Joe.....Montana
Well-known member
Pulling in straight ahead is super tight. If you're able to, respectfully, pull in sideways it is definitely the easiest way to charge.
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Introductions & Welcome Thread 👋
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NeighborGeek
Well-known member
Ahh, so the cable is too short to pull in nose first? That makes sense. Works well enough in our bolt, but the front end on the truck is practically as big as the entire bolt… 
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BigBearBrian
New member
Just joined the club yesterday. Lightning Lariat with the max towing package.
NeighborGeek
Well-known member
Nice! I really wanted a Lariat, but couldn't justify the price. Settled for a Flash. Loving mine so far (2 weeks in) other than the fact that carplay/bluetooth audio seems to drop out a lot.
Doctors Do Little
Well-known member
That's a common complaint from what I understand. I only have issues with my Frunk not working correctly, which was supposed to be fixed last week, but hasn't been. The Flash is a nice options package. It hits all of the needs and most of the wants, imo.
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Discwizard70
Active member
Yes, the carplay/android auto and Bluetooth in general are very spotty. I just gave up and started plugging mine in, lol. That is literally my only negative as well and I am a year in with my Flash ER with multiple road trips.
NeighborGeek
Well-known member
Definitely, the only 'big' want from Lariat was PAAK. Memory seats would be nice, and the fold out work surface seems neat but I don't know that I'd really get much use out of it. Cooled seats I could take or leave, and the sunroof I might use once in a great while, but don't need the problems they tend to add. So, flash it is.
Doctors Do Little
Well-known member
My last 3 F150's have been Lariat, so I've just gotten used to that trim level. But, I bought the last two (including the Lightning ER) as CPO, so that lessened the financial hit a little. It's interesting what we get accustomed to and then only miss when we drive something different.
Tree RX
Member
Hello from NY!
‘24 Platinum I bought in December. This is my 9th vehicle, 2nd truck, 1st full EV. Was originally wanting to get the Ram EV truck with ICE generator, but wasn’t willing to wait anymore. 14k miles on the odometer and zero regrets. From running errands around town to leaving sport cars in your dust while hauling gear, this truck does it all.
License plate not related to truck…I’m an arborist who writes prescriptions for trees.
‘24 Platinum I bought in December. This is my 9th vehicle, 2nd truck, 1st full EV. Was originally wanting to get the Ram EV truck with ICE generator, but wasn’t willing to wait anymore. 14k miles on the odometer and zero regrets. From running errands around town to leaving sport cars in your dust while hauling gear, this truck does it all.
License plate not related to truck…I’m an arborist who writes prescriptions for trees.
Doctors Do Little
Well-known member
Awesome. I’m curious about your experiences in the cold months (with the Lightning).
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Joe.....Montana
Well-known member
During the dead of winter in Montana range takes a 30-40% hit...We don't use the Lightning for road trips from Thanksgiving through March. I have a '23 Lariat.
Doctors Do Little
Well-known member
That makes sense. I keep thinking that San Diego would be the perfect climate for Lightning...n'er too hot...n'er too cold!
Tree RX
Member
This truck drives very well in the snow, even with stock tires (up until about 8 inches deep, then you start floating a bit).
The battery doesn’t like getting cold. When ambient temps are in the 20’s or 30’s (°f) available power starts being reduced around 50% SOC. Parking overnight in those temps with a low SOC will reduce available power even more, and battery will show lower % in the morning. Power and % come back once the battery warms up (from highway driving, or dc fast charging). Battery can be kept warm by plugging in to level 2 charger overnight. Level 1 isn’t enough to keep the battery warm in those temps outside.
Highway speed really matters. The difference between 65mph and 75mph is huge. Worst I’ve experienced was an efficiency of 1.2 but averaged 1.6 for the winter. Platinum is rated for 300 miles, I could get around 200 miles in the winter, but planned for 150-175. This is highway driving, it does notably better driving local roads.
To put this into perspective: I regularly do a 330 mile one way trip to my preferred ski resort. Requires one 30-40 min charging stop depending on charger speed.
Many people think the lightning isn’t worthy of road trips. I disagree…depending on where you’re going and if you’re in a rush to get there. Up and down the east coast there are plenty of chargers. Going Midwest, good luck.
NeighborGeek
Well-known member
While I'm sure that the coasts and more densely populated areas have better charging infrastructure available, we're doing ok here in the Midwest.
To be clear, I'm relatively new to EVs. My wife got a Bolt in January, and we love it so much that I just bought a lightning a couple of weeks ago. We've done a few 3-4 hour (each way) trips in her bolt, and she did an 8 hour road trip just last month. There are chargers available, though you do want to plan your long trips with charging in mind. It sort of reminds me of the days when Grandma and Grandpa would plan a long road trip, breaking out the atlas at the kitchen table, choosing the routes to take, where to stop for gas, and so on. Opening ABRP, entering your destination, and choosing charging stops is our modern equivalent. Could charging infrastructure be better? ABSOLUTELY. But people compare it to gas stations on every corner, and I don't think fast charging ever needs to be that ubiquitous. If you charge at home, you get in the car every morning with a full tank. For daily driving, that's an improvement over having to fill up once a week or whatever. It's only going to matter for longer road trips.
Doctors Do Little
Well-known member
While I'm sure that the coasts and more densely populated areas have better charging infrastructure available, we're doing ok here in the Midwest.
Could charging infrastructure be better? ABSOLUTELY. But people compare it to gas stations on every corner, and I don't think fast charging ever needs to be that ubiquitous. If you charge at home, you get in the car every morning with a full tank. For daily driving, that's an improvement over having to fill up once a week or whatever. It's only going to matter for longer road trips.
That begs a question (for me): Are we best to charge to 80-85% every night, or weekly when the ol batteries get down to 30% or so (home charging and local travel)? I started out recharging daily and now have slacked off to recharging from 11p-6a on Friday night/Sat Morning.
I'm too lazy to AI Google this. What's the right answer?
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