Ford F-150 Lightning Awful Towing Range

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The Ford F-150 Lightning was supposed to be Ford’s EV flagship. It was given the brand name of the top-selling vehicle in America for the last 42 years. EVs were the future wave, and the Lightning was expected to travel as much as 300 miles on a single charge. However, when towing a full load, that figure is closer to 100 miles, which is awful.

Ford has been its own worst enemy in terms of Lightning sales. It changed the pickup’s price four times in two years. At one point, the MSRP was up by 50% from when the Lightning was introduced. For some reason, management could not figure out the costs of materials used to build the truck.

Several tests show that the F-150 Lightning can only travel 100 miles on a single charge if it tows its maximum load. One analysis was particularly brutal. “In MotorTrend testing, an F-150 Lightning Platinum saddled with a camper that nearly maxed out its 8,500-pound towing capacity couldn’t even cover 100 miles.”

Lightning poor test tests are part of an EV trend. Manufacturers give the vehicle a range of how far it will go on a single charge. However, they do not say that range can drop as much as 25% in cold weather. Battery age also cut range. So can driving fast.

Ford’s statements about the F-150 Lightning range are misleading because they are accurate in nearly ideal situations for those who want to drive a maximum distance.