MotorTrend 2022 Lightning Lariat 3-Year Verdict: Plenty to Love, Little to Hate

[BigLeagueChoo]

I do chuckle when people have a negative review on the backup camera.....I hope they never drive a GM truck lol.

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[Firn]

Overall trip efficiency with some highway driving is a LOT different than per mile efficiency at speed.

Range really only matters if doing highway continuously, if not it isnt a big issue since folks rarely exceed the total range if not driving highway.

Reset the trip meter when getting on the highway, for that highway drive ONLY expect around 2.0 mi/kwh at 70mph.

Getting nearly 50% better efficiency than an unladen vanilla truck is not possible.

 

[TwentyTwentyThree]

I agree. I really like my truck. I’ll caveat this with saying that I use my F-150 the same way most people use their RAV4.

 

[Jim Lewis]

The range number on the front dash is affectionately and aggravatingly called "Guess-O-Meter" because the range is a best guess by the truck. Basically our short hand way of saying to not trust the actual range number displayed.


I usually take 50miles off the GOM range and call that my range.

I went on a 3400-mile round trip to London, Ontario and back from San Antonio, TX this summer. I used A Better Route Planner almost all of the way (Google Maps was better on local routes between shops within communities). Most of my travel was around 70 mph. ABRP was spot on with a live data connection for weather, traffic, etc., usually overestimating by a few percent the charge it would take to get from one charging stop to another. The terrain I traveled was relatively flat much of the way, so that may have helped. Occasionally, the local routing on something like an Interstate exit/entrance was terrible, with one or two times the voiceover instructions not even agreeing with what was displayed on my SYNC screen. But overall, the whole trip convinced me that an ABRP subscription is well worth the price on long trips. I used almost exclusively Tesla superchargers and confirmed the charging stops by checking them out in the Tesla online map via my PC before leaving home. I paid $12 for a one-month Tesla charging membership and saved a bunch of bucks on charging rates.

I did consume a bunch of cellular data, though. About 4 GB for the trip. Normally, I'm on a parsimonious 1 GB per month, unlimited calls and texting, from Spectrum Mobile, since I'm at home most of the time on Wi-Fi with my cell phone. $30/mo, including a cellular Apple Watch Ultra. I had to switch to the Unlimited+ plan in Canada to get "unlimited" data (50 GB) and unlimited calls and texting ($50/mo, IIRC).

 

[Howard S]

At PNM in New Mexico I pay $.03 per kWh plus about $.04 in taxes and fees when charging between 10PM and 5AM. That works out to less than $.035 per mile. So for 10,000 miles I would pay $350 in Electricity. If I had a gas F150 with equal power that gets a combined EPA 15 mpg at the current gas price of $3.40/ gal would be $2,267 for 10,000 miles. I like keeping about $1900 a year in my pocket.

 

[AZT9]

The range number on the front dash is affectionately and aggravatingly called "Guess-O-Meter" because the range is a best guess by the truck. Basically our short hand way of saying to not trust the actual range number displayed.


I usually take 50miles off the GOM range and call that my range.

Or

I'll usually use invertedspear's calculator for my range figure based on the truck's reported efficiency. Much more accurate. I've been safe using this method on my road trips.

https://lightningcalcs.pages.dev/?battery=131

Since the Apple CarPlay maps intergration, I have found it to be incredibly accurate on countless trips short and long. It has never been more the 1% off of predicted range upon arrival at
My destination.

 

[davehu]

Holy shirt, $0.36 for off peak?! I know it can be rough out there, but damn.

yeah, you are not alone in noting those numbers. It looks like the reviewer lives in California... go figure. I'm in the lowly state of Arkansas (some laugh, but we love it here) and we pay 12cents/kwhr.... 24 hours per day.

 

[electricpig]

Yeah I'm in a perhaps unique position where I drive every type of road imaginable on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. Gravel roads, 35 MPH one lane roads, 55 MPH two lane highways, 55 MPH four lane highways where everybody drives 65, and 4 lane 70 MPH interstates are all on my menu each day. My average (not "this trip") is still at 2.8 mi/kWh over the term of ownership thus far. I've seen daily commutes as high as 3.1, never lower than 2.5.

Yesterday I had to make a run to pick up parts from a dealership and I had the cruise set to 79 MPH. Still saw 2.7 mi/kWh.

What's interesting about that to me is that 2.8 average is FAR higher than what I see just about everybody else posting. Seems like most people I see are in the 2.0 to 2.2 range. Mathematically that's a huge difference. We're talking around 70 miles of range difference. I haven't yet figured out why there is such a difference. Do most people drive these trucks at 95 MPH everywhere they go?

Winter is going to knock your average down considerably. Cold weather is a hugh range hit.

 

[RocketGhost]

yeah, you are not alone in noting those numbers. It looks like the reviewer lives in California... go figure. I'm in the lowly state of Arkansas (some laugh, but we love it here) and we pay 12cents/kwhr.... 24 hours per day.

I lived in Arkansas for a total of 25 years. Just across the river in Memphis now. Arkansas has a feeling of home, maybe it's just the familiarity, but we enjoy going to visit. It's a great place for experiencing the outdoors and nature.

We probably won't move back though, we like bigger cities now. Maybe NWA.

EV charging infrastructure needs a boost but so far I've been able to take the Lightning throughout the state. Some trips though were tricky.

 

[pullinggs]

It looks like the reviewer lives in California... go figure.

People in Arkansas can have a distorted view of California, just like people in California can have a distorted view of Arkansas (yes, I've spent a lot of time in both).

I pay $0.11 per kW to charge, off-peak. In California. Might not be as cheap as other places, but it is not that expensive, either.

 

[RickKeen]

Reviewers significantly under-weight the value of "Its an F150".
ALL of Ford's decades of learning what people want and actually use in a 1/2 ton pickup are embodied also in the Lightning because of this. Plus the ecosystem of third party accessories for both in-cab and in the bed, and even some suspension and trim things fit.

 

[RocketGhost]

I wish the author had expanded the cost analysis with examples for different electricity costs around the country. It's great they tracked and reported what they paid to charge, but it would have been helpful for readers to see what it would cost at different rates, particularly since their electricity is among some of the most expensive in the country.

 

[digitaldad]

At PNM in New Mexico I pay $.03 per kWh plus about $.04 in taxes and fees when charging between 10PM and 5AM. That works out to less than $.035 per mile. So for 10,000 miles I would pay $350 in Electricity. If I had a gas F150 with equal power that gets a combined EPA 15 mpg at the current gas price of $3.40/ gal would be $2,267 for 10,000 miles. I like keeping about $1900 a year in my pocket.

Me too buddy, got it right at the start when it became available, and its been great (we are all EV household here).

The whole-home ev rate (WHEV) is/was included in rate hike request....to 7 cents, iirc. That's gonna suck but still better than full rate and other areas.

 

[flabrent]

Where I live in Florida, the local power company has a pretty good deal for EV owners. Unlimited off peak, weekends and holidays charging for a flat rate of $31/mo. if your house is already hardwired for an EV charger. If they have to provide hardwiring, the rate is $38/mo.
https://www.fpl.com/electric-vehicles/for-drivers/evolution-home.html

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