How Ford F-150 Lightning Software Accurately Estimates Range?
The all-new Ford F-150 Lightning boasts the Built Ford Tough brawn to tow up to an available 10,000 pounds with its 775 lb.-ft. of electric torque, but it’s the truck’s brains that will give customers the range information they need to tow long distances with the confidence they’re accustomed to.
Ford-exclusive technologies: Intelligent Range and FordPass Power My Trip plus the available class-exclusive, Onboard Scales work seamlessly to give F-150 Lightning customers more accurate vehicle range estimates based on actual towing experiences and real-time energy use, while Trailer Profile remembers their trailer specifics so the system can associate energy use for each trailer used.
Intelligent Range, the techno genie behind the scenes
The magic that enables confident and rewarding towing experiences with F-150 Lightning is the Ford-exclusive Intelligent Range, which is enhanced to work specifically with the needs of electric truck owners.
On F-150 Lightning, Intelligent Range collects key vehicle data to determine how much electrical energy drivers are using in real-time. This includes traffic speed, ambient temperature, available battery energy, plus driver habits, climate control use and route topography. The system also uses cloud computing to gauge energy use from other similar types of Ford electric vehicles operating in similar situations, resulting in more accurate vehicle range calculations over time.
With F-150 Lightning, Intelligent Range can also sample similar towing and energy use situations to further refine range calculations in real-time. This happens automatically through available Ford Onboard Scales, which communicate with Intelligent Range. As range data improves and the system becomes more robust, the system can be further refined via Ford Power-Up over-the-air software updates.
Power My Trip empowers long-distance towing
Bringing a more confident electric towing experience to life is FordPass Power My Trip, the online mapping system where drivers can plan out their trips. Customers simply input their trailer information into Trailer Profile, then enter their destination into the SYNC 4/4A navigation system or on their smartphone via the FordPass app. Power My Trip automatically maps their towing route using Intelligent Range – and provides charge points along the way, if needed.
Should an F-150 Lightning customer need to stop for a charge along the way, they can access the Ford BlueOval Charge Network, the nation’s largest public charging network with more than 20,500 charge locations and 70,000+ plugs across North America that includes more than 7,300 DC fast chargers, some that can deliver up to 150 kW of energy, giving an extended range F-150 Lightning from 15% to 80% of additional estimated battery range in 41 minutes when using the 150 kW Electrify America chargers.
