LIGHTNING CURIOSITY -- Why Did You Choose It?

[hturnerfamily]

I just took a business trip yesterday in my 'old school' 2015 Nissan LEAF, which has about a 60mile 'comfortable' range. Since the destination was outside that range, and the destination had no charging option anywhere nearby, planning was certainly involved. I was determined NOT to take my 'gas only' Ford Focus!

-I drove 35 miles to a ElectrifyAmerica CHAdeMO charger, where I charged for maybe 30 minutes.
-I drove 40 miles to my 'destination' business stop, in a rural area.
-With planning, I drove 20 miles, somewhat out of the way, to a small college that just happened to have a free Level 2 charger(a new VW ID.4 was there, too), where I sat for 45 minutes to get enough juice for the next charger - I walked a block to Wendy's, had lunch, checked some emails, watched part of an 'EV' video - then came back to find the timing just right.
-I drove 25 miles to the next GeorgiPower Chargepoint CHAdeMO fast charger, arriving on 'fumes', where I sat and enjoyed the good weather, for about 30 minutes to get mostly full, to drive the 45 miles back home.

Now, I only say that because not having to stop at a fuel station and spend $3.75 to $4.00 per gallon felt good, although the fast charging itself was not 'free', it was in the $14 range.
I also did it as one of the 'last time' longer trips in this 'old school' EV so that when my LIGHTNING arrives I will felt like I have won the Lottery. No worries!

Actually, I'm heading to the ATLANTA AUTO SHOW next thursday the 17th, in this 'old school' LEAF, and will, again, test the RANGE of this great vehicle - I LOVE driving it! One stop at a DC fast charger in Columbus, GA, another in Lagrange, GA, another in UnionCity, GA(just southwest of the airport), and on to the World COngress Center for the show. And, the same path back again. 173 miles each way.

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[GDN]

I just took a business trip yesterday in my 'old school' 2015 Nissan LEAF, which has about a 60mile 'comfortable' range. Since the destination was outside that range, and the destination had no charging option anywhere nearby, planning was certainly involved. I was determined NOT to take my 'gas only' Ford Focus!

-I drove 35 miles to a ElectrifyAmerica CHAdeMO charger, where I charged for maybe 30 minutes.
-I drove 40 miles to my 'destination' business stop, in a rural area.
-With planning, I drove 20 miles, somewhat out of the way, to a small college that just happened to have a free Level 2 charger(a new VW ID.4 was there, too), where I sat for 45 minutes to get enough juice for the next charger - I walked a block to Wendy's, had lunch, checked some emails, watched part of an 'EV' video - then came back to find the timing just right.
-I drove 25 miles to the next GeorgiPower Chargepoint CHAdeMO fast charger, arriving on 'fumes', where I sat and enjoyed the good weather, for about 30 minutes to get mostly full, to drive the 45 miles back home.

Now, I only say that because not having to stop at a fuel station and spend $3.75 to $4.00 per gallon felt good, although the fast charging itself was not 'free', it was in the $14 range.
I also did it as one of the 'last time' longer trips in this 'old school' EV so that when my LIGHTNING arrives I will felt like I have won the Lottery. No worries!

Actually, I'm heading to the ATLANTA AUTO SHOW next thursday the 17th, in this 'old school' LEAF, and will, again, test the RANGE of this great vehicle - I LOVE driving it! One stop at a DC fast charger in Columbus, GA, another in Lagrange, GA, another in UnionCity, GA(just southwest of the airport), and on to the World COngress Center for the show. And, the same path back again. 173 miles each way.

You are dedicated.

 

[Mdesigns]

I'm a residential designer, developer, builder and also have my real estate licence here in Ontario.
I ordered the Lariat ER with 511A as I am in my truck (office) all day. I have averaged over 30 000 kms/year on my current Ram 1500, which equates to aprox $6000.00 (CAD) a year in fuel. I'm interrested in the energy/environmental savings, but also how the BEV will interact with new housing moving forward. As a designer, I try to investiagte/incorporate changes and trends into my new design/builds to be at the forefront of my local competition. Maximizing energy conservation and mimimizing environmental impact in new construction is just good business with todays clients. A a corporate vehicle with lettering/advertising, I hope to attract a lot of positive visability around town. On the jobsites, I won't have to load/fill gas powered generators anymore and enjoy some peace and quiet! At home, I can charge off peak for relative pennies and back up my house in a power outage. I currently have and love, the Rambox feature that offers lots of storage for all the tools etc I need daily, so the idea of a mega power frunk will provide similar while not impacting the cab or bed. For what I'm looking for its a win, win win.

 

[GregBC]

That’s a great reply man!
certainly there are situations and people that this really works for that I understand better thanks to all the comments.

I imagine places like Alaska, Yukon, NWT, Fort Mac, etc will simply be the last places for EV’s to ever take hold. Some proclaim EVs will take over ALL transportation but I never see that being the case unless ranges and charging capacity improve dramatically; that will require a step-change in battery performance (something other than Lithium based). It all comes down to energy density: it’s far easier to ship tanks of fuel and refuel from them in remote places (eg, gas stations up north and in remote communities) then setup a sufficient charging network (at least in the foreseeable future; in time I’ll happily eat my words).

As for me, I had my name on the Lightning list and ultimately passed on an order. Reasons: I want to go to remote places with the family, maybe tow trailers to remote places, I need the confidence and assurance of fossil fuels in the near term. Also my daughter and wife both have horses and might want to take part in some shows on the mainland - I MIGHT BARELY make it to the show ground towing 2 horses, or might not… Last thing I’d want to do on a 35c/100F day is unhitch the horse trailer to charge up for 30min (many of the chargers I see around here are setup for single cars).

The price for a XLT in Canada and lower incentives didn’t make economic sense to me yet, even with current gas prices.

The longer trips also leads to an extra wrinkle to life on Vancouver Island: making the ferries. A friend with a Tesla nearly missed the last ferry to Denman/Hornby because a big road closure meant he had to top up his battery a little bit to make sure he actually GOT to the ferry. He made it and literally rolled straight onto the ferry without stopping (this is normally a “Boss Move” on Vancouver Island but for him, it was pretty stressful, lol!). It’s not a showstopper (lots of things lead to missing ferries), but one more wrinkle to consider for me when kids/dog are involved in a year-long planned vacation

That being said, if my situation was different I’d definitely be considering the Lightning still (and do plan on getting an EV for 2nd vehicle to replace our 2nd ICE). The ability to carry mtn bikes to the hill, have some food after powered by the truck? Go paddle boarding and run an electric grill afterwards? Go car camping (not too far away, mind you) and run the camp kitchen without bunch of propane tanks? All of that is awesome to me! A major flooding event isolates the island from gas trucks and local gas stations run out of fuel? (this happened in Nov/Dec) No problem! I hope tbe Lightning is a great success (and Silverado snd Rivian, etc) and hope battery prices come down to make these vehicles more accessible to a broader range of economies.

 

[Roy2001]

In order of importance to me: No more gas and gas smell, nearly free electricity from my solar panel, nearly zero maintenance, no worries about engine/transmission failure, instant torque.

More? Maybe frunk, this is important for F150 which doesn't have a trunk.

I have quite a few daily short trips, drop off and pickup kid, gym, dining or grocery shopping. With gas engine, the smell really bothers me. I am quite happy with Prius Prime but I need a larger EV, F150 Lightning would be the perfect vehicle for me, only if Ford let me to order.

Dealer contacted me twice for wave 4 and wave 5, then they told me I just missed....

 

[Nick Gerteis]

I imagine places like Alaska, Yukon, NWT, Fort Mac, etc will simply be the last places for EV’s to ever take hold. Some proclaim EVs will take over ALL transportation but I never see that being the case unless ranges and charging capacity improve dramatically; that will require a step-change in battery performance (something other than Lithium based). It all comes down to energy density: it’s far easier to ship tanks of fuel and refuel from them in remote places (eg, gas stations up north and in remote communities) then setup a sufficient charging network (at least in the foreseeable future; in time I’ll happily eat my words).

As for me, I had my name on the Lightning list and ultimately passed on an order. Reasons: I want to go to remote places with the family, maybe tow trailers to remote places, I need the confidence and assurance of fossil fuels in the near term. Also my daughter and wife both have horses and might want to take part in some shows on the mainland - I MIGHT BARELY make it to the show ground towing 2 horses, or might not… Last thing I’d want to do on a 35c/100F day is unhitch the horse trailer to charge up for 30min (many of the chargers I see around here are setup for single cars).

The price for a XLT in Canada and lower incentives didn’t make economic sense to me yet, even with current gas prices.

The longer trips also leads to an extra wrinkle to life on Vancouver Island: making the ferries. A friend with a Tesla nearly missed the last ferry to Denman/Hornby because a big road closure meant he had to top up his battery a little bit to make sure he actually GOT to the ferry. He made it and literally rolled straight onto the ferry without stopping (this is normally a “Boss Move” on Vancouver Island but for him, it was pretty stressful, lol!). It’s not a showstopper (lots of things lead to missing ferries), but one more wrinkle to consider for me when kids/dog are involved in a year-long planned vacation

That being said, if my situation was different I’d definitely be considering the Lightning still (and do plan on getting an EV for 2nd vehicle to replace our 2nd ICE). The ability to carry mtn bikes to the hill, have some food after powered by the truck? Go paddle boarding and run an electric grill afterwards? Go car camping (not too far away, mind you) and run the camp kitchen without bunch of propane tanks? All of that is awesome to me! A major flooding event isolates the island from gas trucks and local gas stations run out of fuel? (this happened in Nov/Dec) No problem! I hope tbe Lightning is a great success (and Silverado snd Rivian, etc) and hope battery prices come down to make these vehicles more accessible to a broader range of economies.

A year-long vacation? Dang it, Canada really does have it better!?

 

[GregBC]

A year-long vacation? Dang it, Canada really does have it better!?

Oh, I meant it had been planned for a year in advance, haha! (Some places we reserve a year out knowing we’ll return)

 

[FlasherZ]

Wife & I have been driving Tesla since 2012 (350,000 miles driving electric, have been in more than 20 states with them), so we're used to EV's. I doubt we'll ever go back to ICE for daily drivers.

However, I do have an old, rusty, 2007 F-250 short-cab, long-bed diesel truck for my orchard. The specs on the Lightning are such that I think they'll be "good enough" to replace both my Tesla Model S and my F-250 with the Lightning. One less vehicle, one lower fuel bill.

I think it'll do just fine pulling my big trailer with tractor on it - rarely do I go hog wild on hauling, but need to pull tractors, beehives, etc. around.

I am taking a step backwards with regard to charging networks - Tesla's fast charging network just can't be beat. They're every 50 miles or so, and I haven't had to do the campground-charging thing in nearly 8 years or so. Hopefully the various charging networks expand like the Supercharger network (and/or Tesla opens theirs up).

With that said, most of my driving is local and 300 miles range very rarely gets tested (kids' baseball tournaments, primarily).

 

[hturnerfamily]

on my trip in my LEAF the other day, I stopped ot an EA Charge Station right off I75 in the heart of Georgia. No one but me was there, when I arrived, while I charged, and when I left....
Down the street at the brand new 10 station TeslaSuperCharger row sat 8 Teslas. They're going to have to start selling tickets before long.

 

[FlasherZ]

on my trip in my LEAF the other day, I stopped ot an EA Charge Station right off I75 in the heart of Georgia. No one but me was there, when I arrived, while I charged, and when I left....
Down the street at the brand new 10 station TeslaSuperCharger row sat 8 Teslas. They're going to have to start selling tickets before long.

They definitely have gotten packed. Wife and I have been traveling from St. Louis to Florida many times in the Model X, and it used to be very rare that we'd see anything more than 1-2 other cars. Now we usually pull into half-full or more stations and occasionally need to wait. The good news is that they're spaced close enough that if you come upon a station that's full with a line, you can usually make it to the next one where you might have better experience (and the in-car screen shows you how many stalls are available & operative, so you don't even need to get off the highway if you see there are 0 available).

 

[LightningShow]

I'm hoping Tesla opens up their Superchargers before I get the Lightning ? . DCFC up in NH/ME completely sucks without including the Superchargers. The next few years are going to be rough for fast charging if the charging network providers don't start opening stations more quickly.

 

[GDN]

I understand both of these last two posts as a current Tesla owner. However there are many areas even Tesla still has some gaps. DFW to Tulsa was a big one until November. Finally a charger installed 60 miles N of DFW in Denison. It opened the day before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving weekend when I pulled in - all 8 stalls were full.

The good news there - most of the cars were 3's and Y's taking advantage of that new 250kW speed (at least for several minutes during the curve.)

My concern even if Tesla does open them to other brands, these first gen trucks are hobbled to 150kW charging. I know there are curves, I know there are limits - but no one really has a battery as big as we will have in the ER versions. This battery and truck should be able to hold the top of that curve and take advantage of that 250kW speed for longer. Even for 10 minutes could reduce the charging sessions by 20 minutes or more. We need this to make road tripping more manageable and to get more people charged in a given time frame.

I guess only time will tell. I don't know if that 150kW charging limit is a hardware limit or software limit. Maybe after some trial and feedback on charging they can raise that limit with software. Only time will tell.

 

[hturnerfamily]

with the crowds of Teslas at superchargers, I can't see them opening up the spaces to other manufacturers - they are already sometimes having problems with just Teslas, unless they double the stalls.

the first 'other' manufacturer that shows up at a supercharger will certainly get the cold shoulder...
if not some not-so-happy looks.

 

[GDN]

with the crowds of Teslas at superchargers, I can't see them opening up the spaces to other manufacturers - they are already sometimes having problems with just Teslas, unless they double the stalls.

I think this is why they will eventually though - opening them up could land Musk Millions if not billions from the govt, which will allow him to expand and build more.

While the growth happens it could be more painful, at the end of the day and 2 years down the road we will all win.

I'm just concerned that Ford really put the charging port in the wrong location. Those cables on todays superchargers will have a tough time reaching the way most are arranged today.

 

[BEMOH]

We need a truck for our family outdoor activities and the occasional short tow(under 150 miles). We have a minivan for road trips.

We had a Honda Ridgeline in the old body style and once you have a truck with built in storage that doesn't affect the bed, it is really hard to go with something else.

We have tricked out that minivan to handle a lot of our activities but we can't just throw 5 bikes on the back and go or grab sheet goods at the home depot.

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