The Ford F-150 Lightning has enjoyed tremendous success since its launch, and remains in such high demand to this day that FoMoCo is still working to fulfill all of its initial orders for the EV pickup. Aside from winning universal praise from critics and some pretty prestigious awards, the F-150 Lightning is also a strategically critical vehicle for The Blue Oval itself as it pivots more toward electric vehicles and away from gas-powered models. However, Ford F-150 Lightning owners must rely on third-party charging networks while on the road, and one of them – an Electrify America station – reportedly bricked one person’s pickup while it was charging recently.
That person is Eric Roe, who was on a road trip in his Ford F-150 Lightning when he stopped at an Electrify America station in Newport, Oregon for a charge. Roughly 1,000 miles from home with his family and two dogs in tow, Roe plugged his truck in, only to hear a loud boom shortly after it began charging. After that, the charger went dark and a series of error codes were displayed inside the Lightning. The truck unfortunately wouldn’t restart or move at that point, and Roe couldn’t even shift into neutral.
Roe called both Electrify America and Ford before ultimately relying on roadside assistance to tow his pickup away, and making matters worse, a dealer informed him that they wouldn’t be able to look at the truck for a couple of weeks. However, Ford stepped in and escalated the issue, and Roe notes that the 12-volt battery must be replaced before diagnostic work can be completed. Regardless, Roe notes that both Ford and Electrify America are involved and trying to figure out what went wrong.
My @Ford being towed away from an @ElectrifyAm charging station after the EA charger fried my truck. pic.twitter.com/V7tFWPWSoi
— Eric Roe (@Eric_L_Roe) November 27, 2022
It’s worth noting that some commenters claim that this issue isn’t totally isolated – in fact, there are owners of other EVs out there that have apparently had the same thing happen to them. Many speculate that the problem is related to Electrify America’s newer chargers, and claim that they supply more current than the vehicle is requesting. It’s unclear if that is the case, but we’ll certainly be keeping our eye on this story to see what happens with Roe’s pickup.
Some Ford Authority readers have reached out to share what could be some additional details on what caused this to happen. Those readers note that it’s impossible for this damage to be caused by overcurrent from the charger, as current is a “pull” function, not a supply function, except in the event that current demand exceeds the supply’s upper limit – which means that charger cannot supply more current than the pulling circuit at the other end. If overcurrent was indeed the cause of this issue, it would be the truck’s fault, while the charger could be at fault if the damage was the result of incorrect or uneven voltage.
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Comments
I have not charged my Lightning except at home yet. I plan to use the Lightning for driving that is within it’s round trip range. Fortunately I have another dinosaur fuel vehicle for the long travel trips. At least until everyone gets these type problems worked out.
I have a Mach-E and have changed outside my home only a few time just to test it out not out of necessity. For long trips we are still using my wife dino fuel SUV. But that only 5% of our miles.
Dinosaur fuel- very sophisticated! Dinosaur fuel is used to make electricity today in part. You guys bought this early stupid crap with 80 miles tow range – congrats on going nowhere. I love electric and so the future is, although because of you guys- paying to be lab rabbits a fortune and financing future solid state battery or whatever will be research- very altruistic! It’s a compliment, by the way
I guess you never heard of hydro-electric, wind, solar, or nuclear power. The vast majority of truck owners never tow anything. Most never haul anything more than a few hundred pounds. Those that do, should be smart enough to know the capabilities of the vehicles they purchase.
This is just one more of the plethora of charger problems. So, who is responsible for the tab? Owner, manufacturer, charging station owner, charging station operated outsourced by the station owner, electricity provider if it is power surge? All these things and more can be sorted out by the early adopter guinea pigs who buy into (literally) the EV pipe dream. Y’all can sort it out for the next 20 years and then I’ll give it a try. Have fun with all the headaches you don’t need but are willing to endure.
This is just the EV equivalent of when there is excessive water in the gas at a gas station, and it kills cars. The gas station and/or insurance pays for the damage.
I wouldn’t say they are comparable but, in the electronic world, how do you prove anything without expensive forensics? All the actors will finger-point at someone else and the poor owner is going to get stuck as everyone else tries to pass the buck.
It should be pretty clear after assessing both pieces of equipment exactly what happened. Both the truck and charger have SIGNIFICANT event logging info, and depending on the specific damage to which circuit you’ll be able to determine what happened and why
You got to be joking
I’m not opposed to electric vehicles in concept, but there is no way I would entertain getting one right now. The absurd price differences between an ICE F-150 and a comparably-equipped Lightning is the first show-stopper for me. The lack of a reliable, widespread charging network is second. And issues like this, until the technology matures, is another.
Who Didn’t See This Coming?
Now the blame game starts and our insurance rates increase to cover the costs :/
The nice thing about having chargers designed, built, installed and maintained by the car manufacturer is that they work. That’s why I bought a Tesla.
Couldn’t agree more
I’m towing a travel trailer it’s 24’ plus the length of my crew cab 4×4 truck, I’m out of battery and need a charge. Do you recommend disconnect the trailer and anti-sway hitch or drive straight into the charge station connected and block the parking lot in all directions?
Concerned Dino fuel user.
No one should buy a Ford lightning to tow a 24′ travel trailer. The people that buy them (myself included) know the limitations of the platform. I tow a 14′ 7000 lb box trailer daily with mine for my business and it is awesome. It’s silly to see the negative comments. If you don’t want one don’t buy one. I’ve had diesels for the same job for the last 20 years and unfortunately they aren’t what they used to be.
Except it isn’t so simple. State and federal governments are pushing or mandating that we all buy these by pie in the sky drop dead dates. EVs are a niche market and very immature. Most of us want the reliability, convenience, and affordability of ICE cars. Let the market decide.
The reason you see negative comments, is because morons in power want to push this on everybody as if it’s ready for prime time, and it’s far from that. it’s realistically minimum 10 years away but more, probably 20 years.
This is exactly why I will never own an EV.
There is no way that a danged auto-mobile is gonna replace a good team of horses. No way!
People constantly make this stupid comparison, this is not anywhere near the same.
Electric vehicles have a problem with not enough rare earth materials, there’s not a power grid to be able to support it, the grids can’t even support current demand. There’s a problem with weight of battery versus power, the weight of power ratio doesn’t come anywhere near fuel such as diesel or gasoline.
There’s going to have to be serious improvements before this can be a viable option realistically. Hydrogen makes more sense than electric cars.
There’s a poethra of problems that EVs are facing that don’t come close to comparing to the small amount of hurdles horseless carriages faced at the turn of the century.
It’s a pipe dream people! Not enough electric can be produced for all electric cars! I’d rather drive a dinosaur then an electric eel!
In my view, it’s better to have one in a million break down and need a tow, than to have one in a million send Jay Leno to the ICU thanks to a gasoline fire.
I am just waiting for Robert’s response. He provides the most entertainment while supporting EVs. 🙂
“Cart leading the horse ”
How the hell does anyone think that the number of EV’s being built and sold that need a tremendous amount of electricity that is above and beyond the amount our aging electrical production grid can be supplied by aging and maxed out suppliers in many areas of the country.
It’s not just California that is and will have supply issues,, along with the electric charge stations are WAY far behind in numbers needed even Today,
The number of charging stations and availability in areas conveniently located to serve the fast growing owners of all ev’s. is a joke.
This problem is already solved with buffer batteries. You’re 7 years behind the times.
If the charge station is the problem other cars would have had similar problems. My guess is something wrong with the F150 Lightning. Ford will sure fix the problem at no cost.
I’m wondering if the charge plug/cord had been tampered with? Paperclip or some other object to short out the plugs when plugged in? Does anyone look at the plug end before plugging them into your EV? I don’t own an EV, but the number of idiots who mess with charging stations is alarming!
Do not sit in these vehicles while charging.
Just leave it at the dealer and buy a real gas truck.
What does “bricked” mean?
Completely dead. Turned into a brick.
Bricked is a term used to describe when an electronic device goes completely dead.no lights,sound or anything.
Who the Hell came up with “Bricked” as a description for a charging station/car/truck shutting down ?
My Tesla has never had this problem. Maybe Ford should have took on bigger role in developing reliable charging infrastructure? If you want a long range EV, Tesla is the only answer right now.
120 years of engineering have gone into the cars we drive now. They are for the most part, very reliable. The current EVs are on an incredibly fast pace of development because they are computers. Soon there will be drive by wire systems in all vehicles. The failures we are seeing today will be fixed in short order. Imagine how scary it must have been to ride in an automobile in 1915 when all one knew was a horse and buggy. Europe is way ahead of us on energy programs. One city in Europe plugs their EVs into the power grid to supply energy to the grid when the car is not in use or need charging. I hear the argument all the time about not enough power being produced to power EVs. Who are the knuckleheads shutting down all the power plants, pipelines and drilling. We need it now and for the future. There will not be a pickup that will pull heavy loads for a few more years, but you can bet there will be. It will be interesting to see just how well the Tesla Semi performs. Elon Musk has more than likely overstated it’s ability. I have a Tesla and it’s range is a bit under the advertised, but I will never go back to gas powered cars. EVs are flat out fun to drive!
I’ll keep on using hybrid/gasoline units. I prefer Toyota Prius. Owned a 2010 for 10yrs without a hitch and will own THIS new one for ANOTHER 10yrs and if I’m still alive I’ll do it again. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! And as for the others, NO THANK YOU!
Right, because ICE cars never have problems. “Never do fuel pumps fail, or head gaskets blow, or electronics fail in gasoline powered cars,” said nobody ever. Of course EVs will have problems, just like any other car. One anecdotal story getting attention because it’s an EV is not the same as ALL EVs being unreliable. I have a 2021 Kona Electric. 15K miles in the last 18 months, ZERO issues. Should someone write an article about that and use it as proof of all EVs being perfectly reliable? Probably not. There are a lot of EV haters who are stuck in the past, who hate change and conflate technology with a political identity. Do ya’ll still use tube TVs and gas lamps?
What a warped liberal you must be. Don’t forget to vote!
Looks like it was raining recently in the photos… guessing the charger or the charging port had water in it and POW. Water and electricity still don’t mix well. Hopefully a simple fix with just a fuse.
Should have bought aF350 diesel
You will buy your EV next 5 years, everyone will be.
WRONG
Ha ha these EV fanboys get triggered pretty quick. They don’t like it when you criticize their overpriced pos golf carts. We are going to see alot more EV failures and I love it. The EV is going to be a massive failure and I can’t wait to see it flop. Lol
I believe you’re simply afraid of the future and are projecting. The base of EVs is expanding rapidly, not shrinking. That would be overwhelming success, not massive failure.
Amen
So… this isn’t a Ford F-150 lightning issue. Its an Electrify America issue.
Ha haa, fanboy eh! by comparison you are claiming that you are an ICE fanboy. You don’t have to as I m not. My kind moved to ICE from buggy as it was inevitable and we ll move to non ICE cars in our lifetime. This is just going to happen and enjoy the experience. In the meanwhile I wish those haters stop harrassing us EV drivers on roads. My current car can pass them in 2 sec. But I won’t be the jerk but get off their way, for now. 🙂
The schizophrenia in these comments is beyond the charts lmaoooo
Henry Ford was told automobiles would never replace horses, don’t be that asshole. You don’t like EV’s? Sounds like a you problem, dumb @sses
Everyone loves to hate the new tech because it broke. If I search the web about Ford ICE reliability – I’m sure ill find ICE breakdowns galore…but y’all EV dislikers forget those.
I’m not saying EVs are perfect. But let’s not put blinders on either.
Sure glad there’s ice to save the day!
If their onboard diagnostics are so good they should know in minutes went wrong. There wasn’t enough preemptive planning in EVs was done for such events. They’ve geared everything for the dealership servicing things instead of the owner doing any sort of diagnosis of any problem whatsoever. One additional module or switch assembly could probably solve so many problems. I don’t make things, but I know how to make some things more reliable and easier to diagnose. Been troubleshooting my whole life.
From the article. It seems that other EVs using charging station have had issues. I’m guessing this includes other brands, not just Ford. One of the main reasons for not personally purchasing an EV is the inadequate charging system throughout the US. I think the Ford lightning and Mach E are excellent vehicles. The issue is from government pressure forcing the manufacturers to convert to EV to obtain the upcoming EPA increased fleet MPG requirement. The EPA forced the manufacturers to put the cart before the horse. The infrastructure of Chargers appear to be a big issue regarding EV owners finding inoperable and faulty charging stations throughout the US. If our government wants the switch to an EV. Having the charging network in place should be their priority. We continue to obtain most of our electricity from from burning coal. So how does this help the climate. That’s why I’ll continue to drive my Ice vehicle. The math doesn’t add up
It seems ‘Electrify America’ has had some problems. Some stations are absolutely dead, others deliver significantly less amperage than expected, and others work. As an owner, I would be concerned that I could not depend on there being a charge available when needed. I have no intention of buying a BEV until those problems are solved, and I am able to take about every off-ramp on the Interstate system and find a charging station that is up, and delivers. That may take some time.
I am very pleased with my Maverick, and exceptionally pleased with the mpg for an ecoboost, up to 39.1 on one tank of highway driving. The miles to empty indicates over 500 miles on a full tank.
The owner of the F-150 that bricked had a lot of hassle to go through 1,000 miles from home, complete with the whole family along for the ride. It is the equivalent of a new F-150 ecoboost throwing connecting rods through the side of the block while far away. Catastrophic failure by any measure, and a multi-week wait to even discover the cause is beyond reasonable. Without an appeal, the owner & family would have had an expensive trip home along with a round trip to eventually retrieve their truck. Will it happen again? Likely. I can’t state the odds, nor the odds that an ICE vehicle will have similar faiure. FoMoCo likely knows.
Ditto for my Ford Edge Titanium. It’s a beauty and has far exceeded my expectations at 62,000 miles. Just added a new set of Michelin tires.
Yeah that electricity pulling is true in normal circuits. When you are charging any battery the energy is being “pushed” into it. It’s easier to thing of voltage as a water pressure and amperage at water flow volume. If a battery was pulling the energy that would take work and is exactly what is not happening. Electrical pressure from the charger fills the battery and on dc fast chargers that is happening at the station not onboard the car. So the station could spike the power to the car and blow the high voltage fuse in or near the battery pack. I bet that could’ve happened. These packs can take substantial energy so he’d probably have to have been at one of the 350kw chargers to cause that. But I’m speculating.