Tow No the Ford F-150 Lightning Struggled in Our Towing Test
motortrend.com
motortrend.com
This is misleading because of how much less energy efficient a gas engine is than an electric motor.
> Equipped with single-speed transmissions at the front and rear motors, the Lightning can't just downshift into the meat of the torque curve like a gas truck does, so passing maneuvers at highway speeds require patience and planning with a heavy trailer.
This doesn't sound right either. Isn't the reason that ICE vehicles have transmissions and EVs don't that the former have very narrow power bands, but that the latter basically have peak torque from 0rpm all the way until peak power, and then have peak power from there all the way until redline?
As far as the battery, at least in NYC there was talk of having quick charging stations at the end of each line. However the typical driver layover time is on the order of twenty minutes, so they'd have to be real quick charging.
Never mind vandalism of charging stations, and that areas of NYC flood easily. I lived in an area where it floods easily in a moderate rain storm. The arrival of hybrid buses years ago also saw the arrival of "No service due to road conditions."
Many are stuck in this mindset "OMFG! The world is going to end literally, TOMORROW, if we don't stop global warming!" and providing knee-jerk responses. Corporations have no problem cashing in on it.
I understand the use of EV's for passenger cars, but transportation isn't a one size fits all.
As far as the load however, higher speeds aren't required, and they can maneuver like rhinos and it's OK. NYC Subway cars do pretty well hauling loads, the most powerful motors being ~160hp (unfortunately torque ratings are impossible to find), with the car body itself being over 40 tons.
> I understand the use of EV's for passenger cars, but transportation isn't a one size fits all.
I agree fully. Right now all this is a money grab because it's being thrown around in the name of climate change.
I am of a sort of mind where tech should have limited use in the transportation space, where reliability should be primary. Our subway trains and signals routinely have some sort of computer related issues where implemented. The older tech tends to have fewer issues when maintained properly.
An unladen F-150 gets ~25mpg (highway) for the Ecoboost 3.5L.
So, 4 gallons would get you ~100 miles. Take a look at any forum and you'll see that towing a trailer like they're talking about in this post and you'll be closer to ~10-12mpg. So, you'd be able to go maybe 40-50 miles on 4 gallons of gas.
That said, those trucks come with a 20+ gallon tank (26 on the crew cab, apparently), so even at 12mpg, you're still over 300mi of 'range' when towing. Much better than an F150L. Which... supports their conclusion that you need double or triple the density of battery capacity, which would equate to roughly parity in driving range of a regular F150 when towing.