Yosemite Nationwide Park Adopted Ford F-150 Lightning EVs… Kind Of

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There’s nothing like going out to benefit from the nice open air. The clear air, the gorgeous views, the totally different tempo of life, and the reference to nature could be not solely a enjoyable, however a therapeutic expertise. However while you drive a diesel pickup on the market pulling a triple-axle trailer, park it in a campground, fireplace up a loud generator, and get the propane range and oven going, it could actually form of begin to defeat the purpose.

When the individuals working in and visiting lovely locations rely extra closely on fossil fuels than individuals within the noisy and busy metropolis, it begins to change into an train in destroying nature within the try to get pleasure from it.

So, it’s refreshing after we see one thing like this:

The Yosemite NPS owns an F-150 Lightning! pic.twitter.com/5O4BsdSnj0

— Joseph (@ScarantinoX) September 23, 2024

For these unfamiliar, that is an F-150 Lightning electrical truck. Externally, it has the identical physique because the F-150 fuel and hybrid variations. However, beneath the cab and mattress, there’s a really totally different body with battery modules between the rails for security. As an alternative of a fuel engine beneath the hood, there’s a large frunk. The automobile is moved by entrance and rear drive items between the wheels, mounted transversely within the midst of unbiased suspensions.

In different phrases, it’s a really regular pickup truck that occurs to be electrical, provides energy plugs for emergencies, job websites, and campsites, and has extra storage!

Throughout 2024, a variety of totally different individuals on X/Twitter, reddit, and EV boards have noticed this electrical truck and a minimum of considered one of its siblings marked as belonging to “Yosemite Nationwide Park.” This, after all, makes EV followers visiting Yosemite excited, as a result of their ardour for each EVs and nationwide parks got here collectively in a phenomenal and enjoyable manner. Who doesn’t love that.

There’s A Little Extra To This Story

Looks like a fairly easy story, proper? Yosemite Nationwide Park purchased some EVs. EVs are superior. Nationwide parks are superior. All the pieces is superior.

However, there’s a bit extra happening right here. For those who’re conversant in Nationwide Park Service automobiles, they often aren’t marked something just like the automobile within the image. As an alternative of getting a inexperienced stripe (typically blue, typically no stripe) and the arrowhead NPS badge on the door, this automobile merely says “Yellowstone Nationwide Park.”

Official park automobiles additionally are inclined to have federal authorities plates (the federal authorities points plates to itself, and virtually by no means makes use of state-issued plates), and eagle-eyed individuals on social media have seen that these Lightnings have California industrial plates. So, is that this some kind of bizarre, rabid nationwide park fan who’s LARPing as a park ranger? Did they begin their very own firm known as “Yellowstone Nationwide Park” to higher pose as a park ranger??

It seems that the automobile isn’t owned by the Nationwide Park Service, however the firm that owns these is allowed to signify itself as Yellowstone Nationwide Park.

The vans in query are owned by Aramark, the corporate that has a contract with the Nationwide Park Service to supply concessions within the park. By concessions, typically I imply they promote snacks, however normally the corporate runs eating places, resorts, campgrounds, present outlets, and absolutely anything not achieved by a park ranger or different uniformed NPS worker instantly. Right here in america, we’re comfy with the federal government proudly owning the park, nevertheless it’s typically seen as a type of communism in the event that they attempt to make a buck working a enterprise of some form. So, they farm that out to any individual else who can extract some shareholder worth from the place.

Earlier than we get too deep into politics, coverage, and philosophies of presidency, let’s get again to EVs. Each park has a concessioner (Aramark does this for a variety of different parks), and the concessioners do numerous essential work in order that we are able to benefit from the parks. Whether or not the Park Service or the concessioners ought to be doing it’s a query for Congress and possibly the courts, however regardless of who the individuals get their paychecks from, they’ll must be driving automobiles round to supply these companies.

Actually, it’s simply nice to see that the work of working a part of the park is being achieved with an EV, even when Aramark might have gotten away with hybrids or straight-up gas-powered F-150s.

If This Can Work At The Parks, What’s Everybody Else’s Excuse?

Not each park is out within the wilderness. Some parks (Scorching Springs Nationwide Park is a good instance) are proper on the town the place non-public infrastructure can cowl EV drivers’ wants. However general, parks are typically additional out from the crushed path and away from the massive metropolis (or perhaps a medium-sized one).

There’s a persistent delusion on the market that EVs don’t work away from the massive metropolis. This was true 100 years in the past through the first EV period, and it was typically true in 2010-2013 when most EV charging infrastructure was in bigger metro areas. Certain, in these days, individuals nonetheless did cross-country journeys to show a degree, nevertheless it wasn’t straightforward.

That these vans can do the identical work because the gas-powered ones that had been there earlier than exhibits us that this delusion isn’t true. If there’s any energy in any respect close by, EVs can work nice. They don’t want DC quick chargers in each parking house, only a easy 240v station that pulls as a lot energy as a garments dryer will do. With 200+ miles of vary, and a full battery pack each morning when individuals go to work, the vans do the job simply advantageous.

Even journeys away from the park are advantageous, particularly in California. Must ship somebody to go choose up some provides on the town? There’s loads of vary to try this with out charging. Must ship somebody to a convention or to do enterprise at one other park? Most locations have loads of infrastructure for the truck to drive virtually wherever.

Whenever you see an organization or some joker who desires to drive a pickup to work in a cubicle let you know that an EV gained’t do the job for them, present them that Yosemite has EVs doing essential work with out skipping a beat. Until they’re doing one thing very uncommon or can’t plug the automobile in at evening, there’s no excuse.

Featured picture by Ford.