Important Update: Ford EV Roadmap & Future of F-150 Lightning (EREV Next Gen Model) - ⛔️ ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS

[sean7512]

As a Mach-E owner I too will not go back to gas but to call it an antiquated technology is just plain false. Modern ICE engines are actually cutting edge technology. If you are are simply referring to the fact that ICE engines have been the dominant means of locomotion for the past 150 years, I would say that you are forgetting that electric motors were around back then, but much like today they didn’t offer the advantages that ICE offered the public.
EV is the future, maybe, but if we need a bridge such as hybrids or EREV to get there then I for one am all for it.

I am saying burning carbon for energy is antiquated. We are still a Type 1 civilization on the Kardashev scale, moving up is progress and while a BEV may get its power from burning fossil fuels, it can be powered by clean energy (like the solar panels on my house). There is no alternative for a gas engine, so anything with gas holds us back on the scale. To quote the carousel of progress at Disney....It's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. Thats progress for ya!

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[PJnc284]

It will have to be either a boosted V6 or a v8 or else you get a huge power drop off when the battery is depleted.

This will be the big one. The v6 in the Ram will be hooked to a 130kW generator and a 92kWh battery. Using my current lightning efficiency of 1.8mi/kWh at 75 or a discharge rate of ~42kW , you'd only need about 32kW from the generator to reach 700 miles which isn't bad.

Towing is a whole different animal though. Pulling my boat at 60 gives an efficiency of .8 mi/kWh. Chatgpt seems overly optimistic that I would get .5 at 75 which would be a power draw of 150kW. That would require about 130kW to the motors to get 300 miles towing. Factor in losses and you'd probably need an engine that can push quite a bit more. This is why the whole charge while driving concept isn't that great if you're towing a good load. Even and 80 amp evse just isn't enough to make a noticeable difference

 

[Danface]

The Easter Egg in the new Ford Truck

 

[PreservedSwine]

Smart financial move. The lightning just isn't selling, no matter how great those who own one already know that it is.
The range extender offers nothing that I'm looking for, but before I owned EV, and this was my first, it checks all the boxes.
Charging on the road is awful, there are just no two ways about it. Even though less than 1% of charging is done on the road, it's really hard to get past that for those who haven't owned one.
In fact, three years ago me probably would've opted for the range extender.
The one complaint I have with my truck, and standard range battery form, interstate road trips are simply not possible (for me). I know plenty of people here take theirs on the road and wax poetically about how great it is. To each his own is all I have to say about that.
Hopefully, battery chemistry continues to improve, and they can pack more kilowatt hours into the truck. It simply can't tow very far, and charging with a trailer is no fun.
The all battery electric truck will make a comeback, once batteries is improve.
It's hard to believe that this is the end for now, since quite frankly, this is the best vehicle I've ever owned.

 

[Daragh]

There is a silver lining for any potential buyers, you could potentially get a great deal if you’re willing to buy a Lightning! All mass produced vehicles are depreciating assets, hell just driving it off the lot it loses 20%! If you want to make money over time from a purchase, best not buy a mass produced vehicle regardless if it’s discontinued or not.

 

[Danface]

There is a silver lining for any potential buyers, you could potentially get a great deal if you’re willing to buy a Lightning!

That's what the owners of DeLorean, Saturn, Edsel, Oldsmobile, Geo, Pontiac, Studebaker .... said

 

[RickLightning]

Like all vehicles, we will maintain parts and service for 10 years.

The right move would be to extend warranties, specifically the EV components, from 8 years / 100,000 miles to something like 10 years, 150,000 miles to match that commitment to parts. But, that would set a precedent and the lawyers would never allow it.

I've had a long day and just got caught up on this news and looked at my stock holdings. Was this also what gave TSLA another $16 jump today - they may have just hit a new all time high. I don't own any Ford, but I'm sure theirs took the same jump after a $19.5 B write off.

Clearly you don't follow Ford's stock. You say Tesla went up $16. So I looked, I don't see that, it went from an open of $469.49 to a close of $475.31, a jump of 1.2%. After the market closed, it dropped down to $471.61, Ford's announcement was after the market closed.

Yes, Ford stock did go up, but it's not a reflection of strategy IMO, it's a reflection of the $19.5B write-off, and then an increase in guidance on adjusted earnings. In other words, "we're taking a huge write-off, but if you ignore that we make a profit"...

Think of the people that invested in Ford stock (versus those who threw their money at the vehicles) and watched it do nothing for so many years. I invested about $135,000 between my two EVs...

Back in 2021, I told a dealership that I was buying my first Mach-E for many reasons, one of which was to drag Ford into the future. Guess I failed at that. I had a private conversation with that dealer yesterday, but I'm not going to post anything about that.

 

[sotek2345]

This will be the big one. The v6 in the Ram will be hooked to a 130kW generator and a 92kWh battery. Using my current lightning efficiency of 1.8mi/kWh at 75 or a discharge rate of ~42kW , you'd only need about 27kW from the generator to reach 700 miles which isn't bad.

Towing is a whole different animal though. Pulling my boat at 60 gives an efficiency of .8 mi/kWh. Chatgpt seems overly optimistic that I would get .5 at 75 which would be a power draw of 150kW. That would require about 120kW to the motors to get 300 miles towing. Factor in losses and you'd probably need an engine that can push quite a bit more. This is why the whole charge while driving concept isn't that great if you're towing a good load. Even and 80 amp evse just isn't enough to make a noticeable difference

You are also forgetting the use case for max towing uphill with a dead battery. To be successful, I think you need to support that without a significant loss in performance. That would put the generators max sustained output closer to 300kw (or 400hp)

 

[vaeyedoc]

https://wreg.com/news/blueoval-city/blue-oval-city-to-produce-new-gas-powered-trucks-models-in-2029/

 

[Danface]

Sums it up my mind!

 

[Shmoe]

Every EV company I show loyalty to dumps me in the end.

Tesla with my Model 3 after Elon went nuts.
Ford with my Lightning now abandoning it.

I'm afraid if I go to Rivian for my next car (as opposed to my wife's) theyll go bankrupt or something.

This is worse than not wearing my lucky jersey for a birds game.

 

[WXman]

Also, the "we will support it for 10 years" is a cop out. 10 years from now it will be 2035, just two years before the 2037 event when its possible all these trucks could turn into bricks if they dont have software support anymore.

To be fair, it was extremely unlikely that important powertrain parts were going to be available in 10 years anyhow. Tech is moving so fast.

My LIGHTNING is NOT to tow. My LIGHTNING is NOT to use in business. My LIGHTNING is simply my vehicle, just like a MachE is to others, or a ModelY is to many, or a Nissan LEAF still is to yet a few.

Fine. But Ford isn't building trucks FOR YOU. They are building trucks for the masses, and the masses buy trucks because they need to haul or tow. Otherwise they'd buy a car.

And what happens when the original owner sells it or trades it in one day? Maybe the second owner is a guy who NEEDS a truck and will tow with it. Ford has to engineer these things to do their intended purpose, regardless of whether YOU will or not.

This climate change denier administration won't be around for much longer. This vehicle is a gem. Ford will again be a loser instead of a leader. What a shame. Found On Road Dead. Bringing back old memories.

As someone with a degree in meteorology/climatology who has been studying weather and climate for 40 years, all I have to say to this is that if you're that gullible I've got some ocean front property in Kansas I'll make you a KILLER deal on.

 

[Deleted member 22541]

Most likely a smart business move by Ford - glad I got my Lightning to own a great truck that unfortunately the masses don't know about nor want: being a POWERBOOST fan, this looks like a variation that will be very similar but with a faster, smoother drivetrain, so I think it will fly. I'm gonna leave all the green stuff alone, but just say I'm not in a Lightning to be green. IMO nothing wrong with OIL & GAS! FORD is a great company, and I will continue to consider FORDs!

 

[Danface]

Every EV company I show loyalty to dumps me in the end.

Tesla with my Model 3 after Elon went nuts.
Ford with my Lightning now abandoning it.

I'm afraid if I go to Rivian theyll go bankrupt or something.

This is worse than not wearing my lucky jersey for a birds game.

For any corporation, loyalty is a one way street (and it always goes in the wrong direction.)

 

[PJnc284]

You are also forgetting the use case for max towing uphill with a dead battery. To be successful, I think you need to support that without a significant loss in performance. That would put the generators max sustained output closer to 300kw (or 400hp)

Yeah that was basically just for an ideal situation. I don't forsee it being possible for them to fully power the battery using the generator.

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