Some Nitpicks after Five Weeks

[TomB985]

I bought my truck in early November, so I've had the chance to get a decent feel for how it performs on my usual driving routine. That included 3,000 miles of road trip to New Hampshire and back, but not much towing because my boat is in storage for the winter. Overall, I’m really happy with it, but I have a few nitpicks.

Give me more information. Just look at the instrument cluster. It's gorgeous...and that's great. But looking pretty does absolutely nothing towards its intended purpose, and it’s sorely lacking in the amount of information it provides. They could have displayed all kinds of useful data like real temperatures, live efficiency numbers, or even the charge rate. It’s the first EV I’ve ever seen that won’t tell you the rate of charging, and it's cumbersome to dig into the app for this. Absolutely mind-blowing that they haven’t fixed this with an OTA update of some sort. We know they can do it because they recently added the ability to see the battery percentage, so why not give us more? Likewise, the dummy gauges up top are meaningless. They’re glorified idiot lights that always seem to read at the middle of their range. The gas trucks can see real boost numbers, and they used to show actual transmission temps. They also have a handy efficiency screen that shows live MPG that’s resettable independent of the trip odometers. Why show us nothing?

The power delivery seems backwards. Most pickup trucks are RWD by default, and only provide power to the front axle when they’re asked. That’s counterproductive because they’re much heavier in the front, which leads to traction problems when 4WD isn’t engaged. The Lightning, on the other hand, has a funny-shaped battery box that’s heavier in the rear, so it enjoys a 50/50 weight distribution. So why the heck do they bias power to the front? The power distribution screen agrees with my OBD scanner that the front axle gets more power virtually all the time. This truck has an absurd amount of power; it wants to spin the front tires through 60 MPH. That penchant for burning rubber makes me a lot more ginger on the throttle than my previous rear-biased EVs. Fuel may be cheap, but rubber isn’t. It’s not a Camry; give me power in the back as God intended.

On the upside, they did an amazing job with throttle calibration. Tip-in feels natural and linear, using the pedal’s entire range of travel to apportion power. I spend all of my time with one-peal drive mode, and it seemlessly fades in the friction brakes as the truck comes to a stop. This was improved at some point along the line; the demo truck I drove 16 months ago had a noticeable delay going into regen.

ProPower Onboard shouldn’t require the truck to be running. I understand that most of the truck is identical to the ICE model, but why do we have to leave the truck running to use the outlets? From what I gather, it only costs about 400w to run the truck’s systems, but that’s still almost 5 kWh wasted when parked overnight. I plan on using my bed outlets to power my camper when dry camping, and it seems dumb to leave the truck running the whole night.

Buttons are good! I originally wanted a Lariat, but went with this XLT because the deal was too good to pass up. I can’t say enough good things about the combination of 12” SYNC4 display and physical buttons for HVAC. I can adjust my temperatures, fan speed, recirculation, and seat heaters without having to delve into menus. I also routinely smash the big, prominent camera button on top of the display to enable the slick surround-view cameras as I’m going into a tight parking spot. Big screens are great, but I wouldn’t have this any other way. Even coming from the big 15” screen in my Tesla, the 12” display has never felt small. I’d recommend anyone looking at a Lightning take a hard look at the two options before deciding to spring for the Lariat and its giant 15” vertical tablet.

The cabin heating is grossly inefficient. The top-center gauge in the below image is the coolant immersion heater. The Lightning uses this heater to warm coolant, which is piped through a conventional heater core in the dashboard. I’ve seen it pull as much as 12 kW when first activated, and it settles between 3-5 kW to keep me warm at 74º when exterior temperatures are in the 20’s. That’s a lot of power; my EV6 and Model Y would consume less than half as much with their heat pumps. This much consumption really adds up. 5 kW over a three-hour drive burns 15 kWh, which is over 10% of my battery capacity. This isn’t as much of a concern for my southern friends, but it’s a meaningful number in a Minnesota winter. The 2024 models will get a heat pump, and I look forward to seeing how much more efficient they are.

The Standard Range is probably inadequate for cold weather trips. I averaged about 1.7 mi/kWh during my trip to New Hampshire. That was with average temperatures between 25-35º, at speeds between 65-72 MPH. The truck’s EPA rating is approximately 2.5 mi/kWh, which probably isn’t possible at those speeds unless conditions are optimal. Cut that in half and you only have 160 miles of range for the ER pack, or just 115 for the SR. It takes a lot longer to charge from 80-100% than it does from 20-80%, so road trips will be painful if you need that final 20% to get to your next charging stop. I think Ford did a commendable job with the aerodynamics to get range estimates as high as they did, but there’s no getting around the physics of moving such a large vehicle through the wind. Speed seems to have a much higher penalty in my Lightning than my previous EVs. If you want to burn down the highway at 80 MPH, you’re going to pay for it at the charging stations.

This is the first EV that I’ve had that was more expensive to travel with than its ICE counterpart at $3/gal. I expect this to be significantly better in warmer weather, and the 2024 trucks should do better with their more efficient heating system.

Overall, I’m really happy with it. I’ve had 25 other vehicles before this of all shapes, colors, sizes, and varieties, and none have been as comfortable to drive as my Lightning. It’s exceedingly quiet, absurdly powerful, and remarkably composed over broken pavement. It’s not the right tool for everyone, but it should meet my needs much better than its predecessor did because it has the battery size take my camper on road trips. Dealers everywhere have them in stock. If you have even a passing interest, I can’t recommend a test drive enough. I think you’ll be surprised.

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[TaxmanHog]

Fair review and opinions.

PPOB, needs to have the HVB contactors to be active, they are presently designed to come on when charging, driving, or parked but running/idling for heat.

For a camp or work site scenario, set the parking brake, start the Lightning, shut off the HVAC system, lights, set the Sync screen to calm mode and drape a towel over the instrument cluster, to minimize unnecessary loads, but allow PPOB to be available and periodic LVB maintenance with the cycling of the DC/DC converter, the LVB is anemic.

Ford has mentioned recently that an update is coming to streamline this setup to what feels like a no run condition and PPOB being available.

The PTC module has run as much as 18KW in my testing, but I've only observed it in 15 to 30 minute stretches while plugged into my EVSE and monitoring current flow with my Emporia Vue2 energy monitor, this recent snap shot showed a peak of 11KW, the cumulative energy over 15 minutes was 1.39 KWH, obviously the system would continue to cycle high & low current draw while on a longer drive.

I think Ford used the PTC as a quick solution with OTC parts supplies and cabin HVAC design rather than a full on redesign with a heat pump since that would have extended the time frame of development to market. I'm glad they are testing it in the MY24 Lightning, they should work out any issues on that platform before rolling out T3 which would likely inherit the same setup.

 

[TomB985]

Fair review and opinions.

PPOB, needs to have the HVB contactors to be active, they are presently designed to come on when charging, driving, or parked but running/idling for heat.

I don't have access to the service manual yet, but don't the contactors close to maintain battery temperature or charge the LVB when it falls below 20%? I can't imagine the LCD panels in the dashboard use a meaningful amount of power, so it's possible that base load while running would apply any time the contactors are closed.

Ford has mentioned recently that an update is coming to streamline this setup to what feels like a no run condition and PPOB being available.

That would be fantastic. Is every module capable of OTA updates, or do some require FDRS?

I think Ford used the PTC as a quick solution with OTC parts supplies and cabin HVAC design rather than a full on redesign with a heat pump since that would have extended the time frame of development to market. I'm glad they are testing it in the MY24 Lightning, they should work out any issues on that platform before rolling out T3 which would likely inherit the same setup.

That's my read of things as well. I'm no engineer, but a big immersion heater piped into the existing hardware seems like a simpler way to tackle the problem on a first-gen vehicle being rushed to market. All things considered, I think they did an excellent job.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I don't have access to the service manual yet, but don't the contactors close to maintain battery temperature or charge the LVB when it falls below 20%? I can't imagine the LCD panels in the dashboard use a meaningful amount of power, so it's possible that base load while running would apply any time the contactors are closed.

I don't have access to the EDM (Electrical & Diagnostic Manual) my understanding is that the HVB has two pair of HV contactors, one pair for the drive motors the other pair for AC/DC charge controller with a bypass for back feeding HVB to HIS via FCSP, DC/DC converter for autonomous LVB maintenance and a feeder to PPOB DC/AC inverter.

It just occurred to me that battery cooling system might be needed to chill the heat from the DC/AC inverters, so there could be periodic operation of the chiller, diverter valves, glycol pump and front condenser air fan.

That would be fantastic. Is every module capable of OTA updates, or do some require FDRS?

The mission is to have all updates come by OTA unless there is an issue with hardware changes in conjunction with a program change.

 

[invertedspear]

set the Sync screen to calm mode

In the XLT you can go to settings>display, and turn the sync screen off completely. Calm is also an option, but given the scenario discussed, off is better. Also suggest dimming the instrument cluster to it's minimum during this time.

 

[Dave70]

I'm just jealous that your XLT shows battery percentage on the main screen display ???. My XLT ER bought in October is still on the old display with no updates received yet ?.

 

[Heliian]

information

Uh, what ? There are 10 pages of info to customize, including 3 trip meters and the gauges do work, I can see battery and motor temp move when I leave cold. They are supposed to be in the middle and stay there. Opening the app to see the charge rate isn't hard, especially when you're sitting there doing nothing. I don't usually sit in the truck while charging anyways so the app is the best method for me.

seems backwards.

I found the balance near perfect, if you're spinning tires then it's more your driving style. Best truck I ever had was a Honda ridgeline, fwd is more efficient all around.

ProPower Onboard shouldn’t require the truck to be running

Agreed, Ford is working on getting it setup for earlier models.

Buttons

Buttons are okay but I've found the 15 in screen easy to use and it does have some mandatory buttons. Buttons are a thing of the past, but it's more personal preference.

heating is grossly inefficient

The heating is VERY efficient, it just uses a lot of power. Living in a colder climate, I don't mind, heat pumps lose efficiency at colder temps. If it's warm out, the aircon is fairly efficient too. It's a simple system and should provide years of service without any problems. People need to learn how to use their modern vehicle heat controls, my sister in law just uses fan speed if it's too hot or cold and can never get her car at a stable temp, use the auto mode.

Standard Range is probably inadequate for cold weather trips.

Very true, unless you don't need the range. When buying a vehicle you need to research what fits you and your scenario.
Bombing around town daily, no problem.
Cross country trips every weekend, not so much.

The lightning is a big leap in technology and will take some time to learn the systems but after a few months you'll wonder why you did it the old way. One pedal drive for ex.

 

[GoodSam]

From what I gather, it only costs about 400w to run the truck’s systems, but that’s still almost 5 kWh wasted when parked overnight.

I have not seen over the minimum display of 90W being used when ProPower is on without any loads plugged in. What does your OBD scanner show for power usage without anything plugged in?

 

[TomB985]

Uh, what ? There are 10 pages of info to customize, including 3 trip meters and the gauges do work, I can see battery and motor temp move when I leave cold. They are supposed to be in the middle and stay there. Opening the app to see the charge rate isn't hard, especially when you're sitting there doing nothing. I don't usually sit in the truck while charging anyways so the app is the best method for me.

It’s not whether it’s hard…why do I even need to? This is my fourth EV, and the first that won’t tell me how fast it’s charging without using my phone. That’s ridiculous in my view.

The ICE F150 with the mid-level cluster has an efficiency screen for cryin’ out loud. It shows instant and average efficiency that can be reset independently of the two trips. Why does a gas truck costing $20K less have a feature we don’t with a higher-end cluster?

Other EV makers do it better. Tesla is probably the gold standard.

Kia shows instantaneous and average efficiency below the cluster. They, along with Tesla, prominently display charge rate. And yes, they will both let you see it in the app, but that’s silly unless you’re out of the car.

I found the balance near perfect, if you're spinning tires then it's more your driving style. Best truck I ever had was a Honda ridgeline, fwd is more efficient all around.

No it’s not. FWD cars are more efficient because most use transverse-mounted engines that spin on the same plane as the road wheels. The hypoid differential is what rotates the torque 90º on longitudinal setups, and it’s the most inefficient gear set in a car. Our trucks use identical PM front and rear motors that rotate on the same axis as the wheels. There’s no inherent efficiency benefit to driving the front harder than the rear.

Ford is relatively unique in this regard. This is my fourth EV and the others primarily used the rear motor.

The heating is VERY efficient, it just uses a lot of power. Living in a colder climate, I don't mind, heat pumps lose efficiency at colder temps. If it's warm out, the aircon is fairly efficient too. It's a simple system and should provide years of service without any problems. People need to learn how to use their modern vehicle heat controls, my sister in law just uses fan speed if it's too hot or cold and can never get her car at a stable temp, use the auto mode.

It’s literally the least-efficient way to heat an EV.

The lightning is a big leap in technology and will take some time to learn the systems but after a few months you'll wonder why you did it the old way. One pedal drive for ex.

Agree, but my perspective is through the lens of driving EVs since 2019. I’ve owned the competition, and these comparisons are based on real-world examples where the truck could be better. I know this because others are showing it. I love my Lightning, but it’s not perfect, and Ford is not above criticism.

 

[TomB985]

I have not seen over the minimum display of 90W being used when ProPower is on without any loads plugged in. What does your OBD scanner show for power usage without anything plugged in?

That screen only shows power output through the outlets, which should be zero unless something is plugged in. I’m talking about energy drawn from the HV battery to drive the truck’s systems. Think coolant pump, computers, screens, lights, etc. If I manually shut the lights off, it seems to pull about 0.4-0.5 kW from the HV battery with nothing plugged into the outlets. Plug something in and the HV battery draw rises with that load.

 

[Heliian]

owned the competition

There is no competition, unless you count the cybertruck.

However, I'm glad you're able to pick out these minor inconveniences to you, that means your truck is working well.

All of these features that you think are missing would be easy to spot before you bought the truck, most of us knew what we were getting into. Not everyone wants or needs an information overload to drive their truck. I use my truck as a truck on a near daily basis. It does what it's supposed to do better than any other truck I've driven and since it's the first mass market ev truck on the market I know that it can only get better from here, minus the huge frunk of course, you won't see that again unfortunately.

 

[RickLightning]

People draw comparisons to ICE F-150s. I owned a 2013 for a decade. Put over 51,000 miles on it. Lifetime mpg of 17.2mpg.

With gas at $3 per gallon, that is a cost of 17.4 cents per mile. In 10 years of ownership, I think I saw 19.X on the highway once, and 20.X once.

With the cost of charging, with Pass+, at approximately 40 cents per kWh including tax, an efficiency of 2.29 miles per kilowatt would be equal.

But, that is wrong, since my trip would include a full tank at 15.5 cents from my house, and would include some free charging on the road, like at a hotel. Or a State facility. Or some public charger. On a recent 4,708 mile trip, ~36% of my charging was free.

So, let's use an effective cost of 30 cents for yucks. 30/17.4 = 1.7 equivalent. Totally doable.

It is basically the same cost. With instant acceleration, like a rocket. And a full tank every morning.

And when gas is $4 it is cheaper.

 

[TomB985]

People draw comparisons to ICE F-150s. I owned a 2013 for a decade. Put over 51,000 miles on it. Lifetime mpg of 17.2mpg.

With gas at $3 per gallon, that is a cost of 17.4 cents per mile. In 10 years of ownership, I think I saw 19.X on the highway once, and 20.X once.

With the cost of charging, with Pass+, at approximately 40 cents per kWh including tax, an efficiency of 2.29 miles per kilowatt would be equal.

But, that is wrong, since my trip would include a full tank at 15.5 cents from my house, and would include some free charging on the road, like at a hotel. Or a State facility. Or some public charger. On a recent 4,708 mile trip, ~36% of my charging was free.

So, let's use an effective cost of 30 cents for yucks. 30/17.4 = 1.7 equivalent. Totally doable.

It is basically the same cost. With instant acceleration, like a rocket. And a full tank every morning.

And when gas is $4 it is cheaper.

I think that’s about right. My average is about 1.5 so far, but the math easily pencils out at home charging at $0.07/kWh. I’m hoping to see 2.0 mi/kWh in warmer weather, though. I live in semi-rural Minnesota, so most of my miles are between 60-80 MPH.

I think Ford did a fantastic job overall. My hardware gripes are baked in, and it’s a wonder they got things this good within their timeframe. I’d like to see the software items fixed with an OTA, but apparently not all of us want to see charge speed or efficiency. ?‍

 

[invertedspear]

People draw comparisons to ICE F-150s. I owned a 2013 for a decade. Put over 51,000 miles on it. Lifetime mpg of 17.2mpg.

With gas at $3 per gallon, that is a cost of 17.4 cents per mile. In 10 years of ownership, I think I saw 19.X on the highway once, and 20.X once.

With the cost of charging, with Pass+, at approximately 40 cents per kWh including tax, an efficiency of 2.29 miles per kilowatt would be equal.

But, that is wrong, since my trip would include a full tank at 15.5 cents from my house, and would include some free charging on the road, like at a hotel. Or a State facility. Or some public charger. On a recent 4,708 mile trip, ~36% of my charging was free.

So, let's use an effective cost of 30 cents for yucks. 30/17.4 = 1.7 equivalent. Totally doable.

It is basically the same cost. With instant acceleration, like a rocket. And a full tank every morning.

And when gas is $4 it is cheaper.

A big thing is also that your price per kWh is pretty consistent. Mine is <8 cents, or free if my solar is doing well. The price at EA or EVGo is an occasionally changing constant. You can plan and budget driving an EV. Gas prices fluctuate a ton. In 2008 the market fell apart and gas dropped to $1/gal, in 2021, a pipeline to Phoenix busted and gas jumped to $5-6 per gallon. Even on the same day, the part of town you're in plays a factor. You just have to plan to spend a lot on gas, and hope prices are cheaper than your plan. EV allows me to know pretty much exactly what a trip is going to cost.

 

[RickLightning]

A big thing is also that your price per kWh is pretty consistent. Mine is <8 cents, or free if my solar is doing well. The price at EA or EVGo is an occasionally changing constant. You can plan and budget driving an EV. Gas prices fluctuate a ton. In 2008 the market fell apart and gas dropped to $1/gal, in 2021, a pipeline to Phoenix busted and gas jumped to $5-6 per gallon. Even on the same day, the part of town you're in plays a factor. You just have to plan to spend a lot on gas, and hope prices are cheaper than your plan. EV allows me to know pretty much exactly what a trip is going to cost.

Valid points. When I planned my trips in the past (prior to Aug 2023), I noted which states were EA charge by the minute versus charge by the kWh, as charge by the minute is about 1/2 the price.

Then EA changed to "per location". So now I look that up on the EA app when planning my trip, because there is no much variation. I've seen a high of 64 cents per kWh, and I recall a low a few months back of maybe 36 cents (both before 25% Pass+ discount). I try to shift charging to the lower cost ones where possible.

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