Like a Tesla with a tailgate: Take a look at-driving Ford’s electrical F-150 pickup

Even so, it’s a powerful journey, and an essential one. Ford’s F-series vehicles are as mainstream as they arrive. They’re the preferred autos within the US for 4 a long time straight. If Ford loyalists put 1000’s of battery-powered F-150s on the street, hundreds of thousands of sedans and SUVs can’t be far behind.

The early indicators look promising. With a beginning value of about $40,000 for essentially the most fundamental model, Ford’s deliberate first-year manufacturing of 150,000 Lightnings has already bought out. Linda Zhang, chief engineer of the F-150 Lightning, advised Bloomberg in late Could that half of the reservations to purchase one have been positioned by individuals who’d by no means owned a truck earlier than.

Nonetheless, Lightning gross sales are only a fraction of the 726,000 F-series vehicles that Ford bought final 12 months. And the Lightning received’t supplant gas-fueled pickups for years to come back.

And but, those that go for a Lightning Platinum are in for an exquisite journey. It isn’t quicker than an ordinary F-150, nevertheless it feels that approach, due to essentially the most well-known trait of at this time’s electrical vehicles: their insane acceleration. Ford guarantees a zero-to-60 time of 4 seconds. I settled for zero-to-40 down Ash Road in Brockton in about two seconds, and nearly felt my eyeballs flatten.

The Lightning’s 563 horsepower comes from a pair of electrical motors mounted beneath the truck, between every set of wheels. So there’s nothing underneath the electrically operated entrance hood besides 14 cubic ft of additional cargo house, sufficient room for instances of beer or sacks of cement. I additionally discovered commonplace family electrical retailers for driving energy instruments and USB ports for recharging smartphones. Ford calls this excellent compartment a “frunk,” and I drew appreciative crowds each time I popped it open.

On the reverse finish, the five-foot rear mattress additionally options an electrically powered gate and a financial institution of energy retailers, together with a 240-volt connection that might run your electrical oven. In truth, Ford boasts {that a} absolutely charged Lightning can present electrical energy for a whole home for as much as 10 days — if you happen to first pay $4,000 to put in the mandatory wiring in your home.

My borrowed Lightning promised 291 miles of carbon-free driving. I set out on a collection of longish excursions, to Braintree, to Boston, to Windfall. No matter it took to kill a number of kilowatts. I’ve by no means had extra enjoyable draining a battery.

My companion on one journey, Ronnette Taylor, owns Boston-based Fireplace Code Design, which installs and maintains sprinkler programs all through town, together with the Boston Police headquarters constructing. Taylor drives an F-150 day by day, and located lots to love within the battery-powered model.

There was the moment acceleration in fact, but in addition a suspension system that floated with uncanny smoothness over the worst roads Higher Boston has to supply.

“It’s like being on a cloud,” Taylor mentioned. And there was the near-silence of the Lightning at startup. No cranking, no revving, simply the delicate purr of electromagnetic energy. “It’s form of difficult,” mentioned Taylor, “since you don’t keep in mind the automotive’s on.”

Taylor was much less impressed with BlueCruise, the system that lets the Lightning drive itself on Interstates and different main highways, just like Tesla’s Autopilot system. When activated, BlueCruise retains the truck in its lane, steers round curves, and retains a secure distance between you and the automotive forward. However BlueCruise units off alarms if you happen to take your eyes off the street or your arms off the wheel. So Taylor puzzled, what’s the purpose? You may as nicely simply drive.

Taylor griped concerning the Lightning’s bewildering array of pushbuttons. However I’d say there weren’t sufficient. Too many features are managed through an enormous touchscreen show. It’s excellent for displaying a navigation map, however a awful solution to regulate the air con. I’d discover myself wanting on the display screen as a substitute of the street. Not good. Extra bodily buttons, please.

However the largest problem lies in recharging the battery. A fast Google search turned up loads of charging stations. There are even a batch within the parking zone beneath the Encore On line casino in Everett the place you’ll be able to plug in free of charge, then go upstairs and gamble. However most automotive chargers are small and laborious to identify, and in contrast to fuel stations, there’s by no means a giant “Cost Right here!” signal posted alongside the street.

Worse but, the nice majority are “Degree 2″ chargers, which may take eternally to ship an honest cost. One which I discovered within the parking zone of a Brockton Walgreens advised me it’d have my automotive at one hundred pc energy in about 9 hours.

However on a visit to Windfall, I got here throughout a high-speed Degree 3 charger run by Electrify America, an organization owned by Volkswagen. It boosted the Lightning’s battery from 40 to 83 % in half an hour, which my 10-year-old son and I spent looking a close-by Walmart. The invoice got here to $25.37, however I didn’t must pay as a result of Electrify America is offering free charge-ups for brand spanking new electrical Fords.

When will electrical vehicles enter the mainstream? When there are chargers as quick or quicker than this on nearly each road nook — and never earlier than.

For 3 days, the Lightning and I had been touring mild. Finally I put it to work. At a Brockton U-Haul I rented the largest trailer that they had, a six-by-12-foot field that weighed a ton when empty. Then it was off for a spin down Route 24.

The Lightning was as much as it. As a substitute of fierce acceleration, the electrical motors delivered easy, decisive energy as I merged into site visitors. The climb to 60 miles per hour was easy, and the journey remained secure and sedate.

After which I checked the battery stage. Earlier than hooking up the trailer, it confirmed sufficient energy for one more 219 miles of driving. However with 2,000 kilos hanging off the rear finish, predicted mileage dropped to 119 miles. And that was with an empty trailer. If I’d been truly hauling one thing, it might have been worse.

This may be tolerable for individuals who solely haul heavy masses over brief distances, and have quick access to a fast charger. However for extra demanding customers, it seems like a possible deal-killer. Additionally, I examined the Lightning in summer time circumstances. How will it carry out in a nor’easter, with a foot of snow on the bottom and the chilly draining the battery? (You may’t even use the Lightning to select up some further bucks clearing your neighbors’ driveways. There’s no plow package deal obtainable.)

Which completely sums up my Lightning expertise: It’s extra present horse than plow horse — luxurious, refined, and deliciously enjoyable to drive, the right car for anyone available in the market for a much bigger, harder Tesla.

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Hiawatha Bray may be reached at [email protected]. Comply with him on Twitter @GlobeTechLab.