spent about 20 min checking it out. I HATE the weird flair on the top sides of the bed. A buddy came over while he was there and that was the first thing he said (he is GM guy). Francisco said it had a range of 440 miles, and I was instantly jealous (I know that is not really what it gets, just like I do not get 320). It has a 200 kWh battery. I also got jealous of the tail gate...

I asked him how much he had been spending on gas a month, he said over $3000. He now has a level 2 charger at home and gets free power from his neighbor who has a lot of excessive solar. How awesome is that!!!

While I like Francisco, I have to admit I was a little annoyed the two (yep, two times) he said I could probably sell my Lightning and get a Silverado....

I test drove a Silverado EV, and the Ford F-150 Lightning is just a more well-rounded truck in terms of performance, handling, and overall value.

 

[flypony53]

The Chev ev has more range but you pay for it. The lightning allegedly drives better and I don't doubt that with the added weight on the Chev. It looks more futuristic than the f150 but that was the whole point of making an electric F150.

The whole range discussion is ridiculous now. There are very few real cases of needing more than 400 miles on a daily driver but I keep hearing the same anti-ev crowd moving the goalposts, now saying they need... No shit.... 1000 miles of range on a full charge. Losers.

Personally, I'm sticking with Ford for now but I welcome as many new ev's on the road as possible. The only downside being is that I won't be able to smoke everyone off the line if everyone else has one.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Having driven both, I decided to keep my Lightning when the Silverado EV I ordered came in. The Silverado feels like it lumbers around, you can feel the heft of the 200kWh battery. I was disappointed in the quality of the Silverado as well. I posted here when I did the drive, but the interior was very cheap plastic, the air vent controller literally fell off in my and when I adjusted it the first time. Just was not the truck the Lightning is.

the 300 mile range on my truck works for what I need. If it was not for the continued software issues on the Lightning, it would be almost perfect.

 

[Patent Pending]

I've been pretty brand agnostic when it comes to pick-ups, and have had F-150s, RAMs and GMCs. I was coming off a GMC 6.2 and really wanted to love the Denali EV. It's very nice on the inside and out. GMC did a really nice job with the fit and finish. No Android Auto or CarPlay was frustrating but not a deal-breaker for me. I drove the extended range version (didn't want to spend $100k on a max range). It drove like a cement mixer. The vehicle is so heavy owing to the batteries that it was sluggish, heavy and just not what I was expecting from it. I was not expecting 0-60 in 3 seconds or the handling of a Corvette, but it was not a fun ride for me. I ended up with the Platinum. In truth, not as nice inside as the Denali, but the overall package and experience is, in my opinion, superior to the Denali EV extended range. Perhaps the max range solves the performance issues, but now we're at near $100k which I don't think is necessary IMHO. So, I'm fine with less range in the lightning. My use case supports it anyway as most of my driving is local.

 

[K6CCC]

The first stopper for me on the Silverado was the price tag. That was an instant stop, right there.

I don't really like the exterior look of the Silverado EV either. I really wish they did not make it on a Avalanche body.

As far as needing more than the Lightning range, it might be nice, but the 131 KWH has not been a real issue for me. I did a 600+ mile day 10 days ago (documented in a separate thread) where one leg would have likely not required a stop with an alleged 400 mile range. Did a 412 mile day yesterday that would have needed one charge in either case. And as someone else pointed out, with the high speed charging network availability it's generally not an issue. My bladder has a shorter range than the truck.

 

[MaintGrl]

Eh, never been a fan of Chevy's, Prefer the design characteristics of the Ford's. My dad Had a F-150 in the late 60's early 70's, and I still have my 96' Ranger XLT. As far as the extended range, I bought up as high as I could afford with the 23' EXT SR. The SR has been good for All I need...

 

[Ynnhojnorood]

Having driven both, I decided to keep my Lightning when the Silverado EV I ordered came in. The Silverado feels like it lumbers around, you can feel the heft of the 200kWh battery. I was disappointed in the quality of the Silverado as well. I posted here when I did the drive, but the interior was very cheap plastic, the air vent controller literally fell off in my and when I adjusted it the first time. Just was not the truck the Lightning is.

the 300 mile range on my truck works for what I need. If it was not for the continued software issues on the Lightning, it would be almost perfect.

Yeah, I feel the sportiness and spunk of the lightning definitely lives up to the name. The Sierra feels more like a truck, a little more sluggish. I guess maybe the Sierra interior doesn’t seem as cheap as Chevy, I didn’t really pay much attention. I was willing to sacrifice the range, I was originally looking at Silverado LT Premium. It’s nice having the flexibility of the range, but wasn’t really a deal maker/breaker. It’s definitely more than I wanted to spend, but in the end worked out. I was looking at another Lightning Lariat, but that was 8 hours away and just seemed like more of a downgrade from the ‘23. It was also frustrating to see some of the options added that disqualified them from the tax credit, like $600 for a mobile charger and front license plate bracket. Definitely seems like dealers are just trying to screw buyers to feed the “Nobody buys EVs agenda”

 

[SunPowered]

Somebody mentioned the GM mid gate. I do salivate over the possibilities of that. But, alas, along with the other compromises that have to be made for the monster battery, the mid-gate is only available on very top level trims, not across the EV truck lineup. Only on the tiers that come in at close to or are above six digits. (Anyone is welcome to correct me if wrong about that.). Which means, for me at least, that mid-gate is made entirely of "unaffordium".

 

[Lytning]

I want to know how to get free power from my neighbor??? Did he run an extension cord??

I asked him how much he had been spending on gas a month, he said over $3000. He now has a level 2 charger at home and. gets free power from his neighbor who has a lot of excessive solar How awesome is that!!!

My question is ... Does his neighbor know about the free power giveaway?

 

[Ynnhojnorood]

Somebody mentioned the GM mid gate. I do salivate over the possibilities of that. But, alas, along with the other compromises that have to be made for the monster battery, the mid-gate is only available on very top level trims, not across the EV truck lineup. Only on the tiers that come in at close to or are above six digits. (Anyone is welcome to correct me if wrong about that.). Which means, for me at least, that mid-gate is made entirely of "unaffordium".

I will say, when not properly closed, the midgate causes an annoying warning on the dash, that is easily acknowledged. First, only the 60 side of 60/40 can be folded individually, so if you need to use it, you’re down to max 3 passengers. You need to make sure both sides are fully locked back in, otherwise, it gives the aforementioned “midgate open” warning. At this point, it’s been easier to just leave the warning on for a few days than mess with the back seat to fix it.

The Sierra ER was $95k before incentives, effectively 6 figures, depending on the deal. My max range would have been under 6 figures if it weren’t for the negative equity from my trade. Ford also does better financing and rebates in my opinion.

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