The Ford F-150 Lightning is a capable electric pickup rated for 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lbs) of carrying and 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs) of towing capacity. But as impressive as these numbers are, how do they affect the range? Nicholas Schmidt, one of the first owners of the truck worldwide, decided to find out.
He opted for the maxed-out Lightning Platinum spec with the larger battery on board. He then hooked an Airstream travel trailer to it and tried going on a long road trip along a mostly level highway with barely any hills. The pickup itself only had the driver in, but the trailer was pre-loaded with extra weight and tipped the scales far beyond its stock 2,722 kg (6,000 lbs).
Schmidt says he had 137 km (85 miles) of range remaining before he hooked up the trailer. Once he hooked it up, the on-board electronics assessed its weight and corrected the remaining driving range to 87 km (54 miles), a 37% reduction in the overall range.
We understand that this estimation is little more than anecdotal evidence, but it can still give you an approximate understanding of what EVs of today can do when it comes to towing heavy trailers.
