Looking at Lightning Up My Driveway

[kens]

I currently own a MME, and am considering getting a Lightning. I know over the years Ford has decontented these trucks, is there a good list or spreadsheet here that shows the changes? Were any of the deletes added back in later years?

I'd plan to go used as the pricing is attractive. I don't mind going back to the beginning, but if things look good in the newer models it'd be nice to capture some remaining Bluecruise and warranty. I've seen some insane lease deals in the past, so would consider that as well if they come back, or even purchasing new if the price falls enough now that they're discontinued.

I'd be looking for a truck with 9.6 pro power, extended range, and Bluecruise (at least lane keeping and adaptive cruise, not sure if they come separated from Bluecruise).
I'd also prefer the moon roof, ventilated seats, max tow, hitch scale... but those could be compromised for the right deal. Any options I should look to add to my list?

I'll likely be looking to go with the Platinum, did they lose features at the same rate as the Lariat? Or were they spared a bit due to the high trim?

When looking at the Lariat it seems the higher trim may have more that I'm looking for, but I know it wasn't popular to combine all I want in a Lariat in order to keep the price down for tax rebates.

I'd consider a Flash if it had 9.6 pro power, extended range, and Bluecruise, but I don't think there are necessarily many of those out there. Did they make many of them like this?

I don't believe any lower trims would have what I'm looking for, but if I'm wrong set me straight.

Are there benefits I may not be seeing to the newer models that outweigh the feature losses? Any questions I should be asking?

Appreciate any help or guidance y'all can give.

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[21st Century Truck]

I've done the same path... from a 2022 Mach E Premium Tech Trim to a 2023 Lightning XLT 312A.

In Your search please be aware that the 2022 and 2023 Extended Range traction battery models came with a free Ford 80-amp FCSP charging box for Your house, because in 2022 and 2023 these ER models had two (2) chargers built into the truck so their maximum charge rate at AC Level 2 was up to 80 amps, or about 17.3 kW. If You locate such a Lightning model, the 80 amp FCSP can be found here on the forum or on EBay etc. for about $500 or so.

In or just after 2024 (in 2024.5?) Ford eliminated the second built-in charger in the Lightning except for special fleet editions and thus any Lightning built after that date, no matter its trim level or battery size, can charge at a maximum rate of only 48 amps on an AC Level 2 charging box, even if the charging box is the 80-amp FCSP from Ford.

I lucked into an unsold 2023 XLT with an ER still on the dealer lot when I traded in my Mach E in mid-2024. Months later I realized the great advantage of 80 amp (17+ kW) home charging at Level 2... the huge ER battery on the Lightning will refill in about 7+ hours from empty to 100% at the 80 amp rate. Of course, from about 20% to 90% it's much faster, like 5 hours or so. If You already have a charging box on Your wall this would mean upgrading the wire to a thick #6 gauge to safely handle 80 amps.

If You drive longer distances (200+ miles) on many days this really fast AC Level 2 charging speed is an enormous advantage, especially if You now have or might soon have a Time-of-Use electric meter on Your home.

Hope this is useful info.

 

[Calvin H-C]

this would mean upgrading the wire to a thick #6 gauge to safely handle 80 amps.

Check your local codes. Most require #3 for an 80 amp continuous load on a circuit protected by a 100 amp breaker.

 

[bmwhitetx]

There was a post last week that covered a similar question. Check it out.
https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/2023-platinum-vs-2025-platinum.35329/#post-655358

Also scroll to the bottom of that one and you’ll see a section called Similar Threads that has more comparisons.

It will be difficult to find any 24-25 Lariats with ProPower or MaxTow. Reason is price vs rebate as I explain here.

So you’re looking at a Platinum with that wish list. Or a 22-23 Lariat.

All Flash trucks are extended range but in the second half of 25 they reduced the battery size slightly from 131 to 123 kWh.

 

[21st Century Truck]

Check your local codes. Most require #3 for an 80 amp continuous load on a circuit protected by a 100 amp breaker.

Right... my memory might have slipped here, it's been 15 months now since my wire upgrade.

The larger point is that 80 amp-capable wire thickness is "huuuge" and so thick that it's hard to work with ( I watched the electricians as they wrangled my upgraded wire run), and it needs to be torqued to spec with dedicated tools, and is also uncommon in household wiring. I appreciate the clarification.

 

[Calvin H-C]

When we added the EVSE for the Lightning (an Emporia 48A unit), and when we added an outlet to use our Ford portable EVSE at our son's house, we used 1" conduit which has plenty of space for the #6 current carrying conductors (2 for the EVSE , three for the 14-50R outlet) plus a #8 ground, but could support pulling a pair of #3 conductors and a #6 ground if either are ever replaced with an 80 amp EVSE.

Negligible cost for a bit of future proofing.

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