As is the case with pretty much all electric vehicles, EPA estimated range figures for the Ford F-150 Lightning can and will vary, based on a variety of conditions. Those include things like cold weather and towing situations, which can have a large negative impact on range, while others have surpassed those same figures by driving in more favorable conditions. In a recent range test conducted by Consumer Reports, the Ford F-150 Lightning was among a handful of EVs that didn’t quite live up to their EPA ratings, however.
Consumer Reports subjected a host of new EVs to a range test conducted at a steady highway speed of 70 mph to see which models performed the closest to their official estimates, and found a pretty wide array of results. As many are already aware, EVs tend to be more efficient in cities versus highway driving, and EPA testing is designed for ICE-powered vehicles, so there are bound to be some discrepancies – and that’s precisely the case here.
CR drove its group of EVs until they stopped moving, then towed each back to its headquarters on a flatbed to get a true picture of just how far they’ll go on a single charge. More than half fell short of their EPA estimates, but the Ford F-150 Lightning actually posted the largest discrepancy – traveling 270 miles, which is 50 fewer than its estimate of 320 miles, when equipped with the extended range battery. Meanwhile, several models traveled further than expected – some beating their EPA estimates by 50-60 miles or more.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Ford F-150 Lightning fail to hit its EPA estimate (which combines highway and city driving), as it did the same thing in another test conducted by Consumer Reports in late 2023. Other, separate testing has found that the EV pickup loses considerable range when towing heavy loads, as well as when driving in extremely cold temperatures.
Comments
Completely depleting the battery in BEVs is not recommended as it shortens battery life. Since CR buys their vehicles for testing, someone is going to end up with this F-150 as a used vehicle and probably won’t know its full history.
So when I get those surveys after having service done at the dealership and they ask the question: “Do you have trust in Ford Motor Company?” What am I supposed to say?