GAYLORD, Michigan — Sitting at my third fast-charger of the day in my 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning EV tester, I watched a gas-powered F-150 pull in front of me in Gaylord’s Meijer parking lot.
“Is that the new electric Ford truck?” the driver asked. “How far does it go?”
“I’m getting about 170 miles of range on this trip up I-75,” I answered. “How about you?”
“I’ve got the turbo-6 cylinder. I’m getting 600 miles and 22 mpg,” he responded. “I don’t think I’ll ever get one of those electrics.”
My Lightning is a great tool. But as my weekend road trip to Charlevoix, Michigan, indicates, it lacks the Swiss Army knife dexterity of its gas-powered peers.
The F-150 Lightning, of course, is the Blue Oval’s first electric pickup. With its neck-snapping 4.0-second 0-60 acceleration, palatial interior room, stump-pulling towing ability and bottomless front trunk storage, it may be the best EV value on the market starting at $53,769. Add panoramic roof, 22-inch aero wheels, leather, big screen, big battery, and my bling-tastic Platinum model cost an eye-rolling 94 grand.
And outside of the metropolitan ecosystem where EVs thrive, Lightning’s wattage starts to dim — starting with its hauling ability.
I considered a tow trip to Charlevoix, where we have family and friends in regular need of furniture, boats, equipment. But a test by the boys at TFLTrucks.com found my 300 mile-range truck would only go (ahem) 95 miles with a 6,000-pound trailer out back. That’s not enough to go the 120 miles from the Electrify America fast charger in Bay City to the next EA station in Gaylord, for goodness' sake. A comparable V-8-powered pickup gets about 210 miles on a tow, according to TFL, with gas infrastructure everywhere. On to Plan B.
Mrs. Payne and I loaded the EV’s bed with two bed frames needed Up North. My favorite Lightning feature is its “frunk” — front trunk — a tool that petrol-powered Swiss Army knives lack due to the piston engine under the hood. After loading the bed out back, I loaded luggage for the trip — a suitcase and tennis bag — in the frunk. Lightning answers the age-old pickup question: How do I pack luggage and use the bed without compromising interior passenger space?
I charged to 100%, 320-mile range overnight on my 240-volt home charger, ran a coupla’ errands Friday morning, then hit the road for Charlevoix with 281 miles on tap.
The Lightning's trip planner is quite good. “Navigate to Charlevoix, Michigan” I barked. Voice recognition correctly translated my West Virginia drawl, and the navi plotted my course — including a single, 25-minute stop at Gaylord’s fast charger 181 miles away. That plan would soon change.
Driving a 7’ wide x 6’ tall brick into the wind at 75 mph on a 45-degree October day is a recipe for electron guzzling. By Saginaw, the Lightning was getting just 60% of estimated range and it was becoming clear to the trip computer that we would not make it to Gaylord. My 281-mile range looked more like 168 miles.
The system rerouted me to the West Branch fast changer. Really? From prior EV trip experience, I knew that charger and it only had two stalls.
Like General Motors and Nissan systems, Ford’s Blue Cruise driver assist system allows hands-free driving on divided interstates. While Blue Cruise took the wheel, I went deep into the navigation screen to consider my options.
I tapped on the West Branch charging icon and combed through the charger specs. As I suspected, both chargers were occupied. If I fueled there, I could be waiting awhile. I decided to go to Electrify America’s Bay City charger instead — just on the other side of the Zilwaukee Bridge. I knew it well. Four charging stalls. In a Meijer parking lot off I-75. Convenient.
But when I arrived, technicians were working on two faulty chargers and the other pair were occupied by a Mustang Mach-E and Rivian R1T. I waited. After a few minutes, the Rivian pilot approached to let me know his charger wasn’t working either. He would be next in line for the remaining charger after the Mach-E finished.
Well, looked like I would be heading to the West Branch charger after all.
The station is squeezed into the back of a Ford dealer (no room for a trailer if I were towing). By the time I arrived, one charger had freed up while the other was occupied by a Nissan Leaf EV.
Though instructions indicated the charger was run by Greenlots, the Greenlots app was nowhere to be found on Google Play. Then I remembered reading that Shell Energy had purchased Greenlots. I found the Shell Energy app, which was buggy. After about 10 minutes, Lightning and charger finally communicated with one another.
Mrs. Payne and I took the opportunity to eat lunch in the cab — storing the shifter and folding down the console table (these Ford engineers are clever) — during the half hour the pickup charged from 29% to 80%. Then we were off again, encountering a pair of construction delays on I-75 that would set us back 45 minutes.
Which brought me to the Gaylord charger and the inquisitive driver in the gas-powered F-150.
Though I had traveled just 70 miles since Bay City, chargers are scarce in Charlevoix and so I wanted to top up. That’s something that in-car navi systems don’t tell you. Arrive at your destination with low battery and there may be no infrastructure to get you around town.
As I topped up for 15 minutes in Gaylord, I surveyed the EVs at the four EA charging stalls: my $93,000 Lightning, a $110K Hummer EV, $80,000 Rivian (the same R1T I’d seen in Bay City), a $57K Mustang Mach-E. EVs ain’t cheap.
With a full tank of electrons, it was time to have some fun through M-32’s twisties — the hills ablaze in fall colors. With its low center of gravity, all-wheel drive and 775-pound feet of torque, Lightning is surprisingly playful. I activated Sport mode and “Propulsion Sound” as a soundtrack for the fun ahead.
Coming onto a straightaway, two slugs loomed. ZOT! I buried the throttle and was by them with ... well, Lightning speed.
I arrived in Charlevoix after 6 hours, 40 minutes for what's normally a stop-free, 4-hour trip by gas-fired pickup. I had been delayed by 45 minutes of construction and nearly two hours of charging detours across three stations. Cost? About the same as filling with $3.50 gas.
I recalled my conversation with the Rivian driver in Gaylord. He said he hadn’t anticipated so many delays on his family trip to Mackinac Island. “Next time,” he said, “I’m bringing a different vehicle.”
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive five-passenger pickup
Price: $53,769, including $1,695 destination fee ($93,509 as tested)
Powerplant: 131 kWh lithium-ion battery with twin electric-motor drive
Power: 580 horsepower, 775 pound-feet torque
Transmission: Single-speed drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.0 seconds (Car and Driver); payload, 2,235; towing, 10,000 pounds
Weight: 6,813 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 70 MPGe range; 320 miles
Report card
Highs: Liquid-smooth acceleration; frunk and bed cargo storage
Lows: Range challenged; hands-free Blue Cruise system can be spotty
Overall: 3 stars
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