Answers & Info From F-150 Lightning Event. 300 mile range with 1000 lbs payload confirmed

[Maxx]

I definitely think that Ford is going to try and get a head start on dominating the BEV fleet truck market.

I'm not a fleet buyer, though, and they're already trying to discourage non-fleet buyers from buying the Pro by blocking the Extended Range option, so I'm worried about them continuing what they've already started.

Same here. Pro is the first compelling Ford for me in 34 years. If I can’t get it before my other reservations kick in, I will not upgrade to another trim. I am sure Ford is not going to cry over losing me. At that price, they probably intend to make most of their money from selling fleet services.

Both Rivian and Cybertruck seem to have problem getting their trucks out as originally planned. GM is in no rush to win the race. It would be interesting to see how Ford will do with timing and trim release.

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[Lime Green]

Ford know who their fleet buyers are. They had a separate Lightning reservation process for them.

I’m buying a Lightning Pro, possibly two of them. You don’t have to be big enough to qualify for Ford’s Fleet Program, you just need to purchase through the commercial sales at your dealership. Commercial customers for the XL / Pro don’t place a reservation as the retrial customers do, but need to contact their dealership if they have not done so already. At this point, if you’re not on their list, then the ship has already sailed for getting one this next year. Dealerships who do higher commercial sales volume will get more allocations.

I’m on the list with a local dealership that I’ve used for most of my company truck sales over the last 10 years as down for two Lightning Pros. As they get allocations, they go down the list so we can place our orders. I know I’m “near the top” of the list, but they have also warned me that Ford may prioritize larger fleet accounts for the Pro orders or they may just not get many allocations as they expect quantities to be extremely limited.

Getting a Pro really comes down to your dealership and if they will work with you as a commercial customer vs. retail. I’ve heard that Ford has tried to make it clear to dealerships that they need to concentrate their sales of the Pro on ESTABLISHED commercial accounts and customers who qualify for Ford’s fleet plans.

I’m not sure if I’ll buy one or two of them when the opportunity arises. One for sure. Two if timing is right and I opt to not get myself a Platinum. I may be doing the Platinum personally or a well loaded Lariat+ and live it up a bit. I have a reservation through Granger Ford in Iowa for that. They’re pricing below invoice and they’re legit. Have already bought a Bronco Sport from them and have a full size Bronco reservation with them.

 

[Blainestang]

Same here. Pro is the first compelling Ford for me in 34 years. If I can’t get it before my other reservations kick in, I will not upgrade to another trim. I am sure Ford is not going to cry over losing me. At that price, they probably intend to make most of their money from selling fleet services.

Both Rivian and Cybertruck seem to have problem getting their trucks out as originally planned. GM is in no rush to win the race. It would be interesting to see how Ford will do with timing and trim release.

Yeah, selling a bunch of Pros to retail means they're not going to fleets and that they're giving up easy sales of higher trims to other people waiting in line.

I hope they'll let me buy a retail Pro at launch, (and if I *had* to guess, I think they will sell some), but given that they're already blocking desirable options to push people to higher trims, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I’m buying a Lightning Pro, possibly two of them. You don’t have to be big enough to qualify for Ford’s Fleet Program, you just need to purchase through the commercial sales at your dealership. Commercial customers for the XL / Pro don’t place a reservation as the retrial customers do, but need to contact their dealership if they have not done so already. At this point, if you’re not on their list, then the ship has already sailed for getting one this next year. Dealerships who do higher commercial sales volume will get more allocations.

I’m on the list with a local dealership that I’ve used for most of my company truck sales over the last 10 years as down for two Lightning Pros. As they get allocations, they go down the list so we can place our orders. I know I’m “near the top” of the list, but they have also warned me that Ford may prioritize larger fleet accounts for the Pro orders or they may just not get many allocations as they expect quantities to be extremely limited.

This is all true for small fleet buyers -- the majority of commercial customers. Larger fleet buyers have a different system. A friend on another forum said the fleet reservation site for the Lightning opened the day after the regular Lightning site opened. He reserved 10.

 

[Lime Green]

This is all true for small fleet buyers -- the majority of commercial customers. Larger fleet buyers have a different system. A friend on another forum said the fleet reservation site for the Lightning opened the day after the regular Lightning site opened. He reserved 10.

Sounds about right. Also what the dealership has told me — that large fleet or tier 1 customers were already submitting orders or at least reserving quantities. Supposedly there are limits to how many they can order and it’s anyone’s guess as to how Ford will prioritize production and delivery. We know that when they announced they had 120K reservations, they were only speaking in terms of retail customer reservations. I see numbers getting thrown around like 80K produced the first year and all that. Not sure what will end up happening, the only thing Ford has said definitively about production quantities is that it will be limited by battery supply, otherwise they would be cranking these trucks out as fast as they could ship them.

 

[greenne]

This is all true for small fleet buyers -- the majority of commercial customers. Larger fleet buyers have a different system. A friend on another forum said the fleet reservation site for the Lightning opened the day after the regular Lightning site opened. He reserved 10.

FWIW..In the fourum we've sometimes used Fleet and commercial interchangeably and that may not always be the case. Certain models(or trims) are designated as commercial and thereby needed to be ordered from the "commercial" dept.. even though it may be just someone wanting to use it for personal use.

Case in point--- Years ago..I wanted to buy a Ford Transit to use around the house and transport my dogs. I had no use for..nor did I want to pay for rear seats(or a carpeted area) in the rear so I bought a "cargo " version. I had to order from a commercial Ford guy, even though I was buying for personal use, not a business. Also-- at least with the transit-- only certain dealers had the cargo transits(those that sold commercial trucks)..not every dealer sold them. Just about every Ford dealer, however, had the passenger version available.

 

[astricklin]

Everything that I have seen on the documents says 'fleet sales only' for the ER Pro. I may be wrong, but I take that to mean that you will be required to place the order using a fleet number. To qualify for a "fleet identification number" from Ford, you must have purchased at least 5 vehicles in the current and previous calendar years under most circumstances. It looks like pretty much the only way to get around that is to have a limo/taxi operating license or a funeral home license.
You can see the requirements here. https://www.fleet.ford.com/get-started/eligibility-documentation//#commercial

 

[ChasingCoral]

Of course, I thought of another question after the event: can the ProPower Onboard system provide power out at the same time the battery is being charged (especially L1/L2 charging)? Many campgrounds have one outlet and it would be good to plug the truck into that outlet (preferably 220V) and plug the trailer's "shore power" cord (typically 110v) into the truck.

I just got the answer from someone who asked this at the Detroit event:
“Yes. Reduced output, but you can plug your camper in through the TT-30 and give it shore power while you drive or charge, not just sitting still.”

 

[vandy1981]

“Yes. Reduced output, but you can plug your camper in through the TT-30 and give it shore power while you drive or charge, not just sitting still.”

I'm probably missing something obvious, but what do you mean by "not just sitting still."

 

[TRP]

I'm probably missing something obvious, but what do you mean by "not just sitting still."

Meaning you could plug the trailer into the plug in the bed and have it fully powered while you drive down the road. You could also have it plugged in while charging.

 

[vandy1981]

Meaning you could plug the trailer into the plug in the bed and have it fully powered while you drive down the road. You could also have it plugged in while charging.

So you're saying you couldn't use the 30 amp plug for boondocking with your RV? Aren't you able to do this with the hybrid powerboost?

 

[ChasingCoral]

I'm probably missing something obvious, but what do you mean by "not just sitting still."

It’s his quote, not my words. However, I take it to mean you can plug into the 110v to run the trailer “not just sitting still”, but also when driving or charging

 

[vandy1981]

It’s his quote, not my words. However, I take it to mean you can plug into the 110v to run the trailer “not just sitting still”, but also when driving or charging

OK, my bad. Was reading this as "just not sitting still." *facepalm*

I'm very happy that this has been confirmed (albeit informally) by Ford.

 

[ChasingCoral]

So you're saying you couldn't use the 30 amp plug for boondocking with your RV? Aren't you able to do this with the hybrid powerboost?

I don’t see why not. That’s my plan.

 

[astricklin]

I'm not surprised because it has been proven that the Powerboost will output while driving. Although I don't see any reason to have a camper plugged in while driving.

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