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All Electric Ford F-150 Lightning to be revealed on May 19 at 930 pm ET


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9 hours ago, blazerdude20 said:


It might go a bit of the opposite direction. My parents live in a rural town and the nearest gas station is 15 miles away at the casino. They only drive 35-40 miles each way max to go to doctor appointments or grocery shopping. Having to plan getting gas around the limited hours and days the station is open is frustrating for them. 
 

They are very open to being able to charge a vehicle in their driveway and not worry about gas stations. 
 

I definitely see it if your small town is 100 miles away from the next one of size though. 


I wasn’t talking about residents.  I was talking about us visiting.  For residents with home chargers it’s fine but if you have to go 45 miles to recharge that’s 90 miles of wasted range.

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Here's another article. The main focus of this is that while Rivian and (maybe) Tesla might get their EV trucks to market first, Ford has gone a different way and thus has already won the EV truck wars (because it designed a functional work truck with remarkable capabilities that is buyable by the masses and doesn't look like a post-apocalypse science project). It is uncertain how many EV-truck-for-the-masses Ford is going to be able to produce due to supply constraints, so it's a little premature for a victory lap. But the article makes a good point.

 

https://www.insidehook.com/article/vehicles/ford-f150-lightning-winning-ev-truck-war

"...One big change that most truck owners — and especially fleet buyers, which make up a large portion of pickup sales — likely can’t stomach is the huge price increase companies like Tesla and Rivian plan to charge for their electric trucks. For the Cybertruck, the current starting price is listed at $39,900 (though that’s for the single motor rear-wheel drive option; the cheapest all-wheel drive version starts at $49,900). For the R1T, the starting price is $67,500. But for the Lightning, it’s just $39,974 for the 'commercial-oriented entry model' and $52,975 for the mid-series XLT, and that’s before any EV tax credits. That accessible price point, including the capability you get for it (up to 300 miles of range on one charge, payload capacity up to 2,000 lbs., towing up to 10,000 lbs.), will make all the difference...

 

" '[The Lightning] offers value you’d expect from a Ford, targeting pricing for the masses and lowering total cost of ownership for many,' said Kumar Galhotra, president of Americans and International Markets Group at Ford. 

 

"That lower total cost of ownership is a reference to the fact that filling your vehicle up with electricity instead of gas can save drivers a significant amount of money, especially in the long run. That’s another element that both individual truck owners and fleet buyers will find enticing once they actually do the cost-benefit analysis between the Lightning and the traditional F-150, as well as the offerings from other brands...

 

"This is a case of the early bird getting the worm, but not in the way you might expect. While other automakers may beat Ford to the starting line, Ford is set to beat everyone else to market with an electric truck that’s accessible, affordable and enticing to America’s gas-loving truck owners — and there are a heck of a lot of them."

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EVs aren't for everybody, nor are they fit for every purpose. With a 230-ish mile range and a 2,000lb payload, the Lightning would meet most of my needs but for one thing: I'm currently living in an apartment, so I have no place to charge it. Also, I've looked under the cushions of my couch and checked my back pockets, and I'm coming up about $40K short of having enough scratch to close the deal...

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43 minutes ago, SoonerLS said:

EVs aren't for everybody, nor are they fit for every purpose. With a 230-ish mile range and a 2,000lb payload, the Lightning would meet most of my needs but for one thing: I'm currently living in an apartment, so I have no place to charge it. Also, I've looked under the cushions of my couch and checked my back pockets, and I'm coming up about $40K short of having enough scratch to close the deal...

...and that gets to the constraints of current EV technology. Sure, it is possible to get a 400+ mile range, but that means increasing weight, decreasing payload unless the truck is significantly restructured (as seen with the fact that the extended range version has a lower payload rating, as the weight of the extra batteries needs to be subtracted, and of course the restructuring would itself add more weight), and pumping up the price. Doing this sends you down the Hummer track. But battery technology is rapidly improving and by later in the decade the trade offs will be much reduced. Doesn't fix the overnight charging problem, however. I also live where it's not currently a possibility.

 

But for someone, whether an individual or a company, who can do overnight charging, who is in the market for a new truck, who would use the truck as a local work vehicle, and who has other options for those occasional long road trips? This has some real advantages, despite the trade offs, that make it well worth considering.

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12 hours ago, slemke said:

He means you can install one at your house creating your own filling station.  That’s good for local trips, but may cause some range anxiety if you aren’t comfortable using the tools to charge up when you can.

 

Okay, now I get his point.

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4 hours ago, Gurgeh said:

"This is a case of the early bird getting the worm, but not in the way you might expect. While other automakers may beat Ford to the starting line, Ford is set to beat everyone else to market with an electric truck that’s accessible, affordable and enticing to America’s gas-loving truck owners — and there are a heck of a lot of them."

 

Very interesting comment. So Ford does have "first mover advantage" with F-150 Lightning. But not based on the date of introduction or date for start of production. 

Edited by rperez817
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1 hour ago, rperez817 said:

Very interesting comment. So Ford does have "first mover advantage" with F-150 Lightning. But not based on the date of introduction or date for start of production. 

 

No doubt Ford has captured the PR high ground.  And the frosting on the cake was for Biden to drive the Lightning.  Talk about free PR.  The Lighting intro may go down as one of the best ever.  

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Imagine you had a gas pump at your house where you can top off every single day?  For the very vast majority of people, you would never need to go to a gas station except in the rarest of instances (it's only on long / vacation trips where you have to fill up more than once a day). 

 

Electric is no different.  If you are topping up at home every evening with a full battery each morning, the chances of you ever getting in a situation where you even need a public charging station is rare.


Think about it.  How often are you filling your vehicle up with gas?  Once a week?  Twice a week?  As long as it is not more than once a day, electric vehicles have you beat for refueling convenience. Fueling up while you sleep, it cant be easier.  Once people get their minds reprogrammed and realize electric really does not hold you back from your daily routine, it will get much more popular.  The Lightning will have a lot to do with that as well.

 

And when a Ranger electric comes up, I'll be first to give it a look!

Edited by Anthony
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7 minutes ago, Anthony said:

Imagine you had a gas pump at your house where you can top off every single day?  For the very vast majority of people, you would never need to go to a gas station except in the rarest of instances (it's only on long / vacation trips where you have to fill up more than once a day). 

 

Electric is no different.  If you are topping up at home every evening with a full battery each morning, the chances of you ever getting in a situation where you even need a public charging station is rare.


Think about it.  How often are you filling your vehicle up with gas?  Once a week?  Twice a week?  As long as it is not more than once a day, electric vehicles have you beat for refueling convenience. Fueling up while you sleep, it cant be easier.  Once people get their minds reprogrammed and realize electric really does not hold you back from your daily routine, it will get much more popular.  The Lightning will have a lot to do with that as well.

 

And when a Ranger electric comes up, I'll be first to give it a look!

Valid point, but for me, range anxiety doesn’t come from driving around town or commuting to the office.   It’s about the freedom I have with a gas powered vehicle to take any route I choose and not have to worry about stopping every 200-400 miles for an extended period of time to fuel up.  Never mind the fact that battery range is basically unknown when traveling as conditions change (ambient temp, etc).  Sure you can work around that by planning the appropriate route, but some folks don’t want to deal with that.  

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7 hours ago, akirby said:


I wasn’t talking about residents.  I was talking about us visiting.  For residents with home chargers it’s fine but if you have to go 45 miles to recharge that’s 90 miles of wasted range.

 

Do they have 240V service to the house?  If you can get them to install a 14-50 plug, you still get 13 miles/hour of charge rate.

 

HRG

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1 hour ago, 02MustangGT said:

Valid point, but for me, range anxiety doesn’t come from driving around town or commuting to the office.   It’s about the freedom I have with a gas powered vehicle to take any route I choose and not have to worry about stopping every 200-400 miles for an extended period of time to fuel up.  Never mind the fact that battery range is basically unknown when traveling as conditions change (ambient temp, etc).  Sure you can work around that by planning the appropriate route, but some folks don’t want to deal with that.  

 

No doubt that the EV F150 will meet some customers needs, but not others. For example, if you tow a travel trailer or large boat, many are saying range will be reduced to 100 miles or so. That will not work in many cases. So in many ways EV pickups are not ready for all jobs and uses. Not as versatile as gas.

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1 hour ago, HotRunrGuy said:

 

Do they have 240V service to the house?  If you can get them to install a 14-50 plug, you still get 13 miles/hour of charge rate.


Not a chance but won’t be an issue.  We don’t go that often and we stay at a hotel.  That was just an example.  We aren’t going full BEV anytime soon.

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12 hours ago, akirby said:


I wasn’t talking about residents.  I was talking about us visiting.  For residents with home chargers it’s fine but if you have to go 45 miles to recharge that’s 90 miles of wasted range.

Every new electric vehicle comes with a portable home charger. Bring that with you. If you’re staying with family, in most cases I doubt they’d mind you charging overnight while you’re there? 

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2 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:


If you have a central air system then you have 240v somewhere in the house. 

Yep. 240V is just two hot 120v wires and a neutral. AC, Electric dryers, electric stoves, etc all typically have 240v power to them. You probably don’t want to unplug your dryer if it’s in the garage. 
 

I wonder if new homes will have 240 outlets or at least disconnect boxes prewired (similar to AC condenser prep outside) for electric vehicle charging. 
 

 

Edited by blazerdude20
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6 hours ago, 02MustangGT said:

Valid point, but for me, range anxiety doesn’t come from driving around town or commuting to the office.   It’s about the freedom I have with a gas powered vehicle to take any route I choose and not have to worry about stopping every 200-400 miles for an extended period of time to fuel up.  Never mind the fact that battery range is basically unknown when traveling as conditions change (ambient temp, etc).  Sure you can work around that by planning the appropriate route, but some folks don’t want to deal with that.  

 

Was thinking what name they would pick for a Ranger EV.

 

Would they...

 

1) Name it Ranger Lightning, and thereby making "Lightning" the EV sub-brand for trucks. Just like Tremor and Raptor do for off-road trucks.

 

or

 

2) Go with a different name, say a Ranger "Thunderbolt". That would reuse a traditional Ford name (Fairlane Thunderbolt), which Ford has been hot on lately. And it would be a aircraft, which we know Ford loves to name its vehicles after. 

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1 hour ago, ausrutherford said:

 

Was thinking what name they would pick for a Ranger EV.

 

Would they...

 

1) Name it Ranger Lightning, and thereby making "Lightning" the EV sub-brand for trucks. Just like Tremor and Raptor do for off-road trucks.

 

or

 

2) Go with a different name, say a Ranger "Thunderbolt". That would reuse a traditional Ford name (Fairlane Thunderbolt), which Ford has been hot on lately. And it would be a aircraft, which we know Ford loves to name its vehicles after. 

I would think Lightening for the consistency across the lineup. 
 

I wonder if the Maverick might get electrified sooner than later as well. A $35-37k electric Maverick XLT with 250 mile range would really drive home the affordable electric vehicle for the masses. 

Edited by blazerdude20
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11 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:


If you have a central air system then you have 240v somewhere in the house. 

I’ve heard that the US uses central tap transformers to deliver domestic  120 volts 

 but the total potential across the positive/negative  (+120 -0- -120) is 240 volts.

so all households should be able to access 240 volts, yes?

 

I have a feeling that Ranger BEV is a few more years away and a variation of

the F150 BEV “perimeter frame”. That architecture has a lot of scaling potential

between mid size and full size that doesn’t seem to exist with the ICE platforms....

Edited by jpd80
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4 minutes ago, jpd80 said:

I’ve heard that the US uses central tap transformers to deliver domestic  120 volts 

 but the total potential across the positive/negative  (+120 -0- -120) is 240 volts.

so all households should be able to access 240 volts, yes?


I'll put it to you this way, I'm having a friend help me resurface my deck and he tapped into the AC circuit to power his air compressor because it's a 240 circuit. 

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While the Lightning mightn’t be the first choice for towing, I’m sure that people are buying it

for all the things it will do well, home charging, doesn’t range, plenty of power and no gas bills.

Edited by jpd80
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1 hour ago, jpd80 said:

While the Lightning mightn’t be the first choice for towing, I’m sure that people are buying it

for all the things it will do well, home charging, doesn’t range, plenty of power and no gas bills.

I would say long distance towing at that.  A landscape trailer or even a car hauler to the local short track are all doable.

The lightning struck a good balance of functionality and price.  I think it will do well and as the lineup expands, sales will increase.

 

I was surprised there wasn’t a 2wd offering.

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1 hour ago, slemke said:

I would say long distance towing at that.  A landscape trailer or even a car hauler to the local short track are all doable.

The lightning struck a good balance of functionality and price.  I think it will do well and as the lineup expands, sales will increase.

 

I was surprised there wasn’t a 2wd offering.


Bingo. I'm going to be getting a fishing boat at some point and a lightning would be more than enough to take it the 6 miles to the local launch. If I felt like it it would still give me enough range to go down to Sterling State Park in Monroe and fish Lake Erie if I wanted to as well. 
 

If I wanted to take it up north with me I can tow it with the Flex. 

Edited by fuzzymoomoo
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13 hours ago, blazerdude20 said:

Every new electric vehicle comes with a portable home charger. Bring that with you. If you’re staying with family, in most cases I doubt they’d mind you charging overnight while you’re there? 


It takes 19 hours to fully charge on a 240 line with the 32 amp mobile charger.  On a 15 amp 120 line it’s probably 36 hours.
 

Like I said it’s not a matter of can it be done but how inconvenient it will be and how many people will put up with the inconvenience.  

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13 hours ago, blazerdude20 said:

Yep. 240V is just two hot 120v wires and a neutral. AC, Electric dryers, electric stoves, etc all typically have 240v power to them. You probably don’t want to unplug your dryer if it’s in the garage.

 

I wonder if new homes will have 240 outlets or at least disconnect boxes prewired (similar to AC condenser prep outside) for electric vehicle charging. 


The problem is you need 2 100 amp legs and a lot of older houses only have one leg feeding the house so they’d have to be upgraded.  Most houses will have to upgrade the service anyway for modern appliances and central air, etc.

 

Right now the code only requires a 20 amp receptacle in each garage bay (GFCI protected).   I could see them making a 30 amp 240 line mandatory at some point but I think it would be too expensive to run a 60 or 80 amp line which is really what you need.   However I can see builders including that on more expensive homes.

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