Forced to abandon $115k Ford electric truck on family road trip.

author: FutureCar Staff    

A Canadian man and his family recently encountered charging troubles with their electric truck, leading them to abandon it and finish their road trip in a petrol-powered car. The man, Dalbir Bala, was traveling from Manitoba, Canada to Chicago in his six-month-old Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat with an extended-range battery. The truck, which he purchased for $115,000, had been fully charged at the start of the trip and had three planned stops for recharging.

However, the charging problems began in Albertville, Minnesota, where Bala received a 'faulty connection' error message from the fast charger. They continued to Elk River, but the charger there also did not work. Frustrated and with only 15 kilometers of charge remaining, the family had to leave the electric truck behind in Minnesota and rent a petrol-powered car to reach their destination.

Bala expressed his frustration, calling eco-friendly vehicles "the biggest scam of modern times." He had bought the electric truck to offset his fuel costs, which had become quite high. However, this was not the first issue he had encountered with the vehicle. After a minor accident, it took six months to fix the damage on the front bumper.

Despite having chargers installed at his office and home, Bala now only uses the electric truck for his daily commute. He expressed disappointment that he cannot take it on trips to his lake cabin or for off-grid camping. He believes that the government needs to provide consumers with better information about electric vehicles.

Ford, the manufacturer of the truck, claims that the actual driving range of electric vehicles can vary depending on various factors, including external conditions and vehicle maintenance. They also mentioned that the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is continuously developing as sales grow. However, James Hart, the President of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, acknowledged that situations like Bala's do occur and sometimes require intervention from the charger operator to reset the system.

FutureCar Staff