Study finds electric truck’s driving range cut by 25% when carrying heavy cargo

Electric trucks have a pitfall when it comes to pulling heavy cargo, according to a new study.

Released in June, the American Automobile Association (AAA) tested the “loaded” ability of the Ford F-150 “Lightning” electric truck with 1,400 pounds of sandbags, and found that the mileage range of the electric pickup dropped by a whopping 24.5% as a result.

Without the hauling weight, the EV can travel 278 miles on a full charge. The near max-weight of cargo reduced it to 210 miles.

Added weight forces the battery to exert more energy than is standard, draining the battery much quicker than it would without the heavy add-on.

“Our testing revealed a significant range reduction, but it’s important to note that the Lightning was loaded to near its maximum capacity,” AAA Automotive Engineering director Greg Brannon said in a statement.

The maximum load capacity for the F-150 Lightning is 1,510 lbs., 110 pounds more than what AAA used to test the truck. “With lighter payloads,” the report says, a driver “can expect less range loss.”  

When it comes to miles per gallon in a gas-powered truck, by comparison, the report indicates that the electric pickup is “significantly more energy efficient than [internal combustion engine] counterparts.” The “loaded test condition” of the EV yielded “an efficiency of 47 MPGe,” which was 27 miles per gallon more than the gasoline-fueled F-150 Platinum SuperCrew.

Follow Addison on Twitter.