Spotted on the highway: A gasoline-powered truck pulling an eco-green-colored trailer with an EV truck on it. Why was this new super-duper environmentally friendly truck being towed by the environmentally “destroying” gasoline-powered truck?
This from wndnewscenter.org.
A little research revealed the answer. The gas-powered-truck driver was towing this EV truck because this is the tried-and-true way to get an electric vehicle from one location to another.
Comparing EV trucks to gasoline-powered trucks, the contrast is shocking:
While the Ford F-150 Lightning EV truck’s claimed range is 320 miles, the range is actually closer to 270 miles. Thus, according to the Pickup Truck Talk website, the rig must “stop every 3.5 hours, find a charger, make sure the charger works, and then wait an inconsistent amount of time (chargers have different rates of charge) to get back on the road again.” Claimed charging time is 30-45 minutes. EV advocates allege this is the same amount of time to fill a gasoline-powered vehicle. Additionally, they say ‘nobody fully charges.’
Of course, everything changes during cold winter months:
Lightning’s range drops 35% during freezing conditions due to heating the cabin, reducing the range to 175.5 miles. Conventional internal combustion engines use engine heat to warm the cabin.
NOTE: On long trips, my wife and I are able to fill up, perform potty breaks, take the dog for a short walk, grab a sandwich for the road, fill the gas tank, and get back on our way in far less than 40 minutes.
Further, trucks are purchased to haul things not to remain on static display.
The Lightning driving range decreases 24.5% carrying 20 bags of concrete mix (~1,400 pounds), dropping the range to around 204 miles. During freezing weather, this range drops to 133 miles.
And, of course, what about vacation season?
A Lightning was compared to a GMC Sierra 1500 half-ton gas-powered 6.2-liter V-8 truck. Hitched to identical 6,000-pound campers, the Sierra’s driving range was 280 miles, while the Lightning’s driving range reduced immediately to 160 miles, but it ‘barely made it 88 miles before requiring a charge.’ ‘Sucking down the electricity much faster than anticipated, the data offered on the screen in the EV truck didn’t show accurate range estimates.’
Traveling with electric trucks is not for the faint of heart. The experience has been termed “nerve-wracking and frustrating.” And as one who made the effort described the experience:
Imagine stopping every 100 miles or less with a nearly dead battery.
NOTE: Most charging stations are not set up for pull-through charging.
This means on your ‘vacation,’ before your 30-45 minute wait to recharge every 88 miles, you will also ‘enjoy’ unhitching your trailer to charge your EV. What fun!
In a Detroit to Denver drive, an EV driver paid ~$193 for charging, which took more than 5 hours. Fuel for the gasoline-powered vehicle cost about $300, but saved 5 hours. So, the gas-powered vehicle’s trip cost $107 dollars more, but the EV added over 5 additional hours to the trip. You have to decide which is more important, time or money.
However, according to the Anderson Economic Group:
In Q4 2022, typical mid-priced ICE [Internal Combustion Engine] car drivers paid about $11.29 [for fuel for 100 miles of driving. This was] ~$0.31 cheaper than the amount paid by mid-priced EV drivers charging mostly at home, and over $3 less than the cost borne by comparable EV drivers charging commercially.
Concerning charging the EV, a new expression has been added to our society, which is “the range of anxiety.” This is when your vehicle is saying, “I need a charge,” and you are trying desperately to find a charging station before you run out of juice.
[An honest estimate] is that these charging stations can be hard to find and are often in places you don’t want to be.
By the way, your EV truck will probably cost about $20,000 more than a comparable gas-powered truck. Also, EV batteries typically last only 100,000 miles. And if you ever need to replace your battery, they cost $15,000-$23,000. Are EVs supposed to be considered disposable?
While all this seems bad for the future of EV trucks, it’s actually worse when you research personal testimonies:
One Lightning owner said he bought his vehicle because that’s considered “responsible citizenship these days.” After purchasing his $80,000 EV truck, and paying over $10,000 for a home charger, he took his family for a 1,400-mile trip from Winnipeg, Canada to Chicago. His first recharging stop took 2 hours to recharge from 10% to 90%. At his second recharging stop, he found the charger was dysfunctional. So, he traveled to another station. It, too, was dysfunctional. Then he noted that his family was “really worried and stressed at this point.” With only 12 eco-friendly-miles left, he had to tow his EV to a Ford dealership where he rented a gasoline-powered vehicle to complete his “vacation.” He stated EVs are the “biggest scam of modern times.”
Even Ford’s CEO drove a Lightning truck on a trip and said it was a “reality check.”
He further stated:
Charging has been pretty challenging. Charging to 40% took 40 minutes, meaning a 90% charge would have taken an hour and a half.
Then there’s that other issue.
Remember after Hurricane Ian where EVs were ‘exploding all over Florida‘ when salt water mixed with electricity? The extremely hot fires from these explosions are almost inextinguishable. It takes 3,000-8,000 gallons of water to extinguish an EV fire. Comparatively, it takes 1,000 gallons of water to extinguish a gas-powered car fire. What about water conservation?
Are these explosions just a rare salt-water induced problem?
In New York there have been 108 lithium-ion battery fires reported this year, injuring “66 people and [killing] 13.”
In 2022, over 200 fires from batteries on e-bikes, EVs and other devices have occurred. One fire killed four people and left two others in critical conditions.
In just three years, lithium-ion battery fires have surpassed those started by cooking and smoking as the most common causes of fatal fires in New York City.
One final note of caution:
If you purchase one of these super-duper trucks, don’t forget to purchase your explosion suit and a fire extinguisher.
Also, you may want to consider purchasing an eco-green-colored trailer to tow your electric truck with your gasoline-powered truck.
But on second thought, super-duper EV trucks make nice looking static displays in the driveway. But remember to position them away from the house. Afterall, the battery fires are a concern.
