Introductions & Welcome Thread 👋

[Ned B]

Hello all,

I've been a 2022 Lightning Lariat ER owner for about 8 weeks now. My previous vehicle was a huge 2006 Sprinter (longest and tallest). I'll miss Penny (the sprinter) but after my wife moved into an EV6 about a year ago, there was no more ICE in me.

I've been reading/scrounging the forums for advice for weeks now but I'm now happy to be a member.

I really never saw myself as a truck owner before, but the lure of moving into an EV got me to pass that hurdle and I'm sure happy it did.

I'm looking forward to learning from the community and hopefully helping out others, once I'm more well-informed.

welcome to the forum!

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[PNW-Steve]

In my first year of night classes for my grad degree, I convinced my wife we needed another vehicle, and since it was also our first year of home ownership, it needed to be a truck! So I bought a used red Mazda for about $6,000. Thirty-four years later in my first year of retirement with much less justification but with the same understanding wife, I got another truck!

We became EV fans though an e-bike I built with buddy and my son; I used it for commuting for several years. Shortly thereafter our first EV car was from a fairly inexpensive 2013 Nissan Leaf lease. And the Model 3 (which I bought for my wife ) has provided the most fun from any car I have owned. Several years ago I gave the Mazda truck to my son, and I have found myself missing the practicality of a truck, but I just couldn't muster any enthusiasm for another ICE vehicle. I had been researching a Lighting for months, got cold feet after Ford's cancelation, but this helpful community increased my confidence in my purchase decision while being cognizant of its weak points. In my area, the pre-owned Extended Range Lighting trucks under 50k miles seemed to be selling this spring before dealers posted photos, so the cancelation hasn't crashed the pre-owned market here yet. This may slow down quite a bit as more lease returns hit the lots. At any rate, I'm excited about the new-to-me truck and this community.

 

[SLTX]

Hola!

Just got my 23 Lariat on Friday.

Drove around the Katy area in the pouring rain with the wife as a "water trial" for what's becoming a norm here in the burbs of Houston.

Been wanting a Lightning for some time but work and moving and funerals got in the way. Drove my friend's Tesla recently and that really set the motion in going full steam in finding the right Lightning for me. Took me over 2 months of looking for one at the right price and with the gas prices going up and up, dealers are less likely to negotiate but I finally found one though it is missing one option I wanted (well, 2... Max tow and scale) but the price was good and didn't want to waste any more time.

Now... I am wondering if the previous owner of my Lightning is here. Reason I'm asking is because it's got the Lightning Etsy f-150 overlay and bedrug installed. whoever owned it also added the matte screen protector to the 15.5. oh and the previous owner has a dog that sheds. The shifter closed showed some fur. Wondering if all these clues someone would know this truck.

Anyways, she's got a good home meow. Got new mats (Husky based on search here and recommendations and fits like a glove!) and under read seat storage. New tires next but first Forscan! Got the cable today and sometime this week will be doing some changes. But first, got to get the vent repaired. I mean, it's not going to move much but if the wife sees it, she's going to question my sanity on picking this truck out of others I've been looking at.

This forum is a treasure of information and recommendations that feels more genuine than others and I like that. From reading about the mats to the forscan cable to tire recommendations, it had been great for newbie like me.

Anyways, hope to meet some other texan lightning owners and enjoying this truck for decades (yes, decades. We tend to own our vehicles until it can't be vehicling no more!).


Edit: Oh and the previous owner is a Minnesota Vikings fan. Valve stem gave it away. LOL

 

[lightningwill]

hello, picking up a 2025 lariat in 2 days or so, i liked this forum during my search before buying it ap I thought id participate a bit more, specially as i start to play with the truck

 

[K6CCC]

Welcome to the Lightning !

 

[RoBi]

Hello Lightning owners. My wife and I own and love driving a 2025 Mach E Premium and an aging 2016 Flex we use to tow a 3200 lb 17 ft long Casita Spirit Deluxe travel trailer that can be seen in the background of my profile picture. We purchased the Flex new and it now has 162k. miles. Roughly 20k miles of the has been towing our travel trailer from our home in the Catskills NY to various destinations as far as Austin, Texas. It has been a great vehicle for this purpose but I anticipate needing to put some significant dollars to replace items like the turbos, water pump and suspension parts to maintain its reliability on RV trips like one to the west coast we would like to plan. Alternatively, we are thinking wouldn’t it be great to replace it with another EV that has the capability to tow our current RV or a potential future purchase of a roomier 24 ft Casita model introduced last year. That RV weighs 4500 lbs dry and would need a tow vehicle that can tow 6000 lbs. Based on our positive experience with our Ford Mach E after 8+months and 17k miles, the idea of purchasing a Ford Lightning EV to replace the Flex seems intriguing. I know it’s been discontinued, but there is a 2025 Platinum AWD with the extended range battery on the lot of our local Ford dealer where we bought our Mach E. It has some significant discounts as it has been on the lot at least 9 months but it’s still quite expensive. The show stopper however is everything I’ve read so far tells me that the maximum range I can expect towing is in the neighborhood of 150 miles in moderate climates and speeds kept 65 mph or lower. I also understand that also may drop lower on hilly terrain and colder temperature. Unfortunately that’s a bit too low for the RV trips that we would like to make in the future. . I’m thinking at minimum. I need to get a reliable 200 miles so we would be able to go a few hours before stopping for a break to recharge. it doesn’t sound like the EV version of the Lightning will re-emerge with higher range, but I am intrigued by the EREV concept. My understanding is that this would be an EV Lightning that includes an on board gas generator that will recharge the battery giving a combined range of 700 miles. Guessing that should be at least 300 towing the 24 ft Casita. That would be incredible assuming it stays a pure electric powered vehicle and just what we would need. I’m hoping it happens, I joined this forum with the intent to learn more from current Lightning owners and any information on the EREV version that I am hoping Ford is working on. Look forward to hearing more.

 

[Grumpy2]

he show stopper however is everything I’ve read so far tells me that the maximum range I can expect towing is in the neighborhood of 150 miles in moderate climates and speeds kept 65 mph or lower.

Welcome to the forum, lots of reading here available using the Search function.

 

[Shyatic]

Finally pulled the trigger and got a '25 Certified Lightning Flash - that still has the charging pad and rear tailgate step etc. I did buy an under seat storage box, floor mats, and a short antenna (the OEM one was ugly), but otherwise, not sure what accessories and things people commonly do on their lightnings. Is there an interior/exterior accessories thread that people refer to?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Finally pulled the trigger and got a '25 Certified Lightning Flash - that still has the charging pad and rear tailgate step etc. I did buy an under seat storage box, floor mats, and a short antenna (the OEM one was ugly), but otherwise, not sure what accessories and things people commonly do on their lightnings. Is there an interior/exterior accessories thread that people refer to?

Exterior Mods
Lighting Mods
Interior Mods

 

[Flash Man]

Hello from North Florida.
Any other Lightning owners in Flagler County?
Never seen one in the wild here, makes me feel like Robinson Crusoe, I am the only one around.
Got my 25 Flash 7 months ago and like it a lot.
it will be strictly a pleasure truck, not worried about towing or much of anything else.
Quick question: I see references on the FB groups to charge at Ford dealers?
Is that an official “Free Charging“ policy, or just for an emergency?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Quick question: I see references on the FB groups to charge at Ford dealers?
Is that an official “Free Charging“ policy, or just for an emergency?

The level 2 might be free as a customer service , while DCFC are often for a fee.

 

[CD4TNF]

... maximum range I can expect towing is in the neighborhood of 150 miles in moderate climates and speeds kept 65 mph or lower....

I need to get a reliable 200 miles so we would be able to go...

Have you watched Robert's great entertaining video on EV truck towing? Not to persuade you to join the SilveradoEV side, but should give you a baseline of what EV truck towing is like.



If you want to watch EV Lightning towing, e-Hermes did several towing camping trip videos on his experience.

https://youtube.com/@ehermes


Hope those resources help in your research. See you around hopefully once the EREV Lightning is out.

 

[slyck]

Hello, everyone! I've had my new-to-me 2023 Lightning Lariat for just over a month now, and I can honestly say that I am loving it as much as I had hoped I would! It's a joy to drive and the ample storage and power on-board is awesome. I've already added a Thule TracRac SR with cantilever extension, honeycomb grill cover, and have a number of other mods in mind and in process (just restored the bumper and running board plastic yesterday). Looking forward to being an active part of this community!

 

[Flash Man]

The level 2 might be free as a customer service , while DCFC are often for a fee.

Ok, good to know but it brings up another question: Do all the various Lightning models accept DCFC, or only the Lariat models?
I have a -25 Flash with the 123 kW batter, never needed anything but home charging since I bought the truck last year but got a Tesla app and a Ford adapter just in case.

 

[K6CCC]

Ok, good to know but it brings up another question: Do all the various Lightning models accept DCFC, or only the Lariat models?

All lightnings will accept L1 and L2 AC charging and DCFC. Peak charging rate will be 185 to 190 KW (give or take some).

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