Don’t forget they are expressing opinions, not facts. We all are. There is nothing to compare against because no one has a similar vehicle to an EREV Super Duty, or has operated one long enough to expose weaknesses. Yeah, we have EV buses and trucks, but they may be built to a different durability and cost standard than what Ford or anyone may be able to design and manufacture at an affordable price. Just saying we should not expect too much early on.
There are a lot of reasons in my opinion, many of which are complex and controversial. It’s not just one thing. We have free markets but often highly regulated which in my opinion can have a snowball effect on prices. Chances of a small EV the size of Seagull seem remote to me, in large part because of safety concerns when there are so many larger vehicles sharing the road.
For what it’s worth, there are some low-cost new cars available, but sell in very small numbers.
https://www.cardesignnews.com/cars/exclusive-ford-team-goes-rogue-to-celebrate-rs200-anniversary/46132.article
Article from yesterday about the Ford designers who created a new RS 200 behind the scenes for the RS 200 40th anniversary. I love how this thing looks. But I know Ford won't build it (probably). Most of the article is locked behind a paywall, but I just know at some point in that article, Ford talks about how they have no intention to actually make it, that's how these sort of things always go. Ford trademarked the name recently, but likely won't actually use it.
But could you imagine that design with some normal doors and windows? Throw in a 2.3 Ecoboost AWD hybrid system or something with a starting price of 60-70 grand to compete with things like the cayman, entry level lotus, and the new upcoming MR2? I'd buy one, I know a lot of young people who would.
It's not gonna happen, but we can dream. The coolest looking official Ford design project in 5 years, and they'll just throw it away.
Agree completely, though I remain hopeful — with one exception.
We can extrapolate valuable data from Ford’s F-53 chassis, as example, and see that very large (wide and tall) motorhomes weighing up to 26,000-pound GVWR and 30,000-pound GCWR are powered by 7.3L V8 with 335 peak HP and 468 lb-ft of torque. I would roughly compare that with a Super Duty towing a large non aerodynamic heavy trailer at highway speeds, which is where limitations of an extended-range generator apply more directly.
Most owners know and accept that when towing a large fully-loaded trailer, as is the case with heavy motorhome that operates near max load 100% of time, that performance will be lower than normal, and fuel consumption quite a bit higher. For example, a large Class A motorhome cruising at 70 MPH may only average 7 MPG, so burns 10 gallons per hour. Thai’s roughly 150 HP at engine “on average”. To me the concept of an EREV Super Duty seems viable from a power standpoint. It would seem a large-displacement Atkinson V8 should be able to produce enough power to support highway cruising for hours at a time.
The problem I still see is that even with Atkinson engine lower brake specific fuel consumption, generating electricity to power electric motors is far from 100% efficient, and may result in unacceptable highway towing MPG. A driveshaft connecting an engine to a differential is pretty damn efficient by comparison. Very low tech but quite effective nonetheless.
We got our new 2025 ST mid-August. Had a 2022 ST and I must say, the 2025 is far superior to the 2022! The exterior changes are great, from the grill to the tail lights. I was skeptical of the new rims until we got ours and now I love them. The dark charcoal looks great with our black ST paint! The Interior changes are SUPERIOR in every way to the 2022!!! We love the changes and couldn't be happier with our new ST! 2000 miles on it so far and have enjoyed every mile so far!!!