Going (snow) deep on Ford’s New EV pickup
Image from https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/pictures/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-winter-testing/
This EV pickup is full of surprises — performance in cold weather, range, and price, to name a few. Advances in drive technology, power, and range challenge assumptions about EV performance in the kind of weather Western New York fleets just have to handle.
Spring planning
With winter finally in the rear view mirror, it’ll be a while before many of us have to start worrying about lake effect snow and bomb cyclones again. But if you're someone in the Genesee/Finger Lakes region with a vehicle fleet to manage, planning for cold weather months starts well before the first frost. And if adding electric vehicles for their fuel economy and cost savings is on your consideration list, we know their performance in the winter is going to be there too.
EV pickups are a new but fast growing segment of the market, and the release of models like the upcoming Ford F-150 Lightning give us a chance to see what they offer. The Lightning recently got put to the test in some chilly conditions, and we’ll grudgingly let Michigan’s Upper Peninsula stand in for WNY to hear about this ride along. You can read the full article from CNET’s Roadshow here. Some of the results will be surprising to folks holding on to assumptions about performance and range in colder weather.
Responsive tech
Unlike an internal combustion engine setup with a transmission, ignition timing, and other complexities, the F-150 Lightning’s electric drivetrain reacts immediately to driver inputs, improving handling—including in challenging scenarios like snow and other uneven surfaces.
Image from https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/pictures/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-winter-testing/
Workhorse power
The Lightning features 563 horsepower with the extended-range battery pack, and 426 hp with the standard battery assembly. In addition, the truck offers 775 pound-feet of torque.
Affordable MSPR
With a starting cost under $40,000—even lower than the sticker price for the gas model of the F-150—the Lightning is a surprisingly affordable EV choice. And with incentives like the voucher program from NYSERDA, New York State businesses can save even more.
Fleet-worthy range
Of course, cold ambient conditions will always affect electric battery range, but Ford is offering driver education on how to help mitigate those effects, including best practices around charging and route planning. And the baseline estimates for the Lightning’s range could be a game-changer for regional fleet travel.
Image from https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/pictures/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-winter-testing/
And with the estimated 300 miles between charges of the extended-range battery pack, you could…
Reach Pittsburgh from Rochester's High Falls on one charge.
Charge up in Watkins Glen and make it all the way to Westchester.
Stop for customs but not electricity on the way from Syracuse to Montreal.
Ford predicts the standard battery assembly to get an estimated 230 miles of range between charges. With that, you could…
Get from Buffalo to Binghamton on a single standard charge.
Go from the northern tip of Canandaigua Lake to Niagara Falls—and back.
Just make it from Syracuse to Vermont’s Killington Mountain without ever stopping to plug in.
Image from https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/pictures/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-winter-testing/
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