Ford electric truck abandoned during family road trip

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【Summary】A Canadian man and his family were forced to abandon their $115k Ford electric truck during a road trip after charging troubles. The owner called eco-friendly vehicles "the biggest scam of modern times" and expressed frustration over the faulty charging stations. Despite other customers successfully charging their EVs that day, the family had to rely on a petrol-powered car to complete their trip. The owner had previously experienced delays in getting a minor repair for the vehicle.

FutureCar Staff Aug 16, 2023 9:59 AM PT

Ford electric truck abandoned during family road trip

A Canadian man and his family recently encountered charging troubles with their electric truck, leading them to finish their road trip in a petrol-powered car. This experience has caused the man, Dalbir Bala, to express his frustration and label eco-friendly vehicles as 'the biggest scam of modern times'.

Bala, who resides in Manitoba, Canada, was traveling to Chicago in his six-month-old 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat with an extended-range battery. He had purchased the vehicle in January for $115,000 (around £90600) excluding tax. His wife and three children joined him for the trip, starting with a fully-charged battery and three planned stops for recharging.

Unfortunately, their problems began in Albertville, Minnesota, where Bala encountered a 'faulty connection' error message from the fast charger. They proceeded to Elk River, hoping to charge the vehicle there, but encountered another issue with the charger. Ultimately, they were forced to abandon the electric truck in Minnesota on July 27.

Bala described the situation as a "nightmare frustration" for his family. With only 15 kilometers of battery life remaining, the truck was towed to a local Ford dealership, and the family rented a Toyota 4Runner to continue their journey to Chicago.

It remains unclear why the truck failed to charge, as other customers successfully charged their electric vehicles at the same stations that day. Bala had previously experienced delays in getting his truck repaired after a minor accident, which he claimed required six months to fix. He had purchased the Ford Lightning to offset his fuel costs, which had reached up to $1.5K per month.

Despite installing chargers at his office and home, as well as upgrading his domestic electric panel, Bala now only uses the electric truck for his daily commute. He expressed disappointment that he cannot take it for trips to his lake cabin or off-grid camping, limiting its usability to city driving.

In response to the situation, Megan Joakim of Ford of Canada stated that the actual driving range of electric vehicles can vary due to various factors, including external conditions, vehicle use, and maintenance. Ford claims to have a charging network that includes 10,000 fast chargers, along with 12,000 Tesla superchargers and an additional 4,000 fast chargers at dealerships.

James Hart, the President of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, acknowledged instances similar to Bala's and mentioned the need to contact charging companies in such situations. Bala emphasized the importance of the government providing consumers with accurate information about electric vehicles.