F150 vs Lightning?

[Jerome10]

Curious if folks here shopped the Lightning and chose the F150 gas or vice versa.

Never personally felt much draw towards electric but for whatever reason I am a bit more open to it now. Admittedly I have no idea the price you pay for that but smooth electric power, no 10 Speed issues, charge at home etc but it seems a bit appealing. Considering a test drive to at least see how they drive.

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[Antimatter22]

I haven't driven a Lightning but it all comes down to how you plan on using the truck and if the limitations of the Lightning vs gas is something that wouldn't bother you. There's a sister forum for the Lightning that's active so you could always peek over there as well.

 

[JohnTrigger]

You may find this related post interesting, although it will likely evolve into an opinionated rabbit hole:

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/ev-trucks-cant-replace-gas-trucks-yet-hybrids-can.37411/

 

[Goldeneye36]

I was originally on the reservation list for a Lightning. Due to the price increases and supply chain issues a few years back I cancelled my reservation and started looking at the PowerBoost. After a few years of letting things settle after COVID I finally bought one last year and have been very happy with it so far.

For my use case the Lightning would have been fine for 99% of the time. I have towed u-haul trailers on a few occasions and taken longer road trips so there was a slight concern over range and charging. The biggest thing came down to price. When they finally released the official pricing and online ordering the price of an extended range XLT was over $80,000! Plus I found out later I needed to spend more money on electrical upgrades to my house to support the fast charger and battery backup feature for power outages, which was a major selling point for me initially. Meanwhile a PowerBoost with almost the same ProPower capability and no range anxiety was $20k cheaper.

 

[Jerome10]

I was originally on the reservation list for a Lightning. Due to the price increases and supply chain issues a few years back I cancelled my reservation and started looking at the PowerBoost. After a few years of letting things settle after COVID I finally bought one last year and have been very happy with it so far.

For my use case the Lightning would have been fine for 99% of the time. I have towed u-haul trailers on a few occasions and taken longer road trips so there was a slight concern over range and charging. The biggest thing came down to price. When they finally released the official pricing and online ordering the price of an extended range XLT was over $80,000! Plus I found out later I needed to spend more money on electrical upgrades to my house to support the fast charger and battery backup feature for power outages, which was a major selling point for me initially. Meanwhile a PowerBoost with almost the same ProPower capability and no range anxiety was $20k cheaper.

This is ultimately where I suspect I would have ended up as well. Neat idea but the $ is really the kicker. The towing limitations are 100% legit especially, but for the right use case this also may not matter. Certainly for towing, gas / diesel is going to be the way to go.

 

[gagliano7]

I was going to buy one in 2023. Would have been perfect for my commute. But they decided to almost double the price where I am in southern NY so I ordered a STX the way I wanted for $30000 less.

 

[CedarEden]

I had a coworker who bought the Lightning. His response, when asked, is that it is lightning fast but tow capacity is weak and battery life was much lower than advertised, especially during our cold Adirondack winters.

 

[Scoobtay]

Lightning’s are lease vehicles. You can get outrageous deals on them right now (like <500 a month with 0 down). They ride nicer, drive nicer, and are more comfortable. BUT:

- Their value absolutely plummets, talking 20-30k in the first year of ownership

- range isn’t good

- towing isn’t good

- MUST have a charger at home

If you don’t take long trips, don’t tow a lot, and are comfortable with leasing a vehicle, the lightning is the way to go. Otherwise, the Powerboost is a better option.

 

[B177y]

I went with a Lightning. All of the points on range, home electrical, and towing are 100% valid.

Before the Lightning, I had a 2001 F350 v10 for towing and "truck stuff" and a Mach-e for the road miles.

For me, I'm doing approximately 40,000 miles per year. Roughly 500-1000 of those miles per year are towing a 26', ~7000lb travel trailer, so only about 2.5% of my annual mileage is towing.

I had done some long distance cross country travel with the F350 and TT. As life changes, I'm not really doing that any longer. For the few short distance trips that we take every year with the TT, I am able to do it in the Lightning. The Lightning tows better than anything else I have ever towed with, it is effortless. However, I do need to stop and charge about every 100-150 miles while towing (150 miles if charged to 100% at home, then about every 100 miles on the road between DC fast chargers). Most of our current short range trips are doable without stopping to charge during the trip. Most RV parks let me charge from the 50-amp outlet if I ask first. If not, I live in an area with good access to DC fast chargers.

As for the home electrical, I had plenty of room in my electrical panels in my garage. It was easy for me to run a new circuit and pass inspections.

I am also in a Pacific Northwest climate, so no extreme hot or cold weather. I am able to park and charge in my garage, so weather impacts are minimized as the truck heats and cools the cabin and battery while plugged in to maximize efficiency. Even if you have to park outside, If you have access to a home charger, the truck regulates the battery temp while plugged in. It helps a lot.

The big payoff is in fuel prices. Right now reg unleaded is about $4.50/gal in my area. My electrical rates are $0.08/kWh. It costs me about $55 for roughly a 700 mile week. That would cost $143 if I used regular gas in a F150 PB, more if it was a an EB. The old v10 would have broken me if I needed it for a daily driver...

So yes, you have to really dig into what you are doing with your car/truck and what you are willing to compromise on. I love the Lightning and don't see myself ever going back to an ICE as a daily driver. If circumstances change and I was towing long distances on a regular basis, I would have to go with an ICE again. If the fast charging networks keep improving and get to the point that charging is as available as pumping gas, then I would stay electric even for long distance towing.

 

[Goldeneye36]

I went with a Lightning. All of the points on range, home electrical, and towing are 100% valid.
...

Don't get me wrong, I was very excited about the Lightning and it's potential and it's downsides would have only affected me on rare occasions. It really was just a timing thing with the price spikes due to COVID supply chain issues pushing it out of my budget. I would have been fine doing the electrical upgrades on my home to fully take advantage of the truck but our current house isn't a long term/forever home and that combined with the purchase price of the truck in 2022 wasn't worth it to me at the time.

I also live on the East Coast where our premium gas is cheaper than your regular but our electricity is ~60% more expensive so the fuel savings aren't quite as significant plus the charging network isn't as good as the West Coast.

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