Silverado EV, F-150 Lightning go head to head in cold weather
Glacier FarmMedia – In February the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) revealed the results of its group evaluation of 14 battery electric vehicles (EVs) in a real-world cold weather test. Included in that group were two pickups, Ford’s F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet’s Silverado EV.
The object was to determine the actual cold weather driving range for each of the vehicles and compare that to their published claims. The test also looked at how much range could be added to a vehicle during a 15-minute fast charge as well as how much total time it took to recharge a vehicle battery pack from 10 to 80 per cent.
All the vehicles were driven from Montreal to Mont Tremblant, Que. in typical winter conditions, with the temperature ranging from -7 to -15 C.
There was a significant difference between what CAA’s test revealed and what the published information on many of the models indicated.
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“The vast difference in results highlight the importance of truth in advertising when it comes to EV range, and of comparing numbers if winter performance matters to you,” CAA vice-president of public affairs Ian Jack said in a press release. “CAA would like to see a made-in-Canada standardized labelling system for EVs that includes winter driving performance rather than just a single average.”
The CAA test report indicates each vehicle was driven until the battery ran completely out of power, in order to determine its true range in cold weather. The results were compared to the estimated driving range published by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), which is the one you’re likely to see on a window sticker.
CAA points out that in Canada only a single NRCan average is published, so consumers don’t really get an accurate picture of what they can expect from their EV in the winter. This test pointed out how different actual winter ranges are compared to the published average.
To evaluate their fast-charging capabilities, each vehicle was connected to a DC fast charger for 15 minutes; the range added from that was then measured. On average, the full field of 14 EVs tested managed to add around 100 km of range, which amounted to 28 per cent of battery charge.
But there were some pretty significant variations in that across the entire group.
Winter stress test results
So how did the two full-size pickups do?
The Silverado made a pretty good showing: it ranked first overall in the entire group of 14 vehicles for range when it came to total kilometres driven. Before it ran completely out of power, it covered 456 km on a single charge. But the official NRCan average range for that model is 724 km, according to CAA — so the actual winter driving test showed a 14 per cent difference.
The F-150 Lightning results were a little less impressive. It ranked ninth overall in the group, covering just 296 km on a single charge, amounting to a significant 35 per cent reduction from the NRCan rating of 515. That gives it 160 km less cold-weather range than the Silverado.
In case you’re wondering why the percentage differences CAA gave here don’t quite add up, CAA says its calculations were adjusted to reflect that the Silverado started in the test at 73 per cent state of charge and the F-150 at 89 per cent state of charge.
As for 15-minute fast charging, the Silverado again ranked high, coming it at second place in the overall group. It was able to add another 199 km of range. The F-150 Lightning ranked sixth in the group, gaining 109 km.
The Silverado also had the faster 10-to-80-per cent battery recharge time: 42 minutes. The F-150 was just a little behind at 45 minutes.
The test results don’t indicate which particular models of Silverado or F-150 lightning were tested. Ford offers five trim levels for the 2025 Lightning. The Pro starts at $62,890, having an NRCan estimated range of 386 km; at the top end, the Platinum has a base MSRP of $113,390 and NRCan estimated range of 483 km.
Chevrolet offers six 2025 model year Silverados, with base MSRPs from $67,618 to $121,318. Published ranges vary from 390 to 460 miles (627 to 740 km).
Source: producer.com