GRANITE FALLS, Wash. – Signs in Verlot forest ranger The station explained to visitors an important rule of the distant land, and it answered the question of why Sasquatch remains so elusive: “Bigfoot has been doing it for years: Leave no trace. “
This sign also made us realize that we were enjoying this Saturday afternoon on the Mountain Loop Highway in the North Cascades in a vehicle that left no trace: a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning XLT.
The absence of emissions are from truck common sense will help us to feel one with nature here among the rocks and trees. But on this day, what we avoid spewing from the exhaust is insignificant compared to what else is happening around us. In late summer/early fall in the Northwest, a wildfire broke out overnight along US 2 west of Stevens Pass. It was about 20 miles south of where we were on the Mountain Loop.
The Bolt Creek fire wasn’t close enough to pose a direct threat, but the normal restorative dose of fresh mountain air and clear scenery during a country outing wouldn’t be possible. The peaks were covered in smoke, and at one point in the afternoon the sky glowed an eerie red. This eased as we headed north, away from the fire. As of this writing, the Bolt Creek Fire, which has burned more than 13,000 acres, is far from being brought under control, and a plume of smoke has enveloped the Seattle area for weeks.
The F-150 Lightning sprinkled with falling ash, striking against its dark Antimatter Blue paint. That made me realize a strange advantage of the tram that perhaps no one has thought of: If there’s another volcano blowing around here – RainierBaker, Glacier Peak, take your pick, we have a lot – Electric Car no engine air filter and smelly inside. Back in 1980, the ash from Mount St. Helens dumped a lot of vehicles in the trash. EVs, the cars of the apocalypse!
Authorities say the Bolt Creek fire appears to have been caused by humans rather than lightning – just as humanity has contributed to the hot, dry climate that fueled the blaze. It’s a reminder why the auto industry is transitioning to electric vehicles in the first place. I have lived in the Northwest for almost 40 years. In just the past five or six years, the summer sky of Western Washington has been consumed by smoke and fire. Now it is an annual event. New normal-not-normal.
This flash is in XLT form. We did written a lot about Fordof an EV truck, but this is the first XLT we’ve used in more than a few minutes. Its one step higher than the Lightning Pro basic truck, with the 2022 XLT starting at $54,769 including a $1,795 destination fee. That’s $7,500 more than the Pro, and it buys you additional standard equipment including a BoxLink cargo management system, a 360-degree camera, a special Lightning front light, a dashboard, and a rearview mirror with heating, foldable work surfaces in the cabin and more. Pro, become a working truck, has plastic seats, while the XLT has fabric. And the XLT is capable of adding a number of options – especially the extended range the battery.
This particular XLT has a 131 kWh battery, a $10,000 upgrade that offers an EPA-estimated range of 320 miles in the XLT (300 miles in the Laries). The addition of a large battery requires another group of 312A equipment for another $9,500, which includes 20-inch dark carbon wheels, 9.6 kW ProPower, more advanced Co-Pilot 360 driving aids, cabin access approach detection, heated steering wheel and 10-way driver’s seat and power tailgate with steps and work surface. Other options are the Tow Tech Bundle for $1,395 (which you’ll hear more about in our upcoming Tech of the Year test), lockable underlying storage for $225, and spray sheets at $595.
In total, $76,484.
That’s right, $76K, and fabric seats. Ford says L Cozy is the more popular trim, as a few larger ones will get you upholstered in leather. If you’re eating a cow, why choke on the tail?
But wait, this is only in: Last week, Ford announced a massive price hike on the 2023 Lightnings that will change the whole equation. The base price for a Pro will be over $54,000 with arrival fees, the MSRP for the XLT is a little under $62,000, and if you outfit this particular 2022 squeezer as a 2023 model, it’ll cost $85,484. – that’s a $9,000 price increase over the truck we’re driving in this review.
One other thing to note: For 2023, Ford’s configurator now lists the charging cord as an “optional” that’s pre-charged $500. It was simply standard equipment before.
The Lightning qualifies for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, though the rules will likely rule out the Platinum trim, which starts at $98,219 MSRP a mile over the $80,000 price cap. New for trucks and SUVs. You only have one or two options on a $100,000 truck.
With the discussion of price annoyances, let’s continue our journey. Now, the XLT has nice fabric seats, and the Lightning is a pleasure to drive and spend time with, seemingly no different from any other. F-150 As long as you don’t expect engine noise, don’t lift the hood up to discover mass and don’t expect to blow a hundo over a gas tank.
While Lightning is a clean air machine on a dirty day, there are other reasons to enjoy the ride. Despite the occasional smell of smoke and ash, it’s nice to drive on the Mountain Loop Freeway with the windows down. (That’s not what you would call a real highway; a long stretch of the Roundabout is unpaved.) There is no sound other than the occasional audible groan of the engine and hum. popping on the gravel, you can hear the Sauk River flowing along – and even birdsong. It’s like the experience of driving a convertible, where many of your senses interact with your surroundings in ways they normally don’t.
The GPS The navigation screen’s indicators tell us that the road has risen to an elevation of 2,300 feet before descending the river toward the green and logging town of Darrington. The Lightning’s on-board EV meter doesn’t tell you a specific battery percentage along the way; Perhaps Ford did this on purpose, because with the official 320-mile range estimate, drivers don’t need to sweat every percentage point like we used to with other EVs. The Lightning’s 6,000-pound lift up and down the hill costs an average of 2.5 miles/kWh over a 205-mile ride. Get home and check the truck’s start animation, that’s when the computer briefly shows the correct battery percentage, showing 40% remaining charge, with an estimated operating range of about 125 more miles. Together, that would be a total of 330 miles on a single charge, beating EPA estimate. Without the elevation gain and with the benefit of more regen during city driving, it would certainly be even better.
Without a 240-volt charger at home, the XLT took almost three days to fully charge the battery from a 120-volt outlet – that’s the downside of having such a large battery. Obviously if you own this truck, you’ll want to get an electrician on board to update your garage.
Once Lightning was placed on top, I dragged it out of its cage to take some pictures. It still had bits of ash on it and was generally dirty from the walkway. But a dirty truck is a happy truck. And a truck with clean emissions can also be a blessing.
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