Forced to abandon $115k Ford electric truck

author: FutureCar Staff    

A Canadian man and his family recently encountered charging troubles with their electric truck during a road trip, leading them to switch to a petrol-powered car. The man, Dalbir Bala, was traveling from Manitoba, Canada to Chicago in his six-month old 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat with an extended-range battery. The vehicle, which cost him $115,000, was purchased in January. Bala's wife and three kids joined him for the trip, starting with a fully-charged battery and planned stops for recharging.

The first leg of their journey went smoothly, but problems arose in Albertville, Minnesota. Bala received a 'faulty connection' error message from the fast charger there. They continued to Elk River, where they encountered the same issue. Frustrated and with only 15 kilometers of battery life left, the family had to abandon the electric truck in Minnesota on July 27. They towed the vehicle to a local Ford dealership and rented a Toyota 4Runner to complete their journey to Chicago.

Bala expressed his frustration, calling the experience a "nightmare" and feeling stuck, hungry, and heartbroken. The charging stations appeared to be functioning for other customers, so the reason for the truck's inability to charge remains unknown. This incident adds to Bala's previous frustrations with the vehicle, as it took six months to repair a minor bumper issue after he purchased it.

The decision to buy the electric truck was motivated by Bala's desire to offset his fuel costs, which had become quite high. He was impressed with the new technology and installed chargers at his office and home, even upgrading his electric panel. However, the recent charging troubles and limited range have severely impacted his usage of the vehicle. Bala now only uses it for his daily commute and feels that electric vehicles are a "scam" since he cannot take it on road trips or to his lake cabin.

In response to the incident, Ford of Canada stated that actual driving range can vary based on various factors and that the development of public charging infrastructure is ongoing. Ford claims to have a charging network that includes thousands of fast chargers and Tesla superchargers. However, James Hart, the President of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, mentioned instances where customers had to contact charger operators to reset the chargers in similar situations. Bala believes that the government should provide consumers with better information regarding electric vehicles.

FutureCar Staff