(Video) ABC: Always Be Charging – Camping In an EV Ford F-150 Lightning Is Much Harder Than I Expected! Ep.3 #NorthernLightning

Andre trying to avoid having the tree struck by Lightning… or Lightning stuck in the tree. #NorthernLightning (Image: TFLtruck)

In Episode 3 of #NorthernLightning, Andre heads for the West Coast and begins his journey to the Pacific Northwest – in our Ford F-150 Lightning.

After fitting the Ford F-150 Lightning with a Four Wheel Camper pop-up, Andre hits the highway for a brief jaunt before needing a little bit of juice. In fact, that kind of encapsulates road-tripping this Ford F-150 Lightning, brief jaunts. That’s because, before we modified it, the highway range of the Lightning was well under its 320-mile maximum range. Highways do not do EVs any favors with range, neither does extra weight, or beefier rubber. All of which, our Lightning now has to deal with.

After fitting the camper in Northern California, and heading north towards Redmond, Oregon – Andre stopped to weigh our Lightning. Basically, it gained about 1,000-lbs. That’s with our gear, supplies, David’s storage system, the Four Wheel Camper’s topper, heavier tires and whatnot. It was 6,800-lbs right from the factory, and now it’s 7,840-lbs. Mind you: that’s still well under its maximum payload rating, and the suspension doesn’t seem to care. Still, we knew what came next…

Our #NorthernLightning rig had gained a few (LBS) – and lost a few (miles) as well.

Andre discovered a serious loss of range with the added weight. In a desperate attempt to regain some range, he started to slow down. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the truck seemed happier, under 60 mph. Still, range was significantly impacted. Andre decided to find a way to improve aerodynamics, and gain a few miles.

It isn’t as easy as it looks folks. Having to chart a trip based solely on short distance runs to chargers is a bother. Yet, it IS doable. There’s a lot to chew on in this episode, including Andre attempting to stuff a Lightning into a tree, the Overland Expo Pacific Northwest, DIY aero and the location of some buried treasure!

Thanks to our sponsors: Four Wheel Campers, Flo Charger, and BFGoodrich for making this possible.

This is episode 3 in the series. We are planning this to be a six-episode series that we will publish every Saturday morning. Please go to AllTFL.com for all the latest about this series and everything else that TFL does

Nathan Adlen
Easily amused by anything with four wheels, Nathan Adlen reviews vehicles from the cheapest to the most prestigious. Wrecking yards, dealer lots, garages, racetracks, professional automotive testing and automotive journalism - Nathan has experienced a wide range of the automotive spectrum. Brought up in the California car culture and educated in theater, childhood education, film, journalism and history, Nathan now lives with his family in Denver, CO. His words, good humor and video are enjoyed worldwide.