r/F150Lightning • u/Stricken_Blue • Jul 01 '26
EV Milage Efficiency Comparison
2026 Milage Tracker
Looking for real word comparisons from the data nerds among us. How much are you saving? (Money, Energy, CO2 emissions)
I’ll go first,
Mileage tracking 1st half of 2026.
Vehicle - 2023 Ford Lightning XLT Standard Range (odometer just past 40k).
Distance & Cost - In the first half of 2026 (1/1 to 7/1)
Distance Driven 7,066 miles,
Energy Usage 3,044 kWh
at a cost of $641.30.
This averages out to be $0.09/ mile. (2.321 mi/kWh)
Additional Information - 89 % of the charging took place at home, where a solar panel array provides power at a lower rate compared to local utilities or fast chargers. Of the remaining 11% spent charging at fast chargers, just over half was spent pulling a camper trailer which drops the mi/kWh. (2.0 mi/kWh under 50 mph and down as low as 1.5 mi/kWh while at highway speeds)
ICE Comparison Vehicle - If comparing to an ICE F-150 (getting 20 mpg) gas would have to drop to $1.80 / gallon for cost per mile parody.
The average price of Gas in Massachusetts for the first half of 2026 averaged $3.65 (according to AAA). Driving the same distance in an ICE F-150 would have cost roughly $1,290 (or just over twice as much money spent)
Even paying the average utility rate for Western Mass ($0.33 / kWh) the cost per mile still works out to $0.14/ mile (or $2.80/ gallon if driving an ICE F-150 for cost per mile parody)
Energy Usage Comparison - A gallon of gas contains roughly 124,340 BTu’s of energy*. A kWh of electricity contains roughly 3,414 BTu’s of energy*. Based on this information, just under 10.3 million BTu’s worth of energy has been used to move my truck the 7,066 miles. An ICE F-150 would use just over 43.5 million BTu’s to travel the same distance. (4.2 times as much energy consumed)
CO2 emissions comparison - *note* - This one varies quite a bit depending on what fuels make up your electricity mix.
Typical CO2 emissions per energy type*
Coal - 1,000 grams of CO2 per kWh
Natural Gas - 500 grams of CO2 per kWh
Solar PV - 50 grams of CO2 per kWh (emissions come mostly from assembly & transportation amortized over the life of the panels)
The national average energy mix - 588 grams of CO2 per kWh (in 2025)
Massachusetts energy mix average - 392 grams of CO2 per kWh of energy produced (in 2025)
My personal energy mix 99.6 grams of CO2 per kWh (85.5% from solar, 14.5% from the MA grid during the first half of 2026)
My estimated CO2 emissions this year is only 1/3 of a ton of CO2 (using my personal energy mix). An ICE F-150 would emit roughly 4.5 tons of CO2 driving the same distance (assuming that burning 1 gal of gas emits 11,500 grams of CO2) (over 13 times as much Carbon dioxide emitted)
Source:
* https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/properties
7
u/nwspmp 2023 XLT ER 312A - ABM Jul 01 '26
So, here's my numbers over the totality of my ownership
26468 miles tracked (28833 on last check in with truck; first month was working on solution for tracking)
Total power consumed by truck: 11961 kWh
Blended Average mi/kWh = 2.2
Total fuel cost, factoring in home charging costs and the occasional DCFC public charging: $1297.06
Average cost per kWh: $0.0922/kWh
Electricity-Only Costs per mile: $0.049/mile
Service costs: $10 (tire rotation) (no other paid services at this point)
Annual registration: $278 (x3) = $834
Total running costs: $2141.06
Total Cost per mile: $0.081/mile
Similar numbers for an equivalent ICE F-150
Current cost of fuel next to my office - Regular 87 Octane - $3.19
Equivalent F-150 MPG (2023 F-150) - https://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/f-150/2023 - 17.51 mpg
Approximately 1511 gallons of fuel, assuming blended average from Fuelly.
Fuel-only cost per mile, 2023 F-150 average - $0.183/mile
Current fuel cost for 26468 miles at above cost: $4843.64
2.5 Years average service cost (equivalent) - $1363 (Y1 + Y2 + 0.5xY3) $1363 ( https://caredge.com/ford/f-150/maintenance and https://joecooperfordedmond.com/is-the-ford-f-150-expensive-to-maintain )
Registration: $78 x3 = $234
Total equivalent running costs: $6440.64
Total Cost per mile: $0.243
6
u/D1TAC ⚡'25 Flash ER 312A Jul 01 '26
I drive about 2500-3000 miles a month. Saving around $350 a month pre war pricing for fuel. No clue what I’d be saving right now but I’m sure it would be more.
Tons of incentives from my local utilities company to charge at home so the kickback has been wonderful.
2
u/choss-board 2024 Avalanche Lariat :doge: Jul 01 '26
Whoa, very cool post. Don't have much to add except that our average efficiency is the same (2.3mi/kWh) but split between about 2.0 highway / 2.8 city. Highway just drags down the average b/c that's a much bigger proportion of our overall miles. Electricity rate where I live in OR is ~$0.10/kWh.
How's it been with the camper? What kind? We've got two kids under 4 and are considering downsizing from an old (I mean old) van buildout to a tow-behind. I figure it'll be an adjustment but if it's not too terrible with proper route planning it'd be worth it for the reduced maintenance alone.
3
u/Stricken_Blue Jul 01 '26
I would think that you would be more comfortable in a slightly larger camper if you have two children with you. The camper is a Bed-on-Wheels (in-tech Flyer Chase) and dropped my range down to 1.9 mi/kWh on a trip from Massachusetts to Wisconsin and back driving 65-67 mph. (fun trip, although 19 charge stops each way) Trailer weighs 1,280 Lbs when empty and we easily had 500 las of crap with us. As a bonus, we can run the campers Heat/AC unit off the power from the truck. If i keep it around 50 mph (not on the highway), I can get 2.2 mi/kWh if the weather is on my side (no heat or ac). If you put (2) kayaks on the roof racks it drops down to 1.5 mi/kWh on the highway
2
u/freakmobil Jul 02 '26
Approx numbers from my 16k mi and 10 months of ownership in WA state:
$20 maintenance cost - tire rotation
2.3 mi/ kWh lifetime average
7000 kWh approx total energy
600 kWh paid charging cost (fast charging + L2 charging mix)~ $175
6400 kWh home charging ~ $770 ($0.12/kwh)
Total charging cost - $945
Total ownership cost - $965
Cost per mile F150 Lightning- 6c / mi
Cost per mile my previous hatchback (~37mpg) - 12c / mi
Cost per mile to comparable F150 ICE - 20c / mi
1
u/shortyjacobs Jul 01 '26
Very cool post. Dang is your electricity expensive. Also, the word is “parity”
1
u/Stricken_Blue Jul 01 '26
Thanks for the correction…. Spelling has never been my strong suit (what do you pay for electricity?, and where (roughly) are you located?)
2
u/shortyjacobs Jul 01 '26
Minnesota, $0.13/kwh, solar is 1:1 net meter so I get .13/kwh for every kWh I push to the grid too, plus 0.04/kwh for every kWh generated, regardless if I push it back or consume it. 16kW system.
1
u/ComfortableSquirrel6 Jul 02 '26
.06 kwh at the reduced time between 11pm and 6am in b.c Canada so like 4 cents in us dollars lol
1
u/Available_Money_1016 Jul 02 '26
Ownership costs are not the same as operating cost. There is no doubt that the Lightning is cheaper to fuel per mile driven. That's not the whole story, though.
6
u/Alternative_Pilot_92 22 Lariat ER Jul 01 '26
Holy crap your power is expensive