"Gen 2 F-150 Lightning" development leaked in Ford employees' Linkedin profiles

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

I would just like to see pull-through chargers along the main hwys - yeah they are planned, and in some places actually being built, but not my neck of the woods...yet.

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[Maineiac12]

That doesn't change anything I said. I tow a lot with my lightning. 99% of the time, it's well under 100miles so no charging is necessary. A couple of times a year I do take it out long distance. When towing with my gas trucks, I would have to stop for gas more often too, an EREV wouldn't be any different, probably worse because it's going to have a smaller tank. Yes, I'm stuck at a charger for maybe 20 minutes longer than a gas stop a few times a year. How about all the savings in time not having to go to a gas station for the other 99% of the time. All the time savings and costs in maintenance, dealing with fuel stabilizers, and added complexity. I know which one I would choose.

I know for some, they tow long distance a lot. If that were me, I would be getting a gas F150, end of story. If that's all you do, when are you going to gain anything from the EV side of a EREV. Just hauling a heavy battery around for the fun of it.

If you are someone that tows long distance often but stick around the city a lot too where you will be taking advantage of the battery, then expect to chew up its small battery life cycles within the trucks usable life. In other words you will reach a point where you will have to decide to spend big bucks on a battery replacement or write-off the truck. That's where I am at with my ELR with only 50k miles on it.

There might be some niche case use where an EREV would be the best choice but I would not be able to pin point it. Batteries will continue to get better, infrastructure will continue to get better. China already has cars going insane distances with extremely fast charging speeds. Ten years from now, this conversation will be meaningless everywhere except for the US where bad after bad decisions keep getting made.

I don’t tow over 100 often but it would be nice to take my camper out of state once in a while. Again, people don’t buy things for what they actually do… they buy for what they want or think they will do. It’s not rational behavior, it’s just reality.

The battery size required to get a longer towing range isn’t practical yet so that’s where a gas range extender could be helpful. EVs and EREVs can both exist alongside each other. It’s not a zero sum game.

 

[Rayden]

Your dealer didn't give you a code to order the FCSP? Got my truck in June and it came with free install as well. Ford promise 2.0, check the date to see if you qualify.

Only works on new vehicles, unfortunately. My used '23 didn't qualify.

 

[Timeless Epoch]

That doesn't change anything I said. I tow a lot with my lightning. 99% of the time, it's well under 100miles so no charging is necessary. A couple of times a year I do take it out long distance. When towing with my gas trucks, I would have to stop for gas more often too, an EREV wouldn't be any different, probably worse because it's going to have a smaller tank. Yes, I'm stuck at a charger for maybe 20 minutes longer than a gas stop a few times a year. How about all the savings in time not having to go to a gas station for the other 99% of the time. All the time savings and costs in maintenance, dealing with fuel stabilizers, and added complexity. I know which one I would choose.

I know for some, they tow long distance a lot. If that were me, I would be getting a gas F150, end of story. If that's all you do, when are you going to gain anything from the EV side of a EREV. Just hauling a heavy battery around for the fun of it.

If you are someone that tows long distance often but stick around the city a lot too where you will be taking advantage of the battery, then expect to chew up its small battery life cycles within the trucks usable life. In other words you will reach a point where you will have to decide to spend big bucks on a battery replacement or write-off the truck. That's where I am at with my ELR with only 50k miles on it.

There might be some niche case use where an EREV would be the best choice but I would not be able to pin point it. Batteries will continue to get better, infrastructure will continue to get better. China already has cars going insane distances with extremely fast charging speeds. Ten years from now, this conversation will be meaningless everywhere except for the US where bad after bad decisions keep getting made.

I agree there is a potential big gap between the marketing of an EREV and the reality.

I could be wrong but I don’t think Ford is going to go down this path. Ford already has difficulty in making a profit with a pure BEV F150. Adding the expense of a combustion engine will only make that more difficult.

I also think that as BEV trucks become more popular, we’ll see trailer and RV manufactures start to offer better aerodynamic profiles. I am optimistic we’ll see 150 to 200 mile towing ranges in the next 10 (maybe 5) years where the tow vehicle doesn’t weigh as much as a Sherman tank.

 

[Maxx]

I agree. I'm 76 and expect my 2022 platinum to at least carry me through the 8 year warranty. That will put me at 80 years old. At that age I'm hoping I won't need another new truck.

I am right up there with you. Transitioning from electric trucks to electric wheelchairs will be smooth as butter. And our tail lights won't cost as much to replace.

 

[Maxx]

This guy is saying the next gen Lightning/T3 is extended range because of the recent part issue:

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

assumes the name of the part in the lawsuit is ICE-related and 'can't be' from an EV...not so sure about that. Terminology can be less than obvious or clear sometimes.
Maybe someone will confirm if the supplier is a manufacturer of ICE engine components or electrical ones ?

 

[Maxx]

assumes the name of the part in the lawsuit is ICE-related and 'can't be' from an EV...not so sure about that. Terminology can be less than obvious or clear sometimes.
Maybe someone will confirm if the supplier is a manufacturer of ICE engine components or electrical ones ?

That is what he said. "Cylindrical header" (Min: 6)

 

[Kev12345]

if ford just allowed charging while driving on the lightning, the long distance towers could throw a generator on the A-frame of their trailer or in the bed when needed. keep it simple.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

That is what he said. "Cylindrical header" (Min: 6)

Sure - but what do they mean by that term?
We are all familiar with intake and exhaust "headers" on an engine, but that is not the only use of the term "header" - I have seen the term in water systems where pumps line up on a common connection pipe and it wouldn't be a stretch for the term to show up in some electrical components.
Why would the term be cylindrical header? - we need to know more.
Maybe there is a member that knows more and can share?

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Towing is part of the truck things. I think that’s why they are considering EREV. Even people don’t tow, they want to be able to. It’s my only complaint with my flash. If I only had another 100 miles of towing range it would be perfect.

I have this conversation often, and it’s not just towing. The primary reason an EV doesn’t work for someone is…range.

Those same people usually drive maybe 60mi total per day, don’t tow, don’t road trip, wouldn’t have a legit reason to be limited by an EV.

For those who tow, an EREV would make sense for those who tow daily. For the once a month person, I think a full electric with a double battery might be fine. It’s hard to say without knowing what we give up.

If I had to give up the frunk, I’d stay full electric. If I had to give up the spare tire, I’d probably opt for an EREV.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

60-mile per day commute -SR
longer daily runs, live in an area with sparse charging -ER
Daily towing short distances/city - ER
Daily towing long distances - Superduty
just my take on it.

I will not be surprised to see far better battery tech with much faster charging in a few years, but the fact remains, until the charging infrastructure includes pull-through charging on the hwy, it is not very practical to use an EV for hwy towing on a regular basis. No-one wants to unhook to charge and then hook up the trailer again.

 

[Rayden]

I also think that as BEV trucks become more popular, we’ll see trailer and RV manufactures start to offer better aerodynamic profiles. I am optimistic we’ll see 150 to 200 mile towing ranges in the next 10 (maybe 5) years where the tow vehicle doesn’t weigh as much as a Sherman tank.

TFL did a video on a new RV that is exactly that. Has vertical sliders that lower the RV down to the same height as the tow vehicle. Also had a large battery pack that was doing some type of power assist to the wheels. They did something like a 300 mile test run in a loop around Denver (I think) with 2 identical trucks; 1 towing the trailer, 1 without. IIRC, the result was almost no difference at all!

 

[Kev12345]

TFL did a video on a new RV that is exactly that. Has vertical sliders that lower the RV down to the same height as the tow vehicle. Also had a large battery pack that was doing some type of power assist to the wheels. They did something like a 300 mile test run in a loop around Denver (I think) with 2 identical trucks; 1 towing the trailer, 1 without. IIRC, the result was almost no difference at all!

And that trailer costs $300,000

 

[Rayden]

And that trailer costs $300,000

Oh, just $300,000?!

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