We've Gone Electric! The Ford F-150 Lightning Joins the Team

The Scott Rinckenberger Photography fleet has been updated. It’s still made up of just one vehicle. But now it’s a zero-emissions rig. This has always been the plan, I just didn’t plan on it happening this soon.

It’s pretty well understood that the most sustainable vehicle strategy is to drive the one you have until the wheels fall off. It takes far more resources to build a new EV than it saves. This was my plan for my trusty 2015 F-150 with a youthful 110,000 miles on the odometer. Figured I’d get another 5-10 years out of her, at which point I’d replace this truck with an electric version. 

A loud snap, a jarring crash. The kids waking up in the middle of the night, scared by the noises coming from the windstorm ripping through the canopy of massive trees that surround our house on all sides. The morning light revealing that a section of big leaf maple had broken off in the storm, and while it thankfully fell short of the house, it sadly fell smack dab on top of my truck bed. A closer look would reveal a smashed bed, shattered rear window, broken back seat, destroyed mirror, and dents to the roof and hood.

I duct taped a shower curtain over the back window and drove it to the body shop, where the insurance company and the shop played a game of dueling estimates to decide whether the vehicle was repairable or totaled. For a week, I was on eggshells. In the end, alas, all was lost. My truck was destined for the salvage yard. Let the replacement process commence.

I was first inclined to take the insurance payment and purchase the equivalent used F-150, break even, net zero. But another part of me wanted to take this opportunity, even at significant cost, to step away from fossil fuels, ESPECIALLY in the era of “Drill, Baby, Drill!”

Trigger warning. I’m going to get into politics here. Scroll past the next few paragraphs if you just want truck stuff. 

As an environmentalist, I’m deeply saddened by the current administration’s aggressive attacks on the efforts to protect our environment and move to a sustainable energy future. Pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, rollbacks of clean and air water regulations, opening of protected lands to fossil fuel exploration, decimation of the staffs of agencies designed to manage our environment, from the EPA to the USFS. And, to add to the nonsense, a stark opposition to the goals of the previous administration to move the US automotive industry to an electrified future. No amount of car shows on the white house lawn can offset this overt disdain for a clean energy future in favor of short-term profits.

What do we have when our politics have failed us? Our wallets. In an administration that values money above all else, we, the American consumer, who’s spending accounts for roughly 70% of America’s GDP, have the ultimate say when it comes to creating a system that meets our needs. This has been true for years, and reflects why companies like Patagonia and Tesla (before the current chaos, but that’s another topic entirely…) have outperformed their conventional rivals in extremely competitive marketplaces. 

And so, with an immediate need to both replace my vehicle, and to feel like I was doing something tangible to offset the current political moment, I decided to go all in on electric. I was very grateful for the (soon to he repealed) $7,500 Federal EV tax credit which tightens the cost difference between a conventional gas-powered truck and an electric one; an important stopgap while automotive companies and the energy infrastructure build to a scale that will allow costs to come down permanently. 

I also deeply appreciate Ford’s efforts to create a vehicle that achieves similar functionality and styling to the best-selling truck of all time, while also embracing the latest advances in automotive technology. In addition, this truck comes in at tens of thousands of dollars below the cost of the nearest competitor; bucking the trend of offering larger EV’s exclusively to the luxury marketplace. For those of us who need a truck for our lifestyles or work, and are committed to an electric future, but who don’t have an extra 100k sitting around, there’s nothing else that comes close.

Now for some nuts and bolts for those who are curious. I got the F-150 Lightning Flash edition in order to get the extended range battery. It has an estimated range of 320 miles, feels silky smooth to drive, has too much automation (who needs a power tailgate?), and some really nice features. I’ve only had it for a week, so I have a lot to learn, but here are some initial impressions.

Pros:

• Quiet, smooth, soothing
• The handling is excellent and the snow performance seems great
• Heated seats and steering wheels are the future
• The Frunk replaces the need to have a toolbox in the bed
• Haven’t been to the gas station this week! Won’t go next week!
• No oil changes, and major reduction in maintenance across the board
  
• Ford is including a level 2 charger and home installation with the purchase
• Can run my house off of the truck battery

Cons:

• I wish they offered the 6.5’ bed, as some of my art is long, so I need the cargo space. Also, it freaks me out to have a truck bed that can’t even fit a pair of skis lengthwise.
• Sometimes the computer has too much power. I had a duffel bag in the back seat the other day, and the seatbelt alarm couldn’t be stopped until I moved it to the floor (the seatbelt now just stays buckled.)

Things I’ve learned:

• You can charge them at a Tesla Supercharger, but you need an adapter. It’s $200.
• Ford Blue Cruise self-driving technology is super dope, but it costs $49.99/mo. So, nope.
• The inventory of Lightning trucks varies drastically by dealership, so cast your net wide.
• I burn about 25% of my battery on the drive up to the mountains, but only 5% on the way down. So, the amount of mileage you can expect for a given amount of battery varies drastically depending on the terrain.
• Having a GIANT computer screen on the dashboard is super distracting. Analog controls for heater, radio, etc. makes a lot of sense.

All told, I’m extremely excited to be driving an electric vehicle for my personal and business needs. I’ll miss my old truck, and there are some adaptations I’ll have to make in order to live the EV life, but I think it’s going to be more than a fair trade. I’m very impressed with what Ford has done with the F-150 Lightning, and appreciate that a legacy automotive brand can be at the leading edge of technology, while also building vehicles in America with the help of well paid, unionized labor. This feels like a tangible delivery on the vision that so many of us share, where American companies lead the way with innovative and sustainable technologies while also reinvigorating the middle class through expansion of the American manufacturing sector. 

I hope that this is helpful information, and that it maybe helps to frame your decisions as a citizen and as a consumer. We don’t always get to choose our leaders, but we can choose where we spend our money, and we can spend it supporting small businesses, sustainable businesses and businesses who are working to create a better future.