Ford F-150 Lightning Tech Makes Long-Haul Towing Possible
There’s no doubt that the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is powerful — it does make 775 lb-ft of torque and can tow 10,000 pounds, after all. But strength alone ain’t gonna win over folks who aren’t quite yet sold on towing with a truck not powered by gas. Ford’s got that all covered with a bunch of technologies that work together to provide accurate range estimates.
Thinking About Going Electric? Get a taste of what the Ford F-150 Lightning brings to the table
Ford Intelligent Range: Everything it says on the tin
The lynchpin here is Intelligent Range, a Ford-exclusive feature that determines how much power the F-150 Lightning is using in real-time and provides an accurate range calculation. Intelligent Range pulls in all sorts of key factors up to and including the ambient temperature, topography along the planned route, traffic patterns, and driver habits. Thus, Intelligent Range.
This feature is especially key when towing as it factors in the impact trailer weight has on overall range. And how does the F-150 Lightning figure that out? With Ford Onboard Scales, another class-exclusive feature, which uses the truck bed as a scale to accurately estimate total load.
Power My Trip keeps you on track
So what happens when you’ve got a long trip ahead that even the beefy range of the F-150 Lightning won’t cover in one go? For that, you’ll turn to FordPass Power My Trip. Using SYNC 4 or SYNC 4A and the FordPass app, you’ll input your destination. Power My Trip works with Intelligent Range to figure out the ideal route for towing and make sure that you’ll be near charging stations along the way should you need them.
And when it comes to charging, the standard Ford Mobile Power cord and access to the Ford Blue Oval Charge Network have drivers covered. Ford touts the largest public charging network in America with more than 20,500 charging stations, over 70,000 plugs, and 7,300 DC fast chargers.
Thanks to Intelligent Range, Onboard Scales, and FordPass Power My Trip, Ford F-150 Lightning Chief Engineer and award-winner Linda Zhang says drivers will be able to tow as naturally as confidently as ever.
“By giving customers the most accurate range assessments possible and the charge tools they need to tow reliably, we believe they’ll move past the myths about towing with an electric truck and embrace the value-added benefits F-150 Lightning provides,” says Zhang.
“As they get accustomed to how Intelligent Range and Power My Trip work, they’ll naturally adjust their routines — whether that’s stopping for lunch and a DC fast charge or finding a route that simplifies their drive.”
Production of the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning kicked off on April 26, and the first trucks are on the way to customers this month.
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.