Family ditches electric truck on drive from Winnipeg to Chicago after charging troubles

The owner of a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat with an extended-range battery regrets buying the electric truck after attempting a road trip, only to abandon it and finish the drive with a gas-powered rental vehicle.

Dalbir Balaof La Salle, Man., left the truck inMinnesota last month after he said he tried unsuccessfully to charge the battery at two different charging stations.

"It was really a nightmare frustration for us," Bala said.

He bought the truckwhich is advertised as having a range of 515 kilometres for $115,000 in January. He spent an additional $16,000 installing chargers at his home and his trucking business,and upgrading his residential electrical panel.

Bala, his wife and three kids left on a trip to visit Wisconsin Dells, Wis.,and Chicagofor business, on July 27. The truck was fully charged when they left their home just south of Winnipeg, and Balahad plans to stop at level 3 charging stations, which providefaster charges, located along the planned route.

Bala's first stop was about 350 kilometres south of Winnipeg in Fargo, N.D. He paid $56 to charge his vehicle's battery from 10 per cent up to 90 per cent.

Charging trouble

The trouble started at his next stop in Albertville, Minn.,where Bala said the only fast charger brought up a faulty connection message in his truck when he plugged in. He called the number on the charger for help but never got a response.

He headed to another charging station in nearby Elk River, Minn.,buta charger there wouldn't work either, he said.

With only 15 kilometresremaining on his battery and no fast charger within that range, he decided to ditch his Lightning. Balagot it towed to a Ford dealership and the family rented a gas-powered Toyota 4Runner to finish their trip to Chicago.

"That's when we decided we don't want any more distraction or any frustration," Bala said.

It's unclear why Bala's truck couldn't get a charge in Albertville. Robbin Nesbit, sales manager for the Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association, said the fast charger was working on July 27, the day Bala visited, with usage records showing other people were able to successfully charge their EVs.

AJ Gosselin with ChargePoint said the company has two level 2 chargers, which don't charge as fast as level 3, in Elk River.One station was offline due to maintenance, but there was another one which was working within Bala's remaining range, he said.

Clean energy, fuel costs prompted purchase

Bala wanted a vehicle that used clean energy and hoped to save some ofthe $1,000-$1,500 per month he'd been spendingon fuel for his gas-powered truck. He uses pickup trucksfor recreational purposes such as hunting, fishing, quaddingand visiting his cottage.

"Electric vehicle, new technology I was impressed with it," he said. "That made me buy this thing."

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Megan Joakim with Ford of Canada said in an email the truck's range of 515 kilometres is estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"Whether gas or electric, actual driving range varies with conditions such as external environment, vehicle useand vehicle maintenance," Joakim said.

Public charging in the U.S. and Canada continues to develop as EV sales grow, she said.

The company "is working to improve access to charging for our customers,"Joakim said, by adding to a network that Ford says already includes 10,000 fast chargers aspart of itsBlueOval charging network, along with12,000 Tesla superchargers and around 4,000 fast chargers at Ford dealers.

But James Hart, president of the Manitoba Electric Vehicle Association, said more focus is needed oncharging station maintenance and technical support.

"I've heard of situations like [Bala's], where they've had to go to the point of calling whatever company it is that's running the charger and getting them almost to do a reset of the charger," Hart said.

He'd also like to see more fast chargers located in the same location in case one isn't working.

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Cross-country EV success

Another EV owner is more enthusiastic than Bala, although he hasa different make and model.

Winnipegger Ross Redman, a member of theManitoba Electric Vehicle Association, owns two EVs, including a 2014 Tesla Model S thathe bought used. That carhas an estimated range of 434 kilometres.

He drove it over two days from Vancouver to Winnipeg this past December, stopping to power up at Tesla supercharger stations during bathroom breaks, lunches and suppers.

Redman also uses it to get to and from his cottage in Kenora, Ont., a roughly 200-kilometre drive.

"In the last 10 years, things have come a long way," Redman said. "You can travel the full length of the Trans-Canada Highway and charge up many places along the way."

Bala, who picked up his truck on his way home, isnow using theLightning for daily commutingbetween his home and work abouta 100-kilometreround trip each day.

"To have a more than $100,000 car to just drive in the city that was not expected," Bala said.