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I think it's interesting that in the Pro renderings it appears you still get two good sized screens, decent wheels, dual climate control, and the fold out workdesk. Is the XLT really $13K nicer? Doesn't seem like it to me. I think a whole lot of people are going to be just fine with this "commercial" version. For $32,500 after tax credit, I'm pretty sure I would be, were I in the market for an EV pickup.
Nobody said EVs aren't the future, but the lightning in its current form is not a truck for the masses. It's a large Tesla model 3. If you live in a city with a cottage 30 miles away, then sure, the lightning may be perfect for you. And like another poster said, I hope Ford sells a lot of lightnings and puts R&D back into the technology to advance it. One day a gasser will be a thing of the past - but for trucks, that's still far out.
Lithium technology needs to advance another 5 years and chargers need to charge in 5 minutes, not 45 minutes for it to become a long-distance hauler.
There is technology that is being hashed out right now that allows a 5-minute lithium charge. It's coming, but give it another 5-10 years before trucks become EV-worthy.
it's actually the truck for the masses...the majority of truck owners fall within 2 categories:
1- city dweller: hauls nothing, use their trucks for light duties and want a truck for the image associated with them. Rarely travels more than 300 miles..
2- contractors that usually don't leave the city but tow heavy loads
Everybody else falls within the 10% - so you are in the minority and this truck was not designed to serve your needs. There might be one some day...but eventually you will be forced to adapt and fall in line. Expect a carbon tax to be introduced in the next 4 years or so, once Biden is reelected...model after what Canada did - starting at $25/ton and up to $170 in 2030, gas will be really expensive :-)
Not exactly sure when this happened, but I was poking around Ford's website this morning and noticed a new section for "fleet" models and noticed a 4th truck in the line up: The F150 lightning Pro. It appears it will also have the option for extended range. If this matches Ford's XL stats currently, this may be the truck I order.
Seriously, I’m digging this. I don’t drive but about 1,000 miles a month and that’s on a busy month-though my night classes double that for another week. I do just enough dirty jobs to make it worthwhile. I know the Lightning name being used here turned a lot of folks off, but I like it a lot.
I’m not sure I’ll go for a first year and reserve now, but wait for some improvements so pulling my travel trailer won’t be such a fuss.
I hate to think about it, but the ‘03 is what it is. Tough truck, but tough to get some parts for and it is relatively ancient technology now (OMG...SuperCab crash test). I am several thousand bucks on the good on my Ram, value wise, so it is tempting to trade as soon as I can, but it tows about 2x what the ‘03 does. That matters. Push comes to shove, wait two years and see what’s in store as far as capability upgrades.
A truck is a better option than a sedan, cuv, or SUV. I'm not sure why the "real truckers" are getting upset over Ford offering something for the masses for Home Depot/Costco Runs. They act like you need to be hauling 24/7 in order to own a truck
For sure! For everyone out there driving cross-country with their trucks, yeah I would say don't buy one yet. For everyone else that will use their truck as a daily driver that also needs to be able to tow/haul, I don't see why you wouldn't at least consider it. For the reasons most people claim to want a truck, electrics do better than ICE (again excluding the long distance trip argument). Yes, towing will affect range (probably significantly), but I wouldn't imagine it will be to the point where it wouldn't be practical anymore. This is the first electric truck Ford has made, so it won't be perfect. You can't expect them to be able to make a 400 mile range truck with 1000-hp for about $30,000 their first try. But even with this being their first attempt, I think it will be an upgrade in performance and use for the majority of F150 drivers out there.
In terms of the range issue plaguing EV's as a whole, most EV's can already get range that you could expect from a full tank of gas from an ICE vehicle. Add in the fact that you can charge at home overnight, and for many, range won't be much of an issue. Also, battery tech is one of the fastest evolving technologies surrounding EV's. Within the next few years, I believe we will be see sub 10 min charge times for 400+ miles of range easy. Again, not right now, but in terms of adopting EV's long term, I don't think this will be an issue much longer.
For sure! For everyone out there driving cross-country with their trucks, yeah I would say don't buy one yet. For everyone else that will use their truck as a daily driver that also needs to be able to tow/haul, I don't see why you wouldn't at least consider it. For the reasons most people claim to want a truck, electrics do better than ICE (again excluding the long distance trip argument). Yes, towing will affect range (probably significantly), but I wouldn't imagine it will be to the point where it wouldn't be practical anymore. This is the first electric truck Ford has made, so it won't be perfect. You can't expect them to be able to make a 400 mile range truck with 1000-hp for about $30,000 their first try. But even with this being their first attempt, I think it will be an upgrade in performance and use for the majority of F150 drivers out there.
In terms of the range issue plaguing EV's as a whole, most EV's can already get range that you could expect from a full tank of gas from an ICE vehicle. Add in the fact that you can charge at home overnight, and for many, range won't be much of an issue. Also, battery tech is one of the fastest evolving technologies surrounding EV's. Within the next few years, I believe we will be see sub 10 min charge times for 400+ miles of range easy. Again, not right now, but in terms of adopting EV's long term, I don't think this will be an issue much longer.
The biggest issue with owning an EV is that you have to keep an ICE around. While it is true that most EV's can get the same range as an ICE the time it takes to charge makes so that you have to plan around that charging time, for some it's inconvenient especially if you have to travel more than 200 miles in a day. I am not talking about a road trip, just daily situations where you go to work then have to travel further for medical appointments or whatever. You have to plan around those charging times and sometimes it's impossible.
While the Lightning is rated at 300 miles, that's with a 100% charge. From reading the Mach-E forums, Fords range estimates are accurate compared to Teslas. If you charge appropriately on a daily basis you are only charging to 240 miles a day at 80% and if you are traveling pretty far then you are charging to 270 at 90%. Take into account the weather, using AC driving more than 70 mph and you continue to cut that range.
Is there a thread where we can have an adult educated discussion about this new EV F150 truck?
I'd like to discuss things like AWD/4WD, winter driving, battery performance in cold wether, launching boats, how deep in water can we go, will water impact the motors... and so on.
Not a bunch of rhetoric spewed by a some folks who seem content at only bashing everything they see with uneducated responses.
This debate reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the aliens take over the presidential candidates:
I'm sure someone rocking a Freightliner across North America considers us all city slickers who don't do "real truck stuff" but who really cares. Even if the Lightning doesn't work for you, this is huge for the EV (and by extension entire automobile) market where there has been a major gap with no "legitimate" full-size family/stuff hauler other than the $80K+ Tesla Model X with it's wacky doors and limited cargo ability. The fact that Ford is coming out with a largely "normal" EV that can actually haul, tow, and fit a family of 5 in comfort finally puts the old "EVs are only for wackadoo enviro-weirdos and tech geeks" theory in the ground, and I hope we'll never see another one-off "compliance/goofball car" like the Nissan Leaf. If nothing else, this puts money in Ford's pocket and allows them to continue making large gas vehicles rather than sending a yearly "sin tax" to Tesla to buy emissions credits.
Tesla has/had a non-zero chance of threatening big auto OEMs like Ford. Even if you'll never even consider the Lightning, the fact that this puts Ford in a mass-market leadership position and beats out Tesla at their own innovation game in the EV space is a really big deal, and we'll see "trickle-down" technology into the gas models as well. Frankly I don't know how you can be a "truck person" and not be super excited about this type of innovation even if it doesn't meet your individual needs on several fronts. I'd never buy a hopped up race truck, but I'm glad people build them, and race them, and presumably advance the state of the art which ultimately benefits me in better, cheaper products.
05-25-2021, 10:35 AM
