One of the first greater Jacksonville, FL-area Ford F-150 Lightning owners has already driven his EV pickup across the country.

Sergio Rodriguez, who is on assignment at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Kingsland, Ga., recently picked up his Lightning in California and drove it home.

Post your F-150 Lighting comments here

EV Rider was invited to Kingsland, which is just up the road from Jacksonville, to take Sergio’s extended-range Lightning for a spin and check out all of its features.

Sergio purchased the Lariat edition, which includes the 10,000-pound tow package and larger battery that has a useable capacity of 131 kWh, which can be charged from 15-80% in 41 minutes using a 150kW+ DC fast charger, according to Ford.

Ford estimates the extended range battery has about 300 miles of range on the XLT and Lariat, and 280 miles on the top-level F-150 Lightning Platinum.

In the video you’ll find a complete tour of the F-150 Lightning, road test and a few 0-60 mph runs, which Sergio says Ford estimates at 4 seconds.

The F-150 Lightning has garnered a good bit of initial praise from automotive journalists for features that include an available maximum payload capacity of 2,235 pounds, Blue Cruise hands-free driving, and the ability to power a home with up to 9.6 kilowatts of power.

“F-150 Lightning is built for seamless transitions between charging your vehicle and powering your house when needed – and Ford is the first in the U.S. to offer this capability on an electric truck,” said Ryan O’Gorman, Ford energy services business manager.

Sergio particularly likes what Ford calls the Lightning’s “Mega Power Frunk,” which offers 400 pounds of payload where an engine would normally go.

He plans to take full advantage of the Lightning’s towing technology, which includes onboard scales that are integrated with self-adjusting range estimates. The truck allows drivers to plug in the details of the boat, trailer or other objects they are hauling or towing to get more accurate range estimates that account for the additional load.

The Lightning is available as a 10-kilowatt smart power plant on wheels. With Pro Power Onboard, Lightning drivers can use built-in electrical outlets to directly power a variety of tools, electronics, and appliances away from home. Standard on base trims is 2.4 kilowatts of power with the option for more, while Lariat and Platinum series come standard with 9.6 kilowatts of power – a combination of up to 2.4 kilowatts available through the frunk and up to 7.2 kilowatts through 11 power outlets in the cab and bed.

F-150s are also capable of providing Level 2-speed charges to just about any other electric vehicles such as the Tesla Model S or Zero Motorcycles SR/F.

In the video at the top of this page you’ll get a tour of all of it along with the truck’s other features and Sergio’s impressions after his first 3,000-plus miles of driving the F-150 Lightning. Sergio also owns two Mustang Mach-Es. A video of his Mach-E GT-Performance is available here.

The 2022 F-150 Lightning is already sold out. At the time of this post the Lightning carried a base price of $39,947 with available option packages that top $90,000.

For EV Riders that may be cross shopping the F-150 Lightning with Rivian’s R1T EV pickup, here’s an in-depth look at it from the viewpoint of Jacksonville’s first Rivian owner.

The post F-150 Lightning: Features Tour, Owner Perspective appeared first on EV Rider.

Sergio Rodriguez is a car guy’s car guy. He’s owned a lot of V-8s over the years, so he knows a thing or two about performance.

But now, in search of even better 0-60 times and smoother overall driving, the military contractor, currently based in St. Marys, GA, has made the switch to electric vehicles.

Post your comments or questions about Sergio’s Mach-E GT Performance here.

He’s previously owned two Tesla Model Xs. But Sergio has moved on from Tesla, purchasing both a Grabber Blue Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition Premium AWD Extended Range and a Cyber Orange GT Performance, which comes standard with Ford’s 88kWh usable capacity extended range battery and AWD.

Related: Ford Ups Mach-E’s European Tow Rating To 2,204 Pounds

Sergio let me take out his GT-P for a spin and conversation with him, including a few 0-60 mph runs. His insights are unique as someone who has owned a number of high performing gasoline Mustangs over the years along with high end models from Ford’s biggest EV competitor.

Sergio talks about all of it – the strength and weaknesses of the Mach-E – comparing it to both to traditional ICE Mustangs and Teslas. Whether you want to known how Ford’s Blue Cruise stacks up to Tesla’s Auto Pilot, or how a Mustang Cobra Terminator compares to the GT-P, you’ll learn it in this video.

He’s also had track and cross-country time behind the wheels of his Mach-Es, going from San Diego to St. Marys in his Mach-E Premium and shows his Mach-Es at different events, such as the recent JEA Drive Electric Car Show in Jacksonville, FL.

The Ford fan also has a reservation in for a Ford F-150 Lightning, which he expects to take delivery of soon. He was among the Ford owners invited to Dearborn, MI to watch the official launch of the Lightning.

Sergio has been featured on a number of media outlets, including The Detroit Free Press, where you can read about his cross country trip or watch this Free Press video:

I hope you’ll enjoy my Mach-E ride along with Sergio, and if you do, please give the video a like on YouTube and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

The post Tesla Owner Dumps Model X For Ford Mustang Mach-E appeared first on EV Rider.