Let's say you're charging another EV with the Ford F-150 Lightning. Perhaps you're also charging some power tools at the work site. Maybe it's not even that involved. You could simply have a radio or a light plugged in while camping. You would think that in any of these situations, the electric truck wouldn't allow you to simply drive away.
If you own an electric car, you're probably aware that most models won't let you drive away while they're charging. However, we've seen evidence of it happening over the years, and it's never been pretty. Thankfully, in most cases, you can't even get the car out of Park while it's plugged in.
While the situation in the short video above is a bit different, the idea is the same. If the Ford F-150 Lightning has any of its plugs occupied, it's probably not wise to drive off, and the truck shouldn't immediately allow it, especially if the frunk and/or tailgate are also open. However, there would be exceptions. If you had some device charging in the electric pickup truck's bed while on a road trip, the truck shouldn't be rendered inoperable.
On the other hand, if the frunk is open, cords are heading out to various devices, and you've got a charging cable connected to a Tesla at the rear, you could have significant problems if someone jumped in the truck and tried to drive off, perhaps completely unaware.
YouTube channel UFD Tech decided to look into this situation. As you can see from the video above, he's got various items plugged in with the Mega Power Frunk open, which blocks the driver's view. In addition, there's a Tesla charging, and the Lightning's tailgate is open.
When the F-150 Lightning owner tries to drive the truck, it won't come out of Park. However, another message pops up that allows the driver to press "OK" to shift out of Park. This means you could potentially tow a Tesla, or really any EV, and charge it while you're on the road.
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We hoped the video would go on to show whether the warnings and functionality are any different based on having the frunk, tailgate, or both open. Moreover, what if another EV is charging or devices are plugged in, but the tailgate and frunk are closed?
It would be interesting to have more details here. Hopefully, we will have an opportunity to test this out for ourselves going forward. If you have any related details to share, please leave a comment below.
Source: UFD Tech (YouTube)