Interviews on Lightning: Jim Farley, Linda Zhang, Doug Field and Darren Palmer

SmoothJ · Aug 1, 2022

Normally, I don't promote videos, but I feel that this is one of those exceptions:

Ford Interview | CEO Jim Farley, Chief Engineer Linda Zhang, and Chief EV Officer Doug Field

Ford F-150 Lightning: Exclusive Interview With Ford VP, Darren Palmer

tommolog · Aug 1, 2022

Hey all,

I had the opportunity to chat with Ford's Darren Palmer about my initial impressions of my Lightning. I ask him a wide variety of questions and Darren didn't duck any of them. We talk about charging, warranty, some of my small complaints, Chevy Silverado EV, and I even ask him about the Ford Charge Station Pro overheating issues, which he thoroughly explains.

It's an hour long, so grab some popcorn.

https://bit.ly/3bmGbSd

greenne · Aug 1, 2022

tommolog said:
Hey all,

I had the opportunity to chat with Ford's Darren Palmer about my initial impressions of my Lightning. I ask him a wide variety of questions and Darren didn't duck any of them. We talk about charging, warranty, some of my small complaints, Chevy Silverado EV, and I even ask him about the Ford Charge Station Pro overheating issues, which he thoroughly explains.

It's an hour long, so grab some popcorn.

https://bit.ly/3bmGbSd

I am quite impressed with Darren Palmer as a guy who "gets it". He's a big part of why I am confident in Ford right now...

For contrast..Darren has been out answering questions and promoting EVs for over a year now. When have we seen anyone from GM(other than CEO lip service) come out and answer questions, talk about upcoming products, etc.

Regular150 · Aug 1, 2022

Literally chills from the humility Farley showed in his recognition of what Munro is doing to better the industry that he couldn't do as a Ford Employee! I can't describe it any other way that David and Goliath, but even more Awe inspiring, instead of killing Goliath, Sandy has shown the automotive Giant how it can be better and a force for excellence!

The Palmer video really should be a separate thread. They are both important, but the Munro Moment video really owns this one. Wow.

beatle · Aug 1, 2022

It's pretty easy to be cynical about a lot of top-level execs in the auto industry, but not these people. They seem aware of the challenges in pivoting to EVs and more importantly seem to genuinely recognize their significance to the buyer.

shutterbug · Aug 1, 2022

tommolog said:
Hey all,

I had the opportunity to chat with Ford's Darren Palmer about my initial impressions of my Lightning. I ask him a wide variety of questions and Darren didn't duck any of them. We talk about charging, warranty, some of my small complaints, Chevy Silverado EV, and I even ask him about the Ford Charge Station Pro overheating issues, which he thoroughly explains.

It's an hour long, so grab some popcorn.

https://bit.ly/3bmGbSd

Here are some things I wish got addressed:

The FCSP documentation says that the units are rated to 113 degrees, while most other EVSE's are rated to 122 degrees. Those of us that live in truly hot places (like Phoenix) can experience ambient temperatures above 113 during summers in the middle of the night
If you're not towing, does max tow package improve battery cooling, or does it only kick in when towing?
What is Ford doing to eliminate dealer shenanigans? That includes dealer add-ons that no one asked for (like window etching, nitrogen in the tires, etc). In mind, dealer selling price during order should include any markup and any add-ons that the dealer plans to insist on
What is Ford's explanation for the way some of the folks that reserved later got to order the truck, while those who reserved early got skunked?
Are there any plans to allow non-fleet customers to order Pro trim with the extended battery?

VTbuckeye · Aug 1, 2022

The charging errors due to heat on the fcsp are concerning. How did they didn't foresee this problem (some places in this country get very hot). Yes it has been quite hot, but not unusually hot (maybe for longer, but not really outside of typical temperature ranges). Some people were reporting problems when ambient temps were in the 90s. That it worked in Michigan in January does not mean that it will work in Phoenix in August. An extra 10 degrees allowed in the box and then it will reduce power....So maybe an extra 20 minutes? The big question is not how to adjust the acceptable temperature, but why is it getting so hot and how to reduce the heat. The lightning is still a great product, but somethings could be done better.

Pioneer74 · Aug 1, 2022

tommolog said:
Hey all,

I had the opportunity to chat with Ford's Darren Palmer about my initial impressions of my Lightning. I ask him a wide variety of questions and Darren didn't duck any of them. We talk about charging, warranty, some of my small complaints, Chevy Silverado EV, and I even ask him about the Ford Charge Station Pro overheating issues, which he thoroughly explains.

It's an hour long, so grab some popcorn.

https://bit.ly/3bmGbSd

@tommolog , you're the State of Charge guy. Why didn't you address the lack of information on the display screens while actively charging?

ChrisCon · Aug 1, 2022

VTbuckeye said:
The charging errors due to heat on the fcsp are concerning. How did they didn't foresee this problem (some places in this country get very hot). Yes it has been quite hot, but not unusually hot (maybe for longer, but not really outside of typical temperature ranges). Some people were reporting problems when ambient temps were in the 90s. That it worked in Michigan in January does not mean that it will work in Phoenix in August. An extra 10 degrees allowed in the box and then it will reduce power....So maybe an extra 20 minutes? The big question is not how to adjust the acceptable temperature, but why is it getting so hot and how to reduce the heat. The lightning is still a great product, but somethings could be done better.

It was a high 68 degrees today and 66 right now . I’m getting faults as I type this

Ford F-150 Lightning Interviews on Lightning: Jim Farley, Linda Zhang, Doug Field and Darren Palmer 9B5FF7EE-410E-4A1C-AF8B-43C96DDA9027

tommolog · Aug 1, 2022

Pioneer74 said:
@tommolog , you're the State of Charge guy. Why didn't you address the lack of information on the display screens while actively charging?

I would have liked to talk exclusively about charging but I wanted to address a variety of topics. I will have the opportunity to do this again with Darren. Plus, it wasn't a surprise to me, I knew what the displays were going to show for over a year now, I wanted to try to ask him mostly about things I've learned recently.

Pioneer74 · Aug 1, 2022

tommolog said:
I would have liked to talk exclusively about charging but I wanted to address a variety of topics. I will have the opportunity to do this again with Darren. Plus, it wasn't a surprise to me, I knew what the displays were going to show for over a year now, I wanted to try to ask him mostly about things I've learned recently.

Gotcha. Great to hear that you will be speaking with him again. Can't wait to see the video.

FinsNBolts · Aug 1, 2022

tommolog said:
I would have liked to talk exclusively about charging but I wanted to address a variety of topics. I will have the opportunity to do this again with Darren. Plus, it wasn't a surprise to me, I knew what the displays were going to show for over a year now, I wanted to try to ask him mostly about things I've learned recently.

great interview and thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the thoughtful questions and his honest response (and his sometimes unavoidable smirk to some questions). You provided some great suggestions and I feel like they are really serious about implementing them.

As a longtime Toyota truck guy, I feel like Ford really “gets it.” It’s people are so genuine about trying to solve the issues. They aren’t nimble yet in the software side.They are so used to cars being “done” and then having years toprepare for the next one. Here,hiring The right software team is going to take time but they sound really devoted to get it right.

FinsNBolts · Aug 1, 2022

Also, something weird I noticed on my truck today. The profile settings sometimes revert to “guest” profile, which maintains different audio settings, etc. I can’t quite figure out why that is, but I am using the same key fob, so it’s not that.

Pioneer74 · Aug 1, 2022

FinsNBolts said:
Also, something weird I noticed on my truck today. The profile settings sometimes revert to “guest” profile, which maintains different audio settings, etc. I can’t quite figure out why that is, but I am using the same key fob, so it’s not that.

That's nothing new. My wife drove my F150 for about a week while I put miles on her lease. When I got back in it this morning my profile was still there but my saved satellite stations were completely gone. Had to reprogram them all.

FlasherZ · Aug 1, 2022

FinsNBolts said:
Also, something weird I noticed on my truck today. The profile settings sometimes revert to “guest” profile, which maintains different audio settings, etc. I can’t quite figure out why that is, but I am using the same key fob, so it’s not that.

I had to add a keyfob to my profile to stop the truck from doing that.

Interviews on Lightning: Jim Farley, Linda Zhang, Doug Field and Darren Palmer

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