7Mary3

That's the story I have heard. The 7.3L will probably be the only gasoline engine for everything larger than an F-150. I wonder if the 6.8L will eventually replace the Coyote.

Nothing else. The semi truck sans power plant will be sourced from Iveco/CNH. Fuel cells might have an application in long distance heavy trucks. Fuel cells do not necessarily have to use hydrogen........ I think GM wants to supply fuel cell and battery power to heavy truck manufacturers, much as Cummins supplies diesel engines. I think at this point Nikola is just another potential customer for GM.

An all-new straight 6 would be prohibitively expensive. You are talking about a whole new tooling line, very limited parts interchangeability with existing engines, and limited applications (more like none) in other vehicles. Not to mention all new accessory drives/brackets/lines/hoses/air induction system for the vehicle. Not cheap at all. Oh yeah, different engine configuration may require crash testing. And of course emissions certification. Smaller displacement version of the 7.3L would be the least expensive route, if there is even a demand for a smaller engine. Assuming the 6.2L goes away......

391 XD maybe?

That is a great picture. Drive-away delivery probably to dealers relatively close to the plant. Yes, I would say it's KTP. Notice the orange F series in the 4th. row up from the bottom? It has the backwards-facing hood scoop, probably a Caterpillar V-8 or a Super Duty gas V-8.

I have fixed a few lifter failures/camshafts in LS engines. Nowhere near the valvetrain issues that 3 valve Mods had. Starting to see cam follower and valve retainer failures on older 6.2's now. One of the things I don't like about the 7.3L is that all the cam phaser components are behind the timing cover. You can get to all the LS cam phaser parts by just removing the water pump.

In any event, I am glad to see that it looks like Ford will be able to leverage a truck engine platform into a high performance engine for the Mustang and F-150. The 6.8L will likely be 'it' for Ford high performance ICE's. I am a little sorry they didn't do a pushrod V-8 8 or 10 years ago.

And in that picture you can clearly see the bosses in the casting for DI injectors.

Regarding the 7.3L, I have heard of a few random failures but no common mechanical issues yet. However, many that have the 7.3L in commercial trucks operating over 20,000#'s gross are commenting that they need higher octane gas to perform well. I am not too surprised about this as I remember thinking when I first saw the spec's on the 7.3L that the bore was quite large for a port injection engine with a relatively high compression ratio and single ignition. That configuration can really limit how much timing advance you can run particularly under sustained load until detonation becomes a factor. Direct injection and/or dual ignition can help here, and it appears that the 7.3L was designed with DI in mind judging by the head castings.

GM's Ultium battery ain't no joke.

Who makes Motorcraft batteries?

The California regulations specifically call for 'zero emissions' passenger vehicles starting in 2035. Commercial trucks and vans beginning in 2045, if feasible. Key point is 'zero emissions' not necessarily BEV's or a specific ban on ICE's, though currently it appears that BEV's will be the best way to meet the standard. Incidentally, there are some prototype renewable natural gas large commercial trucks running around that are achieving 'net zero' emissions.

GM has figured out a way to use substantially less cobalt in a battery that more efficient.

This is a relief. However now Ford has a lot of catching up to do.

Flint built medium duty before, I think they still have room. Not sure I see Ford and VW partnering on medium/heavy commercial trucks in the U.S., I hear Traton will go it's own way with Navistar. Why would they need or want another brand (Ford) for medium and heavy? Makes no sense. Light duty commercial is another story, particularly in Europe. Electrification of light commercial will be expensive and Ford and VW can share expenses.