The range of an electric vehicle is already a cause for anxiety for many; what if they don’t make it to the next charging station? That anxiety can be increased further when towing as the range can diminish significantly depending on how much weight is being pulled, along with road conditions and other factors. Luckily, Ford has stated that the F-150 Lightning can give owners more peace of mind as it can accurately calculate the remaining vehicle range using real-time conditions.
Ford F-150 Lightning Towing: Accurate Range Calculation
InsideEVs states that three Ford-exclusive technologies work together to make accurate calculations possible. The Intelligent Range, FordPass Power My Trip, and the available Onboard Scales. These features give F-150 Lightning customers better range estimates based on actual towing experiences and real-time energy usage. Additionally, Trailer Profile remembers the trailer specifications so the system can determine energy use for whichever trailer is being used.
Image Via Ford.
The Intelligent Range feature works specifically with the needs of electric truck owners, collecting critical vehicle data such as traffic speed, ambient temperature, driver habits, climate control use, route topography, and available battery energy. It uses this data to determine how much energy drivers are using. Additionally, the system accesses data from a cloud-synced with other sources, including Ford electric trucks that have towed on similar roads with similar trailers; this helps it calculate a more accurate vehicle range over time. The system can be improved over time via Ford Power-Up over-the-air software updates.
To help drivers plan out their trips, Ford is offering the FordPass Power My Trip online mapping system. Once customers input their trailer information into Trailer Profile and enter the destination into the Sync 4/4A navigation (or smartphone via the FordPass app), Power My Trip automatically maps their towing route using Intelligent Range. The feature also provides charge points along the way, which will certainly help with some of the anxiety of trips in an EV.
Image Via Ford.
