Is Anybody Happy With Their Lightning?

[ChrisC]

We love to hear that, Martin! We'd love to see a pic!

I love mine too! I've had it over a year and charge with solar panels on my roof! I still have my 2014 Ford Focus Electric and love it! Ten years of not going to the gas station or getting oil changes has saved me so much money!

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[Pottsie]

My 50 cents. …I’m a convert for sure. I have a 2006 F150 Lariat ICE with 240k. It was time and I got the CFO approval. I put the order in October the year they announced and it took 2 years to finally build and deliver. I was super hesitant when I got the call and saw my price but after much internal debate (knowing I keep my vehicles for the long haul) I went in and bought my 2023 Lightning Platinum in March of this year.

Honestly the best vehicle I have owned for the quality and ride. I do not tow but I do haul. I also have taken trips to the coast from Charlotte with no issue. It’s all about taking a bit of time and planning the route out (I have my pilots license so sort of use to pre trip planning and it’s not a big deal). I have used the Apple CarPlay map and have created a “Apple map Guide” in the Apple Maps for charges within my commit district (state of NC and SC) on routes i travel and it has helped a lot. When I get the Tesla adapter it will be even better.

The biggest suggestion I have is once you decide, is to get the electrician out there to install the charger. I had to wait almost 2 month to get someone out so i had to rely on public charging which was a PITA because i had to do it on the weekends etc. I had all sorts of range anxiety and after the charger was install it was lifted totally.

I still have a lot of suspect friends and family making it to be some sort of political statement. I have been able to answer all the questions (eg: you don’t pay your share of road taxes …false. …since I have to pay a yearly EV tax of $250 which covers my Nc tax they lost on me via petrol, somehow I’m un-American even though I get my “fuel” from the Duke Nuclear power plant down the road vs their foreign oil, etc…I make it easy now and just say “You do you”).

If you are doing it to save money , might not be the best reason since there are up front costs for sure. My price point didn’t provide me any federal discounts. But if you want it for the ride and your “use case” fits…go for it like we all did and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Side note …so glad to see this post. The forum tends to have a lot of folks bitching about various things and Ford. Slowness of the free adapters, ota, etc. I’m a Ford guy and have 4 total in the house now (plus the wife’s Buick Enclave ICE). Every company has areas to improve on…but I am happy Ford has built this product. While I know all us Lightning owners at Guinea pigs in a sense, my hope is Ford got it right like they have with the flagship F150, and this truck will last me 18+ years like my ICE.

Good luck !

 

[surlymcm]

Owned three previous V8 F150s. Love my Lightning. Had it 9 months 12,000 miles. Almost all charging done at home at 80 amps. I have not had a single problem. I love merging into traffic and looking at the face of the driver who thinks I am pulling out in front of him and then he doesn’t get within 75 yards of me! The front end is definitely bouncier than my old F150s but I have the Eibach leveling shocks sitting in the garage and will get them installed when I get new (bigger AT) tires. Personally I think the touchscreen is too big but once I learned to black it out it doesn’t bother me on longer drives. It tows like nothing is back there. 2023 Lariat ER.

Also Dominion SC just had a rate hike on electricity. To placate regulators they introduced “super off peak” from 1 am to 5 am at .08/kwh. Virtually free?

 

[Hugh_Bris]

I love charging at Tesla Superchargers on long road trips, knowing my Lightning is wayyy nicer and more usable that the dinky Model 3’s and Y’s that congregate there.

 

[FordTough98198]

For my application (mostly in city style short drives, occasional trips to Home Depot or the dump, towing a boat now and then short distances) this is hands down the best truck I have ever owned. I love this thing! I’ve owned it since June 17 2022 and have had zero issues except a few CSPs and recalls. If you drive further than one charge per day it may not be your favorite new toy. That’s my opinion. I drive and just plug in my garage at night and do it on repeat when I need the truck.

 

[Nomoregas]

Best truck I ever owned ( I do also love my F350 Diesel for towing) ! Have there been some issues, sure for me minor thus far but I suspect all manufactures have these issues right current model Toyota Tundra owners! Which I owned 3 tundra's and 2 Tacoma's still have one Tacoma.

 

[Tdub]

2023 Lariat ER, but I was driving an 2001 F250 7.3. This is the nicest truck I have ever owned or driven. An absolute pleasure to drive. I feel folks getting into an EV, need to change the mind set of pulling up to the pump and leaving in 5 minutes. Love my Lariat! Tom

 

[StevenC56]

Thanks everyone for the great positive stories and pride in ownership you all displayed. I finally stopped my search for a Lariat with the Max Tow package. There are just too few around (In California at least) and there was issues and drama attached to every one I found. So a dealer 140 miles from me has offered a great deal on a Lariat with no options in the Avalanche Gray color I like best. (From Ford's Retail Replenishment Program) My wife and I went to a local lot this afternoon and looked at both the Mavericks (Which I originally thought I wanted) and the Lightnings. My wife and I both decided the Mavericks are just too small and utilitarian for us. If you're wondering why we didn't give our local dealer a shot, when we walk on a lot and every single vehicle has an $8K to $10K additional markup sticker we don't even go any further than window shopping. What a huge turn off! Both Ford dealers in our area do this.

 

[Aminorjourney]

Late to this, but we love ours. It's a work truck for Transport Evolved, it's a farm truck for getting things for our smallholding/chickens/otheranimals.

It's a wood hauler for my wife.

It's not the first vehicle I'd choose for everyday driving (we have a Bolt EV for that that's completely paid off, as well as a two-wheeler) but it's a hard-working truck and I think it's been a good choice for us.

Oh, and my first one did save my life, so there's that too

 

[trev5150]

I have a Maverick on order, but started having reservations about the size and utilitarian interior a couple weeks ago, so I started looking at the Ford Lightnings. I read about the tech and features and was pretty excited. But there are so many negative reviews online. There's maybe 1 positive review for every 9 that say "I hated my Lightning and sold it and a huge loss" reviews. Even here it seems like the majority are unhappy with their purchase. Am I making a huge mistake even looking at the Lightning?

Not reading all 15 pages of this thread, just gonna react to the OP’s OP to say that the hate and discontent you read online is the vocal minority, the 1/10th of 1% of people who will be equal parts unhappy and actually likely to post. Multiply that number by 0.85 and you’ll get the number of those posters who aren’t sock puppets with an agenda or fake accounts by ICE coal rollers who are into trolling.

As for myself yes I’ve had issues with mine (you can see my post) but I will tell you that because of the warranty support I am very happy with my truck. I would buy it again, but i maybe would have gone 1 trim level down to get the long range battery and keep it under the tax rebate price cap. Maybe.

 

[Shawnson]

Half the worst stories you hear online about products are completely made up by people who don’t even own or have never owned the product. More than just complain, people like to manipulate…

 

[rdr854]

Back in the Fall of 2022, I had a Ford dealer in SW Virginia repeatedly ask if I would like to sell them my Lightning. when I came in to use their charger. I kept telling them “It was not for sale.” The sales manager said that everyone had their price to which I responded $225,000. That killed their desire for the truck, which proudly graces my driveway to this day.

The Lightning was purchased because it can do something no ICE truck can do . . . Secure your stuff like a sedan.

 

[Maxx]

On the issue of size and if it matters; I have noticed my drives with Lightning has been a lot more peaceful than when I drive my small sport car or when I drive my wife’s Subaru. People see cars as they see other people. A green Subaru or a small sport car is perceived as a person that is a pushover and jackasses come out of woodworks to start a conflict. When I drive the Lightning the same way no one messes with me. Maybe that is why cars and trucks keep getting larger in U.S.

This is my personal experience. I have not seen any studies on this.

 

[No Oil HaHa]

Happy with my Lightning? That’s a bit of an understatement for me. This has been my best truck by far and I write that as a loyal Ford owner. I’ve been telling people since I purchased a Tesla adapter the truck is near perfect(I’d probably say it was perfect if it had the King Ranch trim line.)

This truck has saved me plenty of money in gas. I don’t mind having to fast charge, I make good use of my time by cleaning the inside of my truck.
My truck just turned over 30k miles and my local tire shoppe feels I have another 30k left on the original tires. I’ll be happy if I get up to 50k. I love telling people this as I had several saying “EVs eat up tires; you’ll be replacing them every 25k.”

I mentioned those two things as those are two of the biggest complaints people try to throw at me and I give the above explanations. Don’t win people over but at least I silence the complaints and then will tell them: “I don’t think an EV is for you.”

Only time will tell but I’m very hopeful this truck will be like my others where the odometer has over 300k miles before I consider purchasing a new one.

So to sum it all up: Yes I’m very happy with this pickup.

 

[tls]

We have our original solar system plus a second one where we added 5 panels, so unfortunately our service box has been downgraded twice and is maxed out. I've heard the cost to upgrade our service box would be expensive, so I think the 30 amp 220 is the best we can manage without spending a ton.

Try this: https://apevchargers.com/psp-sak-60ms-60a-electric-vehicle-charger-load-management/

This device will shut off your EV charger if the total load on your panel is too high, then turn it on again when other loads decrease. Available in sizes up to 200A but the other models are very pricy - the 60A model suitable for a 48A charger is $800 which is quite reasonable considering how much expense it can help avoid (new panels, service upgrades, etc ).

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