Curious if any contractors are using their Lightning as a daily work truck. Anyone towing every day?
My old employer has six of them for their solar company. They tow 4,000 lb enclosed trailers daily, carrying a crew of four plus tools. Most jobs are within a 30-mile round trip, so they usually get through the four-day workweek without charging—unless it’s a long-distance job. The onboard power is a huge perk. Biggest unexpected win? No more crew wasting 30 minutes at the gas station in the morning.
They also have onsite charging and a 50kW solar array, so power is basically free (or, more accurately, prepaid from when they built the system four years ago).
Not a contractor, but I’ve done a lot of DIY projects. The Lightning is basically a mobile workbench. Frunk and tailgate give you two separate work areas.
If you’re not towing more than half its unloaded range, it’s great. Tows well, costs way less to run, has tons of locked storage, and the 9.6kW onboard power replaces a generator.
I keep all my battery-powered tools in the frunk, charging whenever the truck is on. Super convenient.
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Not a contractor, but I pull a food truck daily (Max Tow package) and power the truck with ProPower Onboard. It’s been an awesome setup. Running a food truck in silence at an event without feeding gas into a generator? Total game changer.
@Freddie
That’s awesome! I’ve been thinking about starting a food truck and was considering the Lightning for it. Does it really work well for you? What trim/specs are you running?
Cale said:
@Freddie
That’s awesome! I’ve been thinking about starting a food truck and was considering the Lightning for it. Does it really work well for you? What trim/specs are you running?
Yep, works great. We usually tow less than 40 miles a day and still have plenty of charge left to run the business. Got a 2024 Flash with Max Towing and the 9.6kW onboard power. We do have to balance the power draw, but it’s been fine. Only downside is we can’t run the AC since it’s not a soft start unit, but we’re hoping to fix that this summer.
Not towing, but my bed is loaded with tools daily.
I see two different Lightnings being used in my town—one towing and one with a ladder rack.
I use mine as a farm truck. Onboard power is a lifesaver. Runs my power tools all day, and after a full day’s work, I’ve only used about 40% of the battery.
I’ve bought two so far for my excavation company. First was a Platinum for myself, handling a 90-mile round-trip commute, job site visits, and occasional trailer pulls. Just added a second one for a project manager—he’ll be towing a 3,000 lb trailer about 50 miles daily this spring.
For anything 15k+ pounds, we still need Super Dutys.
I own and manage eight rental properties, and my Lightning is my go-to for all maintenance and renovations. Hauls pallets of flooring, loads of gravel, or all my tools. Love it.
Haven’t heard of contractors pulling big tool trailers with a Lightning. Can’t blame them—by most accounts, it doesn’t have the range to comfortably tow something heavy an hour down the highway and back.
That said, I’ve seen landscapers using them, and they seem to work great for trailers at lower speeds or those with a low aerodynamic profile. It’s got coil springs in the rear, but I haven’t heard of anyone wrecking their truck by maxing out the payload.
I tow a 6x12 open utility trailer with 16-inch side walls. It only drops my highway range by about 10%. As for the bed, I load it up pretty often, and efficiency or handling hasn’t been an issue. You can feel the difference with a full ton, but it’s not sketchy.
Not towing, but I keep the bed full. Getting around 180-mile range on an ER Platinum.
I travel a lot for work and sometimes go to remote locations. Best work vehicle I’ve had—lets me run my computer all day and idle in total silence.
Use mine as a work truck, driving 100-150 miles daily visiting clients. All my valuable tools fit in the frunk, and the rest of my gear stays in the bed. Honestly, it’s been the perfect work truck for me.
I work in IT, mostly from home, and rarely drop below 90% charge. Just daycare drop-offs and Costco runs. The bed stays empty, and the frunk is just for groceries.
General contractor here. Not towing every day, but my bed is full of tools. I have the ER, and I go from 80% to 35-45% daily. It’s been great.
If you’re towing every day, though, a small diesel GM truck or an F-250/F-2500 is probably still the better choice.