[Update] TFL picks up their Lightning and will be doing an Alaska travel series

[vandy1981]

[Updated with pickup delivery video]





They're trading in the least efficient half-ton truck you can buy (their Ram TRX) for the most efficient one and will be road tripping it back to Colorado. I wish normal people could pick up their Lightnings at the factory, but oh well. They also say that they'll be doing a Lightning road trip up to the northernmost part of Alaska after that.

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[Bandit216]

If they are planning the trip this summer, they aren't going to make it far or get there fast. There are almost no DCFC charger options when driving thru northern Canada and Alaska.

 

[astricklin]

I'm excited to see them drive it to Alaska, I hope they make it it should be possible (I've read the blog from someone making the trip from Vermont to Alaska in a Bolt), however I believe it will require stopping at some campgrounds to charge. Some day I want to be able to do this drive myself.
I'm sure they have watched the videos from @OutofSpecKyle and possibly even talked to him about his recent Alaska trip that he took to check out the charging infrastructure. Currently on plug share there is nothing listed between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay so I'm not sure what their plans are for charging as it is 500 miles one way.

As far as delivery at the factory, it sounds like they ordered through a Ford dealer in Colorado and worked some magic to be able to let them go pick it up, we shall see.

 

[vandy1981]

Currently on plug share there is nothing listed between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay so I'm not sure what their plans are for charging as it is 500 miles one way.

They should have bought two Lightnings--then they could charge each other.

 

[astricklin]

Good thing there isn’t any big hills between Squarbanks and Prudhoe Bay. I mean, you can probably L1 charge at Coldfoot but I don’t think that’s gonna give you enough to make it into Prudhoe. My $$ they go to Coldfoot and turn around.

Maybe they'll take Andre's powerboost and drive and charge
It looks like there are people who have at least attempted it in Teslas, I'd have to do a deep dive into their YouTube or other blogs to see if/how they made it.
If they do make it all the way, that could possibly be a first, if not among the very few.

 

[vandy1981]

Maybe they'll take Andre's powerboost and drive and charge

I'm guessing that's what they're going to do. They can also get decent kWattage by flat towing the Lightning.

 

[tkittlitz]

They could just go to Hyder AK.

 

[astricklin]

I'm guessing that's what they're going to do. They can also get decent kWattage by flat towing the Lightning.

I mean, that's kinda cheating. I'd hope they try to do it without. If they take an ice support vehicle that's going to give a lot of ammo to the naysayers and sort of defeats the purpose of proving that you can do it in an EV.

 

[EVben]

Good thing there isn’t any big hills between Squarbanks and Prudhoe Bay. I mean, you can probably L1 charge at Coldfoot but I don’t think that’s gonna give you enough to make it into Prudhoe. My $$ they go to Coldfoot and turn around.

Funny you say that, I wimped out and turned my Ranger around on Atigun pass because I got concerned with the stress/hill. But compared to the other mountains/hills they’ll cross long before then it’s not much.

 

[PV2EV]

Hope they return before winter, otherwise they may have to wait till spring

 

[Kev12345]

no level 3 chargers for 500 miles between Hazleton, BC and Watson lake, Yukon. they'll have to stop at an RV park or two.

 

[tkittlitz]

Ford gave TFL a F150 Hybrid to tag along on the Alaska Trip (Alaska Trip should happen next Month). So they will use that to Charge the Lightning in an Emergency.

 

[LightningShow]

TFL just posted an update video with some charging info. They've confirmed what Out of Spec saw with 170kW charging. They were seeing 170kW at 51% SOC. They didn't go into much detail on charging other that that. Andre also said they've been getting 2.0 mi/kWh at 70-75mph. They were in Iowa so I'm presuming fairly flat land there.

 

[LightningShow]

 

[greenne]

TFL just posted an update video with some charging info. They've confirmed what Out of Spec saw with 170kW charging. They were seeing 170kW at 51% SOC. They didn't go into much detail on charging other that that. Andre also said they've been getting 2.0 mi/kWh at 70-75mph. They were in Iowa so I'm presuming fairly flat land there.

Iowa actually has rolling hills.

2.0 is not bad at all considering its been light rain..winds appear to be light.

It will be interesting to see what they get in Nebraska(which is more flat)..although the speed limit is 75mph.

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