Testament to LER - Get To Decide Whether to Re-Purchase

[VAF84]

Not sure who was following my saga that has resulted in a buy back approval, however now I'm in an interesting dilemma.

My initial experience (purchased Dec 2024) was while working my project during the winter in KY, while completely dependent on fast chargers in less urban America. There was a lot I liked about the truck, but also a lot that irritated the hell out of me which was primarily in regards to highway and winter range. It's now basically summer in Texas and I'm charging at home. So now I'm enjoying the highs of EV life. I'm still averaging 1.7 kwh/mi but at least I come home and plug in.

Anyway, I was pretty sure I was going back to ICE after my experience; but I'm really going to miss the sporty feel, instant torque, and I'm now hooked on the additional space the frunk offers along with the multitude of plugs I occasionally use. So now, even though I have a terrible use case scenario, I'm actually struggling to decide what I will do. The testament here is that even though this truck has been a major inconvenience in a lot of ways, it's also such a unique driving experience with practical applications that I'm seriously debating continuing to put up with them even though I'm about to be offered an out.

Can't wait until Ford responds to the Silverado EV by doubling the battery pack size. That "400-450 mile range" battery would completely eliminate my dilemma. I may take a break and come back in 3 years when battery tech improves; I don't know, tough call.

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[invertedspear]

If I lived in Texas and periodically had to go on those long intercity drives, I would go with a powerboost or wait for the RamCharger. They both lose you the frunk space, but alleviate pretty much all your concerns. The RamCharger advantage, in my mind, is that it will only drive with the EV motors, the V6 is just a generator. The powerboost is a more standard Hybrid.

 

[theUNSTABLE]

I love my Lightning. I have my issues with it (mainly software) but before my purchase I was very aware EV ownership is different and there will be growing pains.
One giant advantage to me is my climate, FL. I don't have to worry about winter range because I don't really have a winter.

I have had countless conversations with strangers and many different people about the pro's and con's.
I ALWAYS start by saying the same thing:
> It's not for everyone

Everyone uses their vehicles differently. Get the tool that works for you to get the job done.
From that foundation you can start to think about different options and narrow down what you're "willing to deal with" or "giving up" etc.

If you need longer range and a truck bed that can get dirty - the Lightning might not work out and you'll lose that sporty feel with torque - but you'll gain time but not dealing with charging.
If its, for example, only a few weeks out of the year you're dealing with limited range and relying on public charging - it might be worth it to keep it.

I was worried about the range, and I was looking at (and now own) the Standard Range model.
I couldn't get this idea out of my head, and I've heard many people use the same example.
"What if I need to suddenly drop everything and drive 300 miles"
> Well then you charge. Its just what you have to do. There may be a few times it sucks, there may be other times its no big deal. You can't plan for everything, but you can plan for the things you know you will need and bring the right tool

For me, before buying I decided to keep track of:
- How many times I drove over 100 miles
- How short of a "notice" did I have
- How many times did I stop

Basically 0.

In my 16-ish months of EV ownership I've DC Fast Charged like 7 times.
- I've had 1 example of a bad time trying to charge
- I have made some of my greatest memories at the other places because I was "forced" to stop at a charger. Turns out they had a fountain, great beer, and the family and I had an absolute blast.

For my situation: The Silverado EV, or any other gigantic battery EV, is wasted money. I don't need more range. (also I really hate that the put the charging port on the rear of the truck, that seems so stupid)

I'm STILL using a regular outlet to charge my truck. I don't even have a charger at my house!
(I do charge for free at work though)


I also think most automakers skipped Plug-in Hybrids / Electric drive vehicles and moved to EV's wayyy too soon, but I don't make those decisions.


Who knows you might be able to come up with a FRUNK compromise or something.
If you need the gas F-150 for range and stuff during winter for work - turn the truck bed into a "frunk" kinda thing with a BedRug.

Anyway, that's just my 2¢ as I read this procrastinating.
But don't trust me I'm some stranger on the internet who's procrastinating

 

[VAF84]

I love my Lightning. I have my issues with it (mainly software) but before my purchase I was very aware EV ownership is different and there will be growing pains.
One giant advantage to me is my climate, FL. I don't have to worry about winter range because I don't really have a winter.

I have had countless conversations with strangers and many different people about the pro's and con's.
I ALWAYS start by saying the same thing:
> It's not for everyone

Everyone uses their vehicles differently. Get the tool that works for you to get the job done.
From that foundation you can start to think about different options and narrow down what you're "willing to deal with" or "giving up" etc.

If you need longer range and a truck bed that can get dirty - the Lightning might not work out and you'll lose that sporty feel with torque - but you'll gain time but not dealing with charging.
If its, for example, only a few weeks out of the year you're dealing with limited range and relying on public charging - it might be worth it to keep it.

I was worried about the range, and I was looking at (and now own) the Standard Range model.
I couldn't get this idea out of my head, and I've heard many people use the same example.
"What if I need to suddenly drop everything and drive 300 miles"
> Well then you charge. Its just what you have to do. There may be a few times it sucks, there may be other times its no big deal. You can't plan for everything, but you can plan for the things you know you will need and bring the right tool

For me, before buying I decided to keep track of:
- How many times I drove over 100 miles
- How short of a "notice" did I have
- How many times did I stop

Basically 0.

In my 16-ish months of EV ownership I've DC Fast Charged like 7 times.
- I've had 1 example of a bad time trying to charge
- I have made some of my greatest memories at the other places because I was "forced" to stop at a charger. Turns out they had a fountain, great beer, and the family and I had an absolute blast.

For my situation: The Silverado EV, or any other gigantic battery EV, is wasted money. I don't need more range. (also I really hate that the put the charging port on the rear of the truck, that seems so stupid)

I'm STILL using a regular outlet to charge my truck. I don't even have a charger at my house!
(I do charge for free at work though)


I also think most automakers skipped Plug-in Hybrids / Electric drive vehicles and moved to EV's wayyy too soon, but I don't make those decisions.


Who knows you might be able to come up with a FRUNK compromise or something.
If you need the gas F-150 for range and stuff during winter for work - turn the truck bed into a "frunk" kinda thing with a BedRug.

Anyway, that's just my 2¢ as I read this procrastinating.
But don't trust me I'm some stranger on the internet who's procrastinating

What got me off to the bad start was driving 120 miles daily in the winter with one option for fast charging. So I was fast charging everyday. Basically spent 35minutes a day, 7 days a week, at the gas station charging, lol. Once things got a little better at my drilling site I was able to reduce it a little by charging off the big diesel generators we had after buying a massive extension cord and adapters. Only in the last month have I been able to use my home charger. Access to Superchargers has been a massive help though. That would have made a pretty big difference in my initial experience.

The current range is decent in the summer. However, winter was brutal when I couldn't charge to 100 on the fast chargers, so I was starting at 80%, then due to lack of charging locations, I couldn't risk going below 20% on a regular basis in case my one nearby charging option was out of commission. Throw in 1.5 kwh/mi and my range was effectively 125 comfortable miles. That's why I want the larger battery pack. I want to be able to tow about 200 miles comfortably, or travel 200-300 miles at normal (Texas) highway speeds without stopping during the winter. In other words, travel close to 500 miles a day with one stop to charge any day of the year at 75-80mph.

You did nail it though, I say the same, have to have the right tool for the job. Unfortunately, my bed gets dirty, the cargo trailer gets pulled, and travel long distances frequently. I always install a bed cover. However, it was cool to load up my LER from frunk to back. It saved me a trip, and didn't require a trailer as I used all of the available space. I even had an office chair in the cabin. Love the space.

First world problems, I know. I guess we'll see what wins out.

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