Introduction.

[Wetman]

Took a test drive in a 2025 Lariet yesterday and am hooked. I tend to keep my cars for a looooong time. I understand I will lose battery capacity, but realistically, what are the thought of being able to drive and get service for the next 15-20 years? Am I going to be sitting on a boat anchor?
I am certified solar installer and am thinking of way already to offset charging costs.

All the best,


Chris
NM

Sponsored

 

[RickLightning]

Lariat...

I think 20 years is pushing it.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Ford’s EV care page: https://www.ford.com/support/how-to...ic-vehicle-maintenance/electric-vehicle-care/

If you’re in a hot climate, keep the truck in a (insulated) garage, keep the HVB between 20% and 80% as much as possible, and stick to a shallow depth of discharge if your daily commute and charging at home allows it, if you want max battery health after 20 years.

 

[PreservedSwine]

I certainly hope so, but I'm not sure anyone can give a definitive answer to a new vehicle with a new battery, and new electric motors that we only have 4-5 years of limited data. Frankly, I don't think the battery is going to be the issue that most people think. There will be failures, and it's going to suck you're one of them.
I love mine, it's the finest work truck I've ever owned. I amortized 7-8 years of low cost ownership before the truck becomes essentially free in my case/use. No reason to think it won't last much much longer at this point.

 

[CD4TNF]

@PreservedSwine the data backs you up.

Time comes for us all, and our vehicles are no exception. Rust, electrical problems, engine wear—they’re inevitable with the passage of time. For EVs, the prevailing fear with age is the degradation of their battery packs and a resultant loss of range. But it turns out that may not be the case at all. A new report from Recurrent Auto says a drop in vehicle range takes much longer than we might think.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/ev-range-doesnt-degrade-over-time

Analysis of over 22,700 electric vehicles, covering 21 different vehicle models, confirms that overall, modern EV batteries are robust and built to last beyond a typical vehicle’s service life.

https://www.geotab.com/blog/ev-battery-health/

Recurrent’s team of battery scientists looked at battery replacements in our community of 30,000+ electric cars and found:

Unsurprisingly, the highest rate of battery replacements come from the very first generation of EVs on the road. These cars are now 14+ years old and were built on early technology.
Between 2015 and 2024, average battery sizes increased by 167%, meaning that newer EV batteries can stand to lose more capacity before they need replacement.

Generally, lithium ion batteries degrade in an S-shaped curve. When a battery is new, there can be some noticeable degradation as the battery settles into its steady state. After that, there is a long period of slow, linear aging, followed by a sharp decrease when the battery dies. But even in cars that need a replacement, it is rare to see the catastrophic failure that is expected at the end of a lithium ion battery’s life. Almost all of the EVs on the road today are in their stable state.

https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/how-long-do-ev-batteries-last

 

[RLXXI]

Took a test drive in a 2025 Lariet yesterday and am hooked. I tend to keep my cars for a looooong time. I understand I will lose battery capacity, but realistically, what are the thought of being able to drive and get service for the next 15-20 years? Am I going to be sitting on a boat anchor?
I am certified solar installer and am thinking of way already to offset charging costs.

All the best,


Chris
NM

No one can predict the future with any realistic results. As already mentioned and backed up with independent testing, these batteries don't suffer as much degradation as originally thought.

The way I see it is, 10-20 years from now, someone will have developed better battery tech for a drop in replacement so no worries there, The biggest thing people should worry about and don't is the rest of the vehicle, door hinges/seals, wiring and associated connectors, proprietary modules such as the center stack for radio and climate control systems etc will be the chink in the armor so to speak.

Sure there are aftermarket companies that already provide these type of replacement systems for the gas model and there's millions of those on the road with a possible market but only about 100,000 of these Lightnings and any parts that don't cross over from the gas counterpart might be an issue.

 

[chl]

Took a test drive in a 2025 Lariet yesterday and am hooked. I tend to keep my cars for a looooong time. I understand I will lose battery capacity, but realistically, what are the thought of being able to drive and get service for the next 15-20 years? Am I going to be sitting on a boat anchor?
I am certified solar installer and am thinking of way already to offset charging costs.

All the best,


Chris
NM

Just from age the est loss of capacity is 1%-2% per year.

So at 20 years that could be 40% less capacity.

Therefore, your use needs will matter as the battery ages.

However, battery replacements are a thing.

Pretty much the only thing that will wear out for sure besides the tires is the battery.

I have kept my 2012 Nissan Leaf for over 14 years and it still has use for local trips - the max range when new was only about 100 miles local driving if fully charged, now it's about 75 miles.

The lightning has many times the Leaf's 24kWh battery capacity.

I could replace my Leaf battery with one having 3 times the capacity for about $8k (excluding any tariffs).

There could be an after-market battery upgrade for the Lightning some day with an improved battery tech, too.

 

[digitaldad]

Took a test drive in a 2025 Lariet yesterday and am hooked. I tend to keep my cars for a looooong time. I understand I will lose battery capacity, but realistically, what are the thought of being able to drive and get service for the next 15-20 years? Am I going to be sitting on a boat anchor?
I am certified solar installer and am thinking of way already to offset charging costs.

All the best,


Chris
NM

Greetings - if you're in ABQ and have any questions/needs regarding the truck, send me a DM.

Sponsored