You never forget your first one – EV pickup truck, that is.

When Ford introduced its 2022 Lightning, it was the only major company-made EV pickup I’d ever driven. I had to park it on my front lawn to slow-charge it overnights off my 115-volt Christmas light outlet. And I found out mine was one of just over 15,600 sold in 2022.

In a world now with a fair number of EV pickups – Tesla Cybertruck, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Hummer EV, and Rivian R1T – Ford is a sales leader with 33,000-plus sold in 2024 and another 10,829 through May of this year. That’s despite a general cooling of EV vehicle sales growth nationwide that’s seen Ford back off on plans for some future electrics, although it has announced it will be building a brand-new low cost EV pickup.

So let’s see what zappening with the fourth model year of Lightning – no thunderstorm puns, please.

Looking at our 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum edition, there’s almost no visual difference between it and the 2022 I tested with 5.5-foot-long beds. But a closer look shows one change – a gloss black grille – accenting the all-aluminum body atop steel frame.

There are stacked LED headlights, a glowing light bar flowing over and alongside them, and Ford emblem on that grille. This EV’s bumper is smoother than the gas version’s, with tow hooks framing a lower inlet to cool batteries and brakes. There’s a chest-high hood and rounded fenders with an F-150 badge atop the driver’s-side charging port hatch. Slim running boards tuck in at the sills. They deployed every time I walked by the truck with key fob in pocket.

It’s got big, power-folding side mirrors next to side windows with a dip so you can see down to the pavement. Familiar F-150 slab sides remain. Out back, big zig-zag LED taillights connected by a cross-tailgate light bar over a step bumper. The pickup’s flat-faced silver and black alloy wheels are designed to slip through the wind and are shod in street-biased 22-inch General Grabber rubber.

Taken to a classic car cruise or two during my weekend drives, it got lots of looks, especially when parked next to a classic pickup.

Platinum Level Interior Is Practical

The interior, with top-line Platinum-level options, looks like other F-150s except for a 15.5-inch central touchscreen also seen in Ford’s Mustang Mach-E EV. Running boards and grab handles on A-pillars make it easy to get into this dark gray-over-white leather interior accented with glossy veined silver woodgrain and chrome. 

Platinum trims the hard plastic dash in padded leatherette with double stitching. Those leather seats get heat, cooling and massage. They are comfortable and mostly supportive, if a bit flat. There’s a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio, BlueCruise, voice command and information screen buttons.

The 12-inch digital gauge cluster offers speed and driver safety system status, plus EV stuff like range, battery charge and power use/recharge. Center stage is a configurable display with power usage vs. miles driven, as well as audio, navigation and more. When the Lightning’s semi-autonomous BlueCruise highway driving system activates, the power gauge transforms into a “Hands-Free” icon. Audio choice, outside temperature and compass information line the bottom of the driver’s guage cluster screen.

That central touchscreen eliminates most physical buttons but does have a physical volume control, which transforms into fan speed adjust at the tap of an icon. At first it feels like too many moves, but you get used to it. The huge map has a slim swipe-able menu strip to access audio, phone, miles/range and more. There are also touchscreen controls for dual-zone temperature controls, plus heated/cooled seats.

To activate the massage feature you have to tap the lumbar support on the seat bottom – that activates the massage and lumbar control icon on the center screen. You tap it on, then select the kind of massage and speed you want. A few more real buttons wouldn’t hurt.

That said, screen buttons access some main menus, like a Home Screen with buttons to access all functions including expanded range/charge, drive modes, 1-pedal driving, locking e-differential, Smart Hitch, and OnBoard Scale. You can tap on external cameras in a tight parking spot. And you can find EV charging stations nearby, although once, I got a “Chargers Unavailable” pop-up. I then tapped on the screen and dozens popped up.

There’s SYNC 4A with cloud-connected navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and SYNC AppLink. There’s Alexa, self-park, valet and driver assistance access. But somewhat hidden left of the steering wheel is a  control panel for power-opening frunk and tailgate, and power-adjust pedals.

The center console is a Swiss Army knife of usefulness with an inductive phone charger and two USB plugs, plus a chunky gearshift that drops into the center console so the center armrest can unfold into a desk for laptop work when parked. See the video at the top of this post for a demo. There’s power (12- and 120-volt) plugs nearby, plus an upper and lower glovebox.

F-150 Lightning Can Power Remote Worksites

There’s all the room you’d expect in the back bench seat, a long moonroof extending over those passengers, with a power rear window. That bench easily handles three adults’ leg and head room, with heat for those seated outboard, plus a/c vents and more USB ports. There’s storage bins under the flip-up 60/40 split seat bottoms.

In back, the 5.5-foot bed is easily accessible via power tailgate. It’s got a fold-out step, handle and tie-down hooks, able to store up to 2,000 pounds of cargo – about 1,000 less than the gas version. There’s three outlets with up to 7.2 kilowatts to power tools, or to use Lightning to power your home for up to three days – with an optional Vehicle to Home (V2H) accessory kit.

With no gas engine up front, the power hood reveals a usable 14.1-cu. ft. frunk that handles 400 pounds of payload. There’s four electrical outlets and two USB chargers, plus a drainable under-floor compartment for ice and drinks. I got tired of folks asking where my engine was – which brings us to the important part – what moves you, and it.

Our Lightning Platinum has inboard fixed magnet AC motors on each axle – with a 131 kWh extended-range battery and a total of 580-hp, plus a whopping 775 lb.-ft. of torque. The Lightning’s four-wheel-drive allocates power to the end that needs it. The 2025 Lightning now charges at a maximum of 500 amps, a boost from the previous 450 amps, which is good for a peak charging speed of roughly 190 kW.

Ford says our Platinum’s extended-range battery has up to 300 miles range, and a 8,600-pound towing limit. Starting out with a 90% battery charge, and an indicated 257 miles of range, we drove in Normal mode with max regenerative braking engaged — effectively 1-pedal driving that goes to maximum regen the second you back off throttle.

Related: More F-150 Lightning Coverage

Ford Will Offer Complementary Mach-E, F-150 Lightning NACS Supercharger Adapters

EV Rider’s 2023 Top 10; What’s Ahead In 2024

Showdown: Ford F-150 Lightning Vs. Rivian R1T

Will Wave Of New Tow-Worthy EV Pickups Need To Unhitch To Charge?

When we recharged 130.5-miles later, we tallied that we’d done at just over six miles better than the estimated miles-left display. The max regen brake setting on our 2,300-mile-old test truck seemed to help, adding a bit back on the “miles-remaining” display in Normal mode, or least holding off the drop. And the truck talks back – we got “100 percent energy return” on the display many times, showing that 1-pedal driving was putting power back into the battery.

Ford says Level two charging — 240 volts — means a full charge from nothing takes 13 hours, and we saw an indicated 320 miles range after one overnight topping off. A Level three charger – 480 volts – will take 38 minutes to go from 10% to 80% in ideal conditions, Ford says. But the slower DC charger we used when we plugged in took 41 minutes to get from 47% to 90%. That took us from 133 miles to 264 miles range, and cost $29. Good news – we had the adapter to use a Tesla Supercharger that massively expands the number of locations across America to get DC fast charges.

Lightning Performance Excels

Now the fun part – whether in Normal or Sport drive mode, our truck belied its 6,000-plus pound weight with instant torque the millisecond you tap the pedal. Throttle tip-in is sometimes abrupt, but passengers were amazed at even part-throttle acceleration.

Launched in Normal mode, our EV truck hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Choose Sport – Off Road and Tow/Haul drive modes also available – and we had a bit of front wheelspin, the nose lifting a bit as it hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds – in a 3-ton pickup! Outside of some EV powertrain sound that you can engage – a gentle-but-cool growling under acceleration – all we heard was a hint of tire and wind noise. Despite that urge, our Lightning was well-mannered as it launched, with passing power whenever needed, acceleration nudging you into your seat.

Let’s compare that to the test I did last year in a now-defunct website in a 2024 Lightning – 4.2 seconds to 60 mph in Normal mode, and 3.8 seconds in Sport, with a bit more front wheelspin, quickly controlled. But just so you know, Sport mode fun saw us lose three miles of indicated range after three quick launches in a ½-mile test route. And the more weight you tow/haul, the less your range will be, say pundits.

F-150 Lightning Handles Well Despite Weight

The Lightning weighs just over 6,100 lbs. vs. a gas-powered SuperCrew’s 5,540, despite an aluminum-intensive body thanks to those heavy batteries. It rides on an independent double-wishbone front suspension, with independent semi-trailing arms in back and heavy-duty gas pressurized twin-tube shocks all-round. The resulting ride was much nicer than most unladen trucks, almost plush, easily handling holes and speed bumps with a slight-but-controlled after-bounce.

The low center of gravity and all-wheel-drive helped in handling, as the front and rear motors allocated drive as needed in curves. We had understeer, but not much body roll if we pushed it in corners. Power steering had a firm, somewhat artificial feel in Sport mode – a bit lighter in boost in Normal. In fact, between the EV motor thrum, seamlessly smooth passing power, tighter steering feel and composed handling, Sport mode was the one to drive in – acceleration, passing, steering feel all very nice. And while the regen brakes had a bit of an initial grab, as do some, the 1-pedal throttle was what I loved to use – I could gauge where it would come to a full stop most of the time. When we did use the left pedal, it had a solid bite high on the pedal and gave us decent stops with some nose dive from 60 mph, and no fade after repeated use.

For off-road, there’s 8.4 inches of ground clearance as well as metal skid plates and waterproof shielding on the batteries. We only played in a sandy, grassy lot and found good traction, plus a comfortable ride with no harshness through dips.
For safety, it has lane-departure with very insistent lane-keep assist — I turned it off. Adaptive cruise control has full stop-and-go ability. And Blue Cruise’s autonomous magic – only on interstates and some state highways – stays in lane and away from others, other than a bit of wander sometimes. Sensors make sure you keep eyes open or it will ping repeatedly with a stern display, then tap brakes to wake you up. At odd moments on interstates, it just turned off, then back on. I liked auto-lane change — tap the stalk and it neatly does it.

A base 2025 Lightning Pro starts at $54,780 – our Platinum Extended Range was $84,995 with lots standard except for: $495 for Rapid red paint, $400 running boards, $600, $595 bed spray and $175 spare, for a final $87,260 minus delivery.

Bottom line: This a real truck that offers reasonable range on a full charge -although less than an ICE F-150 with a full tank. The Lightning is VERY quick, well-mannered and sure-footed. It even makes a nice sound on throttle.

2025 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum Specifications

Vehicle type – full-size 4-door, 5-passenger four-wheel-drive full electric pickup
Base price – $84,995 ($90,780 as tested)
Engine type – 131 kWh battery pack and dual AC motors
Horsepower (net) – 580 hp total
Torque – 775 lb-ft. total
Wheelbase – 145.5 inches
Overall length – 232.7 inches
Overall width – 96 inches w/mirrors
Height – 78.3 inches
Ground clearance: 8.4 inches
Front headroom – 40.8 inches
Front leg room – 43.9 inches
Rear headroom – 40.4 inches
Rear legroom – 43.6 inches
Frunk volume – 14.1 cu.ft.
Cargo bed – 5.5-foot-long/ 52.8 cu. ft. volume
Payload/towing – 2,000 lbs./up to 8,600 pounds
Weight – 6,100 lbs.

The post Road Test: F-150 Lightning Ups Charging Speed For 2025 appeared first on EV Rider.

Ford has announced U.S. and Canadian Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owners will be able to reserve a complementary CCS to NACS Supercharger adapter beinging in Spring 2024. 

Ford said its existing Mach-E and Lightning customers will, “soon be able to reserve a complimentary Fast Charging Adapter.”

The adapters will work at all Tesla V3 and above Superchargers. Ford will start to transition to the NACS charge port from 2025, removing the need for an adapter for direct access to Tesla Superchargers.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said on X, “This is our way of saying thank you!”

This is the first time Ford has gone on the record saying the adapters would be complementary. Ford has so far avoided using the word free but everything said so far strongly implies Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning owners will get one adapter free of charge.

“2021-24 model year Mustang Mach-E + F-150 Lightning customers will be eligible & the reservation process will be validated by VIN. One charger per VIN. We’ll cover cost of shipping. Details on how to reserve & tech specs of the adapter will be shared soon. Activating, charging & payment once a customer has an adapter will be seamless through FordPass or in-vehicle Public Charging App,” Farley said on X.

Will Ford’s CCS To NACS Adapter Work With Focus, Transit EVs?

Ford didn’t mention whether Focus EV owners will receive an adapter or whether the Ford CCS-to-NACS adapters will work with its discontinued Focus EV, which was the first Ford to have CCS DC fast charging. The Focus EV was built from 2011 to 2018. The Transit EV, which is still in production, also wasn’t mentioned.

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As we all focus on 2024, here’s a quick look back at the top 10 EV Rider videos from 2023 and a brief look at some of what we’ll be doing in 2024. 

This list is comprised of the 10 most watched videos on the EV Rider YouTube channel that were produced 2023, with the most popular video coming in at number one. Shorts and videos from previous years were not eligble for inclusion.

#10 | Ford Mustang Mach-E Towing Test

Coming in at number ten was a Mustang Mach-E towing test. Plenty of you wanted to know how much the Mach-E can tow. The short answer is more than 3,300 pounds. The longer answer: Ford doesn’t want you towing in the U.S. but is happy to sell you an OEM hitch in Europe. 

#9 | Showdown: Ford F-150 Lightning Vs. Rivian R1T

There’s a ton of interest in EV pickup trucks right now which quickly became apparent as EV Rider pitted two local owners with a Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning against one another. 

8# | 2023 Kia EV6 GT Blows Away Many Performance Cars

Economical performance is also on the minds of EV Riders. Our road test of Kia’s EV6 GT checked in at number 8. It screams to 60 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds. 

#7 | Tesla Owner Ditches Model X Plaid For Rivian R1S SUV

SUVs make up the hottest EV segment out there with thousands upon thousands of you wanting to know more about Rivian’s R1S SUV and why a Tesla owner dumped his Model X for the R1S. 

#6 | Owner Review: Cadillac Lyriq Debut Edition

Although Cadillac struggled with production volume for its Lyriq in 2023, our EV Rider review of Caddy’s first pure EV proved there’s plenty of interest as it checked in as our sixth-most watched video of the year. 

#5 | Energica Experia Delivers Top Notch EV Motorcycle Touring Experience

EV Rider’s fan base includes a lot of motorcyclists so it’s no surprise that so many of you couldn’t wait to learn more about Energica’s Experia, which at the time of its debut had the EV motorcycle industry’s largest battery pack. We called it a top-notch EV motorcycle touring experience. 

#4 | Long-Term Review: ’22 Mustang Mach-E

While some traditional ICE Mustang fans are still upset that Ford used the storied nameplate on its Mach-E EV, that didn’t stop more than 10 thousand of you from wanting to know about how EV Rider’s personal electric pony is holding up. In a word: great. So far I’ve put about 35,000 miles on it. 

#3 | Owner Review: Tesla Model 3 Vs. Hyundai Ioniq 5

While one YouTube channels video views certainly aren’t scientific when it comes to automotive trends the more than 10 thousand of you that watched EV Rider’s Tesla Model 3 vs. Hyundai Ioniq 5 comparison anecdotally illustrates there seems to be quite a bit of cross shopping interest between the two brands. 

#2 | Canoo EV Startup: Factory Update, Other News

EV startup Canoo is just now gearing up for volume production at its new Oklahoma City plant and EV Rider’s audience is obviously very interested in this brand. Canoo videos produced this year would have dominated five of the top ten spots if I had broken them out one by one. Altogether, Canoo videos and shorts accounted for more than 348,000 EV Rider video views in 2023.

#1 | Why Tesla Model Y Owner Switched To BMW iX

The number one individual video EV Rider produced in 2023 was a look at why one EV Rider dumped his Tesla Model Y for a BMW iX. More than 38,000 of you had watched the iX video at last check.

The Road Ahead

So what’s ahead for EV Rider in 2024? Given the high-interest level, we’ll continue to follow Canoo as it looks to ramp up its production in 2024. 

EVs Assembled In Jacksonville, FL

Cenntro, an EV fleet maker with an assembly plant right here in Jacksonville, Florida has promised us a factory tour. So watch for that video, probably sometime in mid-to-late February. 

EV Motorcycle Industry’s 1st Heavyweight Cruiser Arrives In 2024

Evoke Motorcycles is preparing to rollout the industry’s first high-volume electric cruiser 6061-GT with a massive 29.8 kWh battery. Evoke plans to let EV Rider take one for a spin during a visit to Florida in June and we expect to get to experience its Urban Classic sometime in March.

Automotive EV manufacturer and owner reviews will continue to play a big part on the channel. We’ll also continue to occasionally feature product reviews, including a review of a universal LED-lit  topbox for motorcycles.   

To everyone that’s watched EV Rider in 2023, thank you, and here’s hoping we all have a safe, prosperous and happy 2024. Enjoy the ride. 

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When it comes to EV pickups, Ford and Rivian were the first ones out of the gate to make it to volume production.  

While there are plenty of factories from General Motors, RAM, and Tesla ramping up to produce EV pickups, for this video, we’re looking at the two that have had their trucks on the road for many months now.  

Before anyone asks “what about the Hummer EV pickup,” since I haven’t had an opportunity to personally experience it yet, we’ll save that one for another day.  

Out of the gate, startup Rivian hit the ground running with a quad-motor setup and clean-sheet design while Ford has taken all the things that have made the gasoline F-series the best-selling vehicle in America and amped it up with an all-wheel-drive EV setup.  

Towing

Our first matchup is towing, which Rivian wins on paper with a maximum capacity of 11,000 pounds, while the Ford maxes out at 10,000.  

When it comes to real world towing, Ford has a neat trick up its sleeve.  It uses artificial intelligence, computer vision, and machine learning to automatically back up and align the truck’s hitch ball to a trailer coupler with a touch of a button.  

Lightning owner Sergio Rodriguez is also a big fan of how the Lightning recalculates range on the fly based on the towing load as he describes in this video:  

Both pickups come with integrated trailer-brake controllers.  

Speaking of towing, depending on the load, weather, terrain, etc. you could see your range take a hit of 40% or more, meaning with either vehicle you may be charging as often as 100 miles or so if you’re really pushing them to the limit. Edmunds did a detailed test between the two, using the same identical 7,500-pound payloads.

Charging

That brings us to charging speed. Car and Driver recently did a charging showdown and found the R1T hit a peak speed of nearly 200 kW while the Lightning managed 163.  

Perhaps more importantly, Rivian claims that eventually it will be able to charge at speeds of up to 300 kW via an over the air update.  

However, Ford may have the real trump card when it comes to charging. It recently announced a deal with Tesla that will open up every US Supercharger station to Ford EV owners.  

Ford will be mailing out adapters to existing Lightning owners in 2024 and adding a Tesla charging port to the next-gen Lighting.  

At the time of this video’s posting the question was whether Rivian might follow suit with a similar deal to gain full access to Superchargers. 

Storage

Both the Lightning and Rivian have massive frunks, putting them well ahead of gas pickups when it comes to storage.   

The Rivian also offers a unique pass-through innovation which is one of the things that attracted R1T owner Jimmy McGovern to his Rivian, as you’ll see in this video: 

Both trucks have some neat features in their cargo beds but the Ford runs away with the race when it comes to actual bed capacity with 52.8 cubic feet vs. The Rivian’s 22.6 cubic feet.  

Features

Both trucks come in a variety of packages. The top tier Lightning delivers 580 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque from its 131 kWh battery pack with 320 miles of EPA-estimated range. 

The fully loaded R1T has a 135 kWh battery with 835 horsepower and 908 lb-ft of torque, which explains its additional thousand pounds of towing capacity. The EPA rates the R1T at 314 miles of range.  

Both Ford and Rivian do over-the-air software updates so it’s possible those figures might be tweaked a bit by the time you read or watch this EV Rider episode. 

Tech

Moving inside, the Lightning and R1T are comfortable with large center stacks that boast plenty of tech, including a variety of driving modes.  

But the Ford once again pulls in the lead, offering wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.  

Neither is available in the Rivian and two different Rivian owners I spoke with complained about the Rivian’s native navigation. 

When it comes to build quality, I interviewed one Lightning owner and two Rivian owners. Both Rivian owners had taken their EVs back to have some panel gap issues addressed but were otherwise happy with their cars. 

All three owners were generally happy with their choices and I found the ride quality good in both pickups. 

As for off-road chops, Motor Trend did extensive testing, concluding the Rivian is more capable thanks in part to its five off-road modes and height-adjustable suspension. 

Looking at driver assist packages, Ford currently wins with Blue Cruise since it offers true hands-free driving on mapped interstates. The Rivian requires drivers to touch the wheel occasionally. 

Both the Rivian and Ford can be used as a backup generator. They have plenty of power outlets, including traditional household 12-volt outlets that are capable of charging another EV. But Ford amps it up with an optional kit that allows you to power your entire house, including air conditioning and refrigerator by tying directly into your home’s circuit breaker box.  

When it comes to price, the Lightning starts lower at around $60,000, compared to $73,000 for  the R1T.  That’s based on a June 11, 2023 price check. Those prices do not include additional fees, taxes or incentives.

Once you start checking all the boxes, their prices become very similar at roughly $98,000 for the Lightning and approximately $99,000 for the RT1. 

Unless you luck out or are willing to pay big markups, both trucks will likely require months of waiting before they’re delivered. 

When it comes to getting service, Ford pulls back in the lead in most parts of the country with more than 2,900 dealers, while Rivian had less than three dozen service centers across the country at last check, although it was planning a major expansion.

Rivian R1T Specs, Pricing & Equipment Packages

More information about the Rivian R1T is available at Rivian.com.

More information about the F-150 Lightning is available at Ford.com.

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2022 might go down in history as the year that electric vehicles went mainstream. That’s because this year electric pickups are finally on sale – just as a flood of EV SUVs have hit the market.

Post questions or comments on the EV Towing You Tube page.

Most telling of all is America’s best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150 starts deliveries this year of its F-150 Lightning EV.

Ford sold more 362,000 F-150 pickups in 2021 and has produced over 40 million since they first started rolling off the line in 1948, with Ford saying it will produce 150,000 F-150 EVs a year, with more than that already reserved by customers.

Chevy is also rolling out its electric Silverado as a 2024 model and a host of electric SUVs that tow – from the Audi e-Tron to the Tesla Model X – are already pulling stuff along U.S. highways.

And that raises a big question: When it comes to towing, how good are EVs?

The short answer is, due to their superior torque, they should do just fine. But tow ratings are just one measure, which will get into.

But first, let’s meet a family of five – or, six if you count their lab – who have been towing RVs with their 2020 Tesla Model X across the country from their home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

You might recognize Katie and Steve Krivolavek from their All Electric Family channel on YouTube. We got together on a Zoom call to discuss their transition to EV towing and the future of EV towing.

“Yeah, we have towed with all sorts of vehicles, from your everyday SUV to an Excursion to F-150s. So we’ve done quite a bit of towing and have made the switch to EVs,” said Katie.

They’ve been towing a 22-foot 2021 Coachman Apex Nano 194BHS BunkHouse RV, which tips the scales at around 4,800 pounds, fully loaded. Their Model X has a maximum tow rating of 5,000 pounds.

One of the things they love about towing with an EV is the added stability. “One of the very surprising things, I don’t know why I was surprised by this, I should have figured this out, was the stability of the actual electric vehicle. When towing it’s just – bar none,” said Steve.

They’ve been so pleased with their EV towing experience that they’re now ready to take to the next level. They’ve put reservations down for both the Rivian R1T pickup EV and Ford F-150 Lightning EV.

Why both? Because of the chip shortage, battery constraints and pandemic-induced supply issues, many models now have delivery backlogs stretching six months or more. They’ll likely buy whichever of the new pickups is available first.

“It’s crazy. I am super excited to try some of these trucks that have, you know, a battery pack that’s 35% bigger than the Model X, potentially even more. So that weight, that stability, the bigger body. I’m anticipating that at least the Lightning, I would imagine the R1T as well, will be just as stable as our F-350 and it’ll be a fun experience on that side, at least for me,” said Steve.

The Lightning, depending on the option package, has a tow rating of up to 10,000 pounds, while the R1T can tow up to 11,000 pounds.

Just like gasoline pickups, the range of EV pickups will take a big hit when towing, with Rivian estimating up to half its range of 314 miles could be lost when towing a heavy load.

And that brings us to charging. Ford says its Lightning can refuel from 15 to 80% in 41 minutes. Both the Lightning and Rivian hit peak charging speeds of about 150kW.

But here’s the rub. Unlike gas stations, most EV charging stations feature pull-in charging instead of pull-through charging, meaning that in many cases EV drivers will be forced to unhitch.

EV Rider reached out to the media department at Electrify America, which is the nation’s largest public fast-charging network, along with Ford and GM to ask about whether there’s a plan to avoid needing to unhook, but only GM responded, writing what is basically a polite no comment that reads: “Unfortunately, our team doesn’t have the bandwidth at this time to support your request.”

Katie said so far, unhitching while charging hasn’t really been an issue. “It wasn’t really a huge deal to us. I think we timed it once and it was less than five minutes.”

Katie also points out there have been plenty of occasions – at least for now – when they haven’t needed to unhitch.

“You can get creative in some of the places and not have to unhook, pulling into the last charger and leaving your trailer out down the side. The local charger in town, it’s at the back of a grocery store, and so there’s a long line of chargers and then parking that continues on down the line and so we can pull up and use that last charger. And you know honestly, we live in an area where there’s not a ton of EVs, so when we pull into a charging station, there’s a lot of times where it’s only us or us and one other car, so we feel comfortable blocking off one or two chargers.  And, obviously, keeping an eye on it to make sure that they don’t fill up, and we need to clear out space for someone else to charge.”

Although Electrify America and the manufacturers didn’t comment for this video, it’s possible that we’ll see future chargers adapt designs similar to gas stations, such as the Electrify America pictured above, which can accommodate EV tow vehicles without unhitching.

As for the All Electric Family, they’re already planning even bigger camping adventures.

“Yeah, so we have a 30-foot Airstream, so the bunkhouse Airstream model. It’s quite a bit bigger than the 22-foot and is just over the limit of what we can tow with the Model X. And so we kind of put the horse before the cart, because we knew we were loving the experience of towing with the EV, figuring it all out and seeing what the EV could do while towing, so we decided to upgrade and wanted to go on some longer trips so the smaller trailer just wasn’t a good fit for our family anymore. So we had a chance to get this 30-foot Airstream and so we jumped on the opportunity, knowing that the trucks were coming down the line.”

You can follow Katie and Steve’s adventures on their YouTube channel or by going to allelectricfamily.com.

If you’ve enjoyed this edition of EV Rider please subscribe. It’s free and will help me grow my audience.

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