Though it has proven to be good at a lot of things, the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning also has its fair share of drawbacks – most notably, suffering substantial range loss when hauling or towing heavy loads. Like most EVs, the Ford F-150 Lightning can also be a challenge to charge due to a lack of infrastructure – as even FoMoCo CEO Jim Farley discovered during a recent road trip. Now, a recent fast charging test from a company called AMCI Testing – an independent automotive research firm – shows that the Ford F-150 Lightning isn’t the quickest when it comes to the rate at which it adds power back to the battery, too.
In the most recent round of AMCI’s MP6 testing standard results, the Ford F-150 Lightning recorded a score of 22, which ranked it behind the Toyota bZ4X (35 MP6), Ford Mustang Mach-E (32.5), Mercedes-Benz EQE (31.5), and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (28), though a bit higher than its rival, the Rivian R1T, which finished with a score of 20.5. AMCI’s MP6 testing standard is a bit different than most EV fast charging tests in that it approximates the average ICE vehicles’ six-minute fueling time and compares it to an equivalent EV, stating that data in the form of the total miles of range added starting at a 10 percent state of charge within six minutes.
“While Ford is to be commended for being a first mover in the electrified pick-up market with the F-150 Lightning, it has many shortcomings that are now impacting its sales,” said David Stokols, CEO of AMCI Testing’s parent company, AMCI Global. “We would expect the clean sheet, next generation F-150 Lightning to be a major step forward from the current generation, and it cannot come too soon.”
“Fast charging speeds are arguably even more critical for a vehicle with real work intentions, like the F-150 Lightning, than a regular passenger car,” said Guy Mangiamele, director of AMCI Testing. “Whether you’re ten minutes from your next appointment, or traveling cross country, time pressure is present throughout the day. Adding the maximum number of miles to your battery – and in the shortest possible time – is mission critical. And when your range has been shortened by towing a trailer, that fast-charge capability is even more important. Measured on this real-use criteria, rather surprisingly, F-150 Lightning falls short.”
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