Truck abandoned on family road trip

author: FutureCar Staff    

A Canadian man and his family recently encountered charging troubles with their electric truck, which led them to finish their road trip in a petrol-powered car. This incident 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. Initially, Bala was traveling for business, but his wife and three kids joined him for the ride. They began their journey with a fully-charged battery and planned stops to charge along the way.

Their first charging stop went smoothly, but their problems started in Albertville, Minnesota, where Bala encountered a "faulty connection" error message from the fast charger. They proceeded to Elk River, around 15 minutes away, but the charger there also didn't work. Faced with no other options, Bala and his family had to abandon the electric truck in Minnesota on July 27.

Bala described the situation as a "nightmare frustration" for them. 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 Bala's truck wouldn't charge, as other customers successfully charged their electric vehicles at both charging stations that day. Additionally, Bala had previously experienced delays in getting a minor repair on the truck's front bumper, which took six months to resolve.

Bala had purchased the electric truck to offset his fuel costs, which had reached up to $1.5K per month (around £1180). He was initially impressed with the new technology and had installed chargers at his office and home, as well as upgrading his domestic electric panel.

However, the recent charging troubles have left Bala disappointed. He can now only use the electric truck for his daily commute and is unable to take it for trips to his lake cabin or off-grid camping. He believes that electric vehicles are a scam and can only be driven within the city.

Ford of Canada responded to the incident by stating that the actual driving range of electric vehicles can vary depending on various factors. They also mentioned that the public charging infrastructure is continuously developing as electric vehicle sales increase. 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 similar situations where customers have experienced charging issues and had to seek assistance from charger operators. Bala believes that the government should provide consumers with accurate information regarding electric vehicles.

FutureCar Staff