$115k Ford electric truck abandoned on family road trip

author: FutureCar Staff    

A Canadian man and his family recently encountered charging troubles with their electric truck during a road trip, forcing them to switch to a petrol-powered car. The man, Dalbir Bala, was traveling from Manitoba, Canada to Chicago in his Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat, which he had purchased for $115,000. His wife and three kids joined him for the trip, and they initially had a fully-charged battery with planned stops to recharge.

However, their problems began in Albertville, Minnesota, where they encountered a 'faulty connection' error message from the fast charger. They continued to Elk River, but the charger there didn't work either. Frustrated and stuck, they had to abandon the electric truck in Minnesota and rent a Toyota 4Runner to continue their journey to Chicago.

Bala expressed his frustration, stating that they were hungry and heartbroken by the situation. The truck, with only 15 kilometers of battery life left, was towed to a local Ford dealership. Bala had previously experienced delays in getting his truck fixed after a minor accident, which he claims took six months to resolve. He had purchased the electric truck to offset his fuel costs, which had reached up to $1.5K per month.

Bala had installed chargers at his office and home, as well as upgrading his domestic electric panel. Despite these efforts, he now only uses the electric truck for his daily commute and cannot take it for trips to his lake cabin or off-grid camping. He referred to eco-friendly vehicles as the "biggest scam of modern times."

In response to the situation, Ford of Canada stated that the actual driving range of electric vehicles can vary depending on various factors. They also mentioned the development of public charging infrastructure as electric vehicle sales grow. However, James Hart, the President of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, mentioned instances where customers had to contact charger companies to reset the chargers.

Bala believes that the government should provide consumers with accurate information about electric vehicles. Despite the challenges they faced, he hopes that the charging infrastructure will continue to improve to support electric vehicle owners.

FutureCar Staff