F150 Lightning - Ford's fully electric truck

[Ramjack]

This truck is going to sell, they already have over 20000 deposits in one day, I haven't made a deposit yet because I want to see more firm pricing.

Don't forget . . . it's a $100 refundable deposit. Not much risk.

 

[bwsRam19]

The question you need to ask is this.. Is there a huge market of RATIONAL non-towing short-range truck drivers out there.

I submit there is not. Trucks are bought primarily out of someone’s misconceived notion of what their true vehicle needs are.

Can a guy or gal just like driving a truck? Most people could get by with a scooter, who the hell wants to do that. I just sold a camry that i was using for a work car and bought a tahoe for work, why? because its more comfortable, more powerful, and I like driving trucks.

 

[bwsRam19]

Don't forget . . . it's a $100 refundable deposit. Not much risk.

true, I may just for kicks and to receive updates about the truck

 

[bwsRam19]

Just an update, as of 2pm today, Ford has 44000 reservations for the lightning.

 

[Quint]

....and I thank all of those guys for their service. I would never buy the first model year of a vehicle so I am grateful to all that do.

 

[SD Rebel]

I bought quite a few vehicles during their first new model year ....

- 1993 Ford Ranger
- 1994 Acura Integra GS-R
- 1999 BMW 328I
- 2005 Ford Mustang GT
- 2010 VW CC
- 2015 Ford F150
- 2019 RAM 1500

They have been essentially flawless, so I'm not typically afraid of buying the first year of a brand new design. However, a brand new thing like a fully electric F150, I might way a year or two

 

[SBrentnall]

the lightning has a 10000 lb towing capacity and more payload than the ram 1500 at 2000 lbs, so i think its more than capable of towing

The problem isn't towing capacity or payload, it's range while towing. For most EVs, towing cuts projected range by around 40-50%.

Depending on what and how far you tow, the Lightening may be a good option. For me, sadly, it's not because I tow horses. The nearest big vet hospital is 130 miles away and I can't charge with horses on the trailer, so it's a bit tight for me. But I'm watching this space and hoping that range increases over the next couple of years.

 

[bwsRam19]

The problem isn't towing capacity or payload, it's range while towing. For most EVs, towing cuts projected range by around 40-50%.

Depending on what and how far you tow, the Lightening may be a good option. For me, sadly, it's not because I tow horses. The nearest big vet hospital is 130 miles away and I can't charge with horses on the trailer, so it's a bit tight for me. But I'm watching this space and hoping that range increases over the next couple of years.

This truck is for the guy who occasionally pulls his boat to the lake, makes lumber yard runs, hauls some furniture for the neighbor, etc. Me personally I wouldn't even tow with it if i bought it, would just use my tahoe.

 

[bwsRam19]

I put in a reservation for one this afternoon, after reading that ford covers the batteries for 8 years or 100k miles.

 

[Grape_Ape]

I put in a reservation for one this afternoon, after reading that ford covers the batteries for 8 years or 100k miles.

Awesome! Hope it all works out for you. I just found out the batteries are gonna be made here in Georgia not too far from me. I'm still trying to figure out how to keep my Ram and get a lightning lol.

 

[392DCGC]

I put in a reservation for one this afternoon, after reading that ford covers the batteries for 8 years or 100k miles.

Not very promising. Tesla was covering the powertrain on their expensive models for 8 years/unlimited miles. They have since dropped that to more reasonable figures, but they have developed a decent track record for reliability and gotten a lot of kinks out. To think you could drive one of Ford's new, unproven EVs for a few years and hit 100K miles, then be on the hook for a $10,000+ battery replacement does not bode well for earning my trust anyway.

 

[SpeedyV]

Not very promising. Tesla was covering the powertrain on their expensive models for 8 years/unlimited miles. They have since dropped that to more reasonable figures, but they have developed a decent track record for reliability and gotten a lot of kinks out. To think you could drive one of Ford's new, unproven EVs for a few years and hit 100K miles, then be on the hook for a $10,000+ battery replacement does not bode well for earning my trust anyway.

On average, new car buyers keep their vehicles for 6 years...so most of those early adopters will be safe (aside from questions on resale). In the meantime, that's a long while for the replacement battery market to spin up (presuming sales numbers justify this).

For me, the mileage limitation is irrelevant, as I wouldn't get close to 100K in 8 years. I've only got 17K on my 2019 Ram (delivered September 2018).

 

[392DCGC]

On average, new car buyers keep their vehicles for 6 years...so most of those early adopters will be safe (aside from questions on resale). In the meantime, that's a long while for the replacement battery market to spin up (presuming sales numbers justify this).

For me, the mileage limitation is irrelevant, as I wouldn't get close to 100K in 8 years. I've only got 17K on my 2019 Ram (delivered September 2018).

For some, the mileage is a concern. Resale is also important. We can't afford to be throwing away vehicles after just a few years on the road, especially not ones with upwards of 1,000 pounds of battery materials.

The third party battery replacement market is basically nowhere to be seen for Tesla. Ford is not going to fare any better for the lifetime of this particular truck. It's going to take decades before we see EV-capable repair shops in numbers like we see typical repair shops today. And third parties have no control over raw battery costs. These things cost a fortune to manufacture today, even at scale. Sure, things will get better over time, but the only viable way to handle a defective battery pack is to dismantle and repair whatever bad cell or part is causing the issue. That is going to take qualified technicians. As I said before, Average Joe's repair shop is not going to be able to do that for a long time. So just about anyone with a battery issue is going to be at the mercy of the dealer, and they love to replace rather than repair. It's going to be interesting to see what happens when things go wrong is all I'm trying to say.

 

[bwsRam19]

For some, the mileage is a concern. Resale is also important. We can't afford to be throwing away vehicles after just a few years on the road, especially not ones with upwards of 1,000 pounds of battery materials.

The third party battery replacement market is basically nowhere to be seen for Tesla. Ford is not going to fare any better for the lifetime of this particular truck. It's going to take decades before we see EV-capable repair shops in numbers like we see typical repair shops today. And third parties have no control over raw battery costs. These things cost a fortune to manufacture today, even at scale. Sure, things will get better over time, but the only viable way to handle a defective battery pack is to dismantle and repair whatever bad cell or part is causing the issue. That is going to take qualified technicians. As I said before, Average Joe's repair shop is not going to be able to do that for a long time. So just about anyone with a battery issue is going to be at the mercy of the dealer, and they love to replace rather than repair. It's going to be interesting to see what happens when things go wrong is all I'm trying to say.

I just sold my ram after two years of ownership, it had 13000 miles on it. 100000 miles will last me the full 8 years, I wouldn't keep the truck that long anyway. Good luck on getting 100k out of that ecodiesel, thats a real crapshoot. I don't know how many of those trucks I've seen for sale with a bad engine. I owned a 2017 ecodiesel myself and traded it for the 2019 hemi after 28k miles. I had the injectors replaced after 10k miles on the ecodiesel as it went into limp mode, this would have been a 6000 dollar repair out of warranty, so you see my point any vehicle can have unexpected repair costs. I wouldn't expect the warranty on anything to go past 100k miles.

 

[bwsRam19]

Not very promising. Tesla was covering the powertrain on their expensive models for 8 years/unlimited miles. They have since dropped that to more reasonable figures, but they have developed a decent track record for reliability and gotten a lot of kinks out. To think you could drive one of Ford's new, unproven EVs for a few years and hit 100K miles, then be on the hook for a $10,000+ battery replacement does not bode well for earning my trust anyway.

I would have no problem buying a battery after 100k miles. 10k every 8 years for a battery is just 1250 a year. I could not imagine owning the same vehicle for 8 years though, but I get that some people do, and this probably isn't for them.

 

[theblet]

it’s not a battery you have to replace. It’s going to be a huge string of them.

in my area, there is literally no access to charging stations. So I would have to charge at home. On a 110 outlet that would take days. I would have to get a DC fast charger installed. This would also mean my electricity bill will go up. Then if everyone else is charging at home using these high amp chargers, the grid will need to be upgraded, and more fossil fuels used by the electric company to supply the needed current.

wouldn’t it be more effective to have hydrogen as an alternative? Why are all the companies so focused on EVs?

 

[Grape_Ape]

it’s not a battery you have to replace. It’s going to be a huge string of them.

in my area, there is literally no access to charging stations. So I would have to charge at home. On a 110 outlet that would take days. I would have to get a DC fast charger installed. This would also mean my electricity bill will go up. Then if everyone else is charging at home using these high amp chargers, the grid will need to be upgraded, and more fossil fuels used by the electric company to supply the needed current.

wouldn’t it be more effective to have hydrogen as an alternative? Why are all the companies so focused on EVs?

Ford is including a super charger for your home standard. Currently you can charge your vehicle for a higher cost savings than what you pay at the pump. So your bill will be offset. The power grid needs to be upgraded anyways. As an electrician with many friends at the local power plant I have mixed feelings. I feel like renewables have a place but I wonder how well they could carry the load. That goes full circle back to the grid needing upgraded along with most of our nationwide infrastructure.


If hydrogen was a viable source I think we would've already heard about it. Pretty sure Toyota has tried it and I want to say the US military has also researched it.

 

[theblet]

Ford is including a super charger for your home standard. Currently you can charge your vehicle for a higher cost savings than what you pay at the pump. So your bill will be offset. The power grid needs to be upgraded anyways. As an electrician with many friends at the local power plant I have mixed feelings. I feel like renewables have a place but I wonder how well they could carry the load. That goes full circle back to the grid needing upgraded along with most of our nationwide infrastructure.


If hydrogen was a viable source I think we would've already heard about it. Pretty sure Toyota has tried it and I want to say the US military has also researched it.

That could be true. I'm paying about $2.60 a gallon. Hard to say. I'm not completely sold on the idea yet. I think in large cities with smog problems, and an abundance of charging stations, for short commutes, it would be beneficial.

Hydrogen is probably way too cheap a resource for the fed govt, and all these tech giants. They want to make trillions off of this after all. Hard to tax the pants off of people when your fuel is in the air we breath. Hell, even CNG would be a good next step IMO, instead of all this EV stuff.

 

[bwsRam19]

That could be true. I'm paying about $2.60 a gallon. Hard to say. I'm not completely sold on the idea yet. I think in large cities with smog problems, and an abundance of charging stations, for short commutes, it would be beneficial.

Hydrogen is probably way too cheap a resource for the fed govt, and all these tech giants. They want to make trillions off of this after all. Hard to tax the pants off of people when your fuel is in the air we breath. Hell, even CNG would be a good next step IMO, instead of all this EV stuff.

Have you ever drove a cng vehicle, they are lethargic.

 

[theblet]

No just a propane converted one long ago