Ford F-150 Lightning Owner Review

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On the Solar Citizens Election sausage sizzleI managed to meet up with Jake Whitehead. Adjunct Professor on the College of Sydney, Whitehead is CEO of ODIN and chief scientist on the Electric Vehicle Council. He’s the proud proprietor of a Ford F-150 Lightning. He was form sufficient to reply some questions for us about it.

Why did you purchase an F-150 Lightning?

My spouse, Jess and I, along with each having careers in sustainable transport coverage, are eager 4x4ers. We love going tenting off grid, and for a few years have dreamt of the likelihood to take our household on tenting adventures in a zero-emission automobile.

We attempt to apply what we preach and so we’ve been lucky to personal seven EVs up to now (Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, 2 x Tesla Mannequin 3’s, Audi e-tron S, Tesla Mannequin Y, F-150 Lightning and at present additionally a Kia EV9). That first-hand expertise, mixed with our jobs, has meant that we’re very conversant in EV expertise, however till the F-150 Lightning, nothing has been critically able to off-road journeys.

When the F-150 Lightning was unveiled within the US in mid-2021, Jess and I each watched the livestream. We have been blown away by the capabilities (which have been significantly spectacular at the moment) and dreamt of what gaining access to an electrical 4×4 like this might imply for our tenting adventures, in addition to for the various different adventures Australians embark upon yearly. What higher approach to expertise nature than not polluting it on the identical time!

Having an electrical 4×4 additionally opens up the potential for kicking fuel for cooking and heating, and avoiding all of the well being hazards related to burning fuel.

Quick ahead to 2024, and Brisbane-based AusEV took the daring step to start out importing Australia’s first electrical 4×4 (and solely totally electrical 4×4) — the F-150 Lightning. They convert it regionally from left-hand drive to right-hand drive, using Australians and sourcing a big quantity of content material regionally. I’ve identified the group at AusEV for a number of years and have at all times been impressed by the standard of their work, and their dedication to supporting native jobs.

In tandem to AusEV making the F-150 Lightning obtainable in Australia, our firm ODIN has been exploring alternatives to cut back automobile dependency and supply alternate options to possession.

For a very long time, I’ve had a imaginative and prescient that Australians might entry fleets of electrical 4x4s for hire — and this could possibly be an avenue to cut back the necessity to personal bigger automobiles full-time. Whereas this is probably not an appropriate association for all Australians; this mannequin might assist to make sure extra households might use environment friendly electrical automobiles for on a regular basis journeys — significantly in city areas — and have on-demand entry to bigger 4×4 rental automobiles for journeys away.

In late 2024, ODIN bought its first F-150 Lightning and is now accumulating real-world knowledge to tell the enterprise mannequin for a future fleet of electrical 4x4s for rent. Whereas a number of different firms are already working on this house, our work is partly focussed on what additional authorities coverage is required to help this strategy, and the way it could possibly be delivered as a part of a broader mobility as a service providing. This might imply prospects might buy a subscription bundle to entry limitless public transport, shared e-bikes and e-scooters, and a variety of rental days each month in an electrical 4×4.

As a part of our present work, ODIN can also be exploring what extra equipment might help with constructing confidence in hiring and utilizing an electrical 4×4. We’re documenting a few of this work on my YouTube channel.

One instance is our prototype ‘solar jerry can’. This can be a moveable 1.5-2.0 kW photo voltaic + battery system for charging the automobile off grid, offering redundancy driving vary when in distant places away from grid electrical energy, and likewise obtainable for energy tenting home equipment, like induction cooktops.

We’re at present utilizing off-the-shelf elements to grasp the optimum design, and likewise perceive any impression on driving vary from aerodynamic/weight results, with the intention of constructing a customized product primarily based on the outcomes of those assessments. From our preliminary outcomes up to now, the photo voltaic jerry can prototype is reaching round 100 km of additional off-road driving vary over 2–3 days of tenting. This offers simply that additional bit confidence when going off the crushed monitor.

High likes/dislikes:

Likes

• Powered by 100% Australian made power, supporting native power jobs + native manufacturing jobs through AusEV
• Potential for ZERO working prices for five years — automobile consists of 5 years limitless km guarantee and servicing, and we cost primarily off photo voltaic and/or a free noon electrical energy tariff
• Extremely succesful automobile that makes electrical tenting dream a actuality
• Easy, quiet, snug and spacious
• Huge towing capabilities
• Loads of additional + safe storage in mega-frunk
• Automated driving on highways works very well.

Dislikes

• Much less visible suggestions than others (like Tesla) when driving autonomously on highways (much like different conventional OEMs)
• Ford manufacturing facility stereo is okay for many, however not one for audiophiles (like most utes); fortunately it’s tremendous simple to put in aftermarket elements if you wish to
• No built-in sentry mode (might be addressed through aftermarket dashcams) — comparable shortcoming for many different OEMs too.

Total, we love the truck, and are tremendous enthusiastic about all the information we’re accumulating from it. It’s an thrilling few years forward and we’re eager to see how ODIN can play a job in guaranteeing extra Australians can entry the F-150 Lightning, and different electrical 4x4s prefer it.

The place have you ever taken the F-150 Lightning to check its 4×4 capabilities and the photo voltaic jerry can?

The automobile is being utilized in totally different assessments each week, however a couple of common spots embrace:

• Noosa North Shore
• Double Island Level
• Ok’gari/Fraser Island — see the pictures!

We’re additionally commencing a sequence of towing assessments within the coming weeks, beginning with an 8 metre caravan. We’re aiming to check each on-road and off-road efficiency with totally different tow automobiles.

What else must occur to extend entry to electrical 4x4s in Australia?

At the start, we’d like all electrical 4x4s, just like the F-150 Lightning, to be included within the New Automobile Effectivity Normal (NVES). That is the important thing coverage mechanism in Australia for encouraging a larger provide of extra environment friendly automobiles. Because of the present federal authorities’s management on this coverage, Australia is lastly capable of begin catching up with the remainder of the world.

That mentioned, it’s disappointing that the F-150 Lightning will not be at present included within the New Automobile Effectivity Requirements. Which means AusEV is supplying the precise kind of auto many Australians need (and that the NVES is designed to encourage), however as a result of firm’s exclusion from the NVES, are usually not solely lacking out on accruing credit for promoting EVs (and lowering the fee), however are at a aggressive drawback to worldwide automobile producers which can be included within the NVES.

In fact, now we have to get the steadiness proper. I personally don’t help the mass import of automobiles underneath parallel import schemes. Nonetheless, the place there’s a native manufacturing element, and a neighborhood enterprise — like AusEV — making an attempt to fill a niche available in the market, they need to be inspired, not impeded. This view can also be in step with the Electric Vehicle Council’s 2024 response to the NVES.

The excellent news is, underneath the NVES laws, Federal Transport Minister Catherine King has the discretion to incorporate automobiles equipped by Australian companies, just like the F-150 Lightning, within the scheme. I hope that underneath this re-elected Labor authorities we are going to see motion on this challenge ASAP in order that extra native firms might be inspired and rewarded for bringing electrical automobiles into Australia, the place they embrace a neighborhood manufacturing element and are filling a transparent hole for shoppers. This is not going to solely enhance provide but additionally scale back prices.

Along with NVES, sadly, many states have walked away from EV incentives in Australia – prematurely and properly earlier than the market has hit its tipping level. We have to see state, territory and the newly elected federal authorities come collectively to relaunch momentary EV incentives throughout the nation. This may permit extra Australians to get entry to EVs (together with electrical 4x4s), drive down the price of transport, help using Australian-made power to energy our transport system, all whereas guaranteeing there’s a sturdy provide of second-hand EVs obtainable within the used market by the late 2020s.

Lastly, Australia is in a robust place to play an essential function in shaping and informing the event of electrical 4x4s. AusEV is one instance of a neighborhood firm making an attempt to guide in creating native EV business jobs. We collectively must help these sorts of actions additional, in order that extra manufacturing jobs might be created off the again of the transition to EVs, particularly for automobiles that should be tailor-made to satisfy Australian situations, together with electrical 4x4s, vehicles, and so on.

We received’t see revolutionary change in a single day, however we have to begin appearing at present with a view to ship a future the place Australia can play a significant function in not solely supplying the uncooked minerals to allow world electrification but additionally be regionally manufacturing and assembling each batteries and at the least some forms of electrical automobiles.

As a contrasting bonus, right here is a photograph of my neighbour’s rusty Holden (GM) ute from the 1960’s. My how issues have modified!