Ford F-150 Lightning Goes to Work as a Farm Truck

For some time, I used to be the quickest farmer in Washington County. Nobody may contact me. Youngsters of their lifted, souped-up Tacomas? Neglect it. Dudes in tuned diesel Rams and Silverados? Nah. I used to be the person.

This ruling of inexperienced lights and passing lanes was uncommon. Our common farm truck is a 2022 F-150 crew cab with Ford’s silky however hardly muscle-bound 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6. However not too long ago, I received an opportunity to swap inner combustion for battery-electric energy, within the type of a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Prolonged Vary. It was a Lariat, similar to my truck. Not like my F-150, this one supplied 580 horsepower, 775 pound-feet of torque, and a 4.0-second 60-mph time.

However may it work as a farm truck? That is the query I wished to reply as a result of I might like to have a piece truck that may cosplay as a Porsche 911 Turbo S when it is time to go a dawdler on a again highway. In reality, the Lightning is 0.2 second faster than the Turbo S from 50 mph to 70 mph. That’ll get respect down on the feed retailer.

Nonetheless, that feed retailer is a great distance from residence. Round right here, all the things is. Our 200-acre farm is 2 miles up a mud highway, about 20 minutes exterior of Montpelier (the smallest state capital in America!) so all the things is at the very least 15 miles away. Mix these geographic information with the farm enterprise (choosing up feed; delivering beef cattle and swine to the slaughterhouse or to different farms; towing mowers, log splitters, and varied trailers), and we rack up 40,000 miles a yr. Even the Ford dealership is 25 miles away.

I really feel dangerous about this prodigious burning of non-renewable sources and its impact on the surroundings, to not point out the impact on our farm’s strained backside line. So I could not wait to get the Lightning out to the farm and put it by means of its paces.

On my first day with the truck, it was raining buckets, however the animals wanted feed. Off to Tractor Provide. I could not put the 5 50-pound sacks within the open mattress as a result of the rain would soak by means of the luggage and break the feed. Frunk to the rescue: The Lightning’s capacious entrance trunk serves up 14 cubic toes of cargo capability the place my truck stashes its V-6. Feed baggage securely stowed, I could not have squeezed anything in there, however I used to be nonetheless properly under the 400-pound weight restrict.

I did get some seems to be whereas loading. The sight of somebody placing feed baggage within the entrance of a pickup resulted in some raised eyebrows, and one man smirked as if to say, “You fool. You’ll break your engine.”

“This isn’t usually the place we’d discover this.”

As a part of the modifications Ford made to prepared the F-150 for EV obligation, the Lightning received an impartial rear suspension (IRS), making it the one F-150 with that setup. The additional weight of the battery and the IRS mix to create a planted and creamy trip that’s nearly as pleasing because the tire-barking launches. I believed our F-150 rides nice, however the Lighting is noticeably higher.

As a result of it has IRS, the Lightning doesn’t have that low-hanging solid-axle diff out again, so I hoped it might need higher floor clearance than our ICE model and be higher in a position to deal with the deep ruts our tractors put in a few of our farm roads. Not so. There are nonetheless powertrain parts, closely protected with a skid plate, using low on the rear finish. In reality, our F-150 has 9.4 inches of clearance versus the Lightning’s 8.4 inches.

Doesn’t matter. After a couple of days with the Lightning, I knew I wished one. Nonetheless, a couple of vital points remained: charging, vary whereas towing, and worth.

Charging Is the First Large Concern

Charging at residence with out a Degree 2 charging station (ideally, Ford’s 80-amp Cost Station Professional) is untenable. Throughout my time with the truck, I may solely use a daily wall outlet, so after I plugged the Lightning in on a Friday, the 15.5-inch console touchscreen informed me the truck could be totally charged by the next Tuesday. In the meantime, the 80-amp charger can accomplish the duty in eight hours. I may simply regulate to that. The Cost Station Professional additionally unlocks the Lightning’s potential as a backup generator, though that requires extra {hardware} for your own home. However even straight off the lot, the Lightning Lariat’s 9.6-kW Professional Energy Onboard generator and its 10 120-volt shops (plus one 240-amp) open up loads of potentialities for transportable energy, a boon on any farm.

That wonderful rarity, an open pull-through charger.

However as a result of I am caught with trickle charging at residence, I used to be compelled into the fray on the native Degree 3 pay-per-use chargers in Montpelier. Vermont is a famously inexperienced state, however I discovered solely two Degree 3 chargers in its capital. Every was restricted to one-hour cost occasions, which supplied about 75 % of complete cost—or about 240 miles of vary—with the Lightning’s non-compulsory 320-mile extended-range battery. In accordance with native etiquette, you are compelled to sit down in your car whereas charging, otherwise you get a nasty word caught beneath your wiper while you return. (Ask me how I do know.) There was at all times another person ready to make use of the chargers, and infrequently I used to be requested how far I used to be going, implying that if I used to be solely going a brief distance, their charging wants trumped mine. I assume a Lightning would possibly want a couple of years’ price of dents and scrapes and long-unwashed mud to correctly convey a “you are higher off not bothering me” vibe.

Towing Vary Is Problematic

My charging tribulations could be solved if I purchased a Lightning, provided that the extended-range fashions embody the 80-amp charger. However the second massive challenge is endemic to any car that usually hooks up a heavy trailer: tremendously decreased vary whereas towing. Relying on the load, that is usually estimated as a 50 % discount. Due to this fact, in concept, the Lightning with a full cost ought to have a variety of about 160 miles whereas towing. We tow loads of stuff farming.

One in every of our common locations is the slaughterhouse 61 miles away within the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, proper up close to the Quebec border. I had a slaughter date throughout my time with the Lightning, so I hooked up our 2350-pound inventory trailer and loaded two pigs and one lamb within the trailer, in complete about 3050 kilos. We began with a 92 % cost, so even with the 50 % vary discount, I ought to’ve been in a position to drive there and again and nonetheless have 10.5 miles remaining.

Regardless of the troubles about vary, I actually favored how the Lightning did not appear to note I might hooked up a trailer. Our gasoline F-150 noticeably lags when towing, and I would like to regulate my driving and expectations accordingly. The Lightning and its 775 pound-feet of on the spot torque barely appeared to register the load in any respect. And after I reached the slaughterhouse, I had 54 % of battery cost remaining, good for 74 miles. Proper on track.

A charger at a supplier that sells EVs: What an concept!

I had a few errands to run on the best way again, so 25 miles from residence I had 27 miles of vary left. I would make it, I believed, but when I got here up quick I used to be a pricey tow and sure hours of ready within the chilly for the tow truck. Fortuitously, there was one charger on the best way residence, on the Ford supplier, and the lot was empty so I may pull as much as the charger with out detaching the trailer. I’ve by no means seen a pull-through EV charger, however this was the following smartest thing. Hopefully, because the high-speed charger community is constructed out (the federal government is funding 500,000 new chargers in 35 states), there will probably be loads of pull-through spots for vans with trailers—and the inevitable bigger EVs, like Mercedes’ upcoming eSprinter.

I am hoping by the point I can truly order a Lighting and get it constructed and delivered, Ford and the world’s EV engineers could have improved the battery or effectivity, so vary whereas towing is now not such a giant challenge.

That Sticker Value

There’ll nonetheless be one other massive challenge, although. Farming is hardly profitable, and my pattern Lightning had an MSRP of $89,214, about $30,000 greater than our gasoline model. And Lightning costs hold going up. That is loads of bacon. In our case, actually.

It was enjoyable being the quickest farmer in Washington County. However I might favor to not be probably the most broke one, too.