Recent content by RickKeen

The ICE engine in an EREV will have a differing load profile. Unlike an engine used directly for driving which has to handle peak HP demands AND steady state efficiency, the ICE engine in an EREV does not have to handle peak HP demands. It can be sized smaller, but it needs to be designed to...

Make better software. Software cost scales inverse with unit sales. So you have to go big. Think Microsoft, Amazon, Apple. Never going to be able to afford good software for low volume products.

Ford currently sells the most popular EV pickup truck product in America. Pickups are one of the best selling categories of vehicles. The future is EVs. The future of pickups are EVs. Slowing down or halting their program would let everyone else catch up. What a bad idea. Guess what the...

Ford engineers are wrong if they think that people can line up a trailer hitch on first try, every attempt and then just put their truck into park. Even those experienced at the task sometimes take two or three attempts. Even with the camera.

Some transitions still are instant. Like when you shift into Park. Would be better if it just left the camera alone. For those suggesting the parking brake to avoid the rolling, sure that might help, but hard to know it worked without the camera staying visible.

Was that time of the year to pull the boats out of the lake. Was reminded once again how disappointed I am in the uselessness of the hitch camera on my F150. Every time I go to park or switch to forward, it changes the camera view. When I am trying to stop and line up the hitch it commonly...

Tried out a new small shop in town to have a leaky tire on my F150 fixed. The mechanics there were somewhat unfamiliar with the Lightning and asked me a bunch of questions about it. First they were like "didn't even realize that was electric when you dropped it off. It looks just like an...

Here is what you can do to help put pressure on to get those software updates we keep hammering Ford about. Invite some of the Software Engineers to make a video with you demonstrating some aspect of the Truck. But really its a chance to make them experience the issue directly, themselves...

Note that EV's still pay no Federal road taxes. That may change under the current Big-Oil funded congress. Several proposals are on the table: Some go far beyond what the average gas vehicle owner pays in federal road taxes (currently only $0.18 per gallon). Per google's AI: "No federal road...

On the topic of suggestions, how about a "Never F-ing Change the Camera from What I Specifically Selected" mode. Ford engineers should try hooking up a trailer on a slope sometime. When you think you are aligned, and put the truck into park, it of course rolls another inch or two. Would be...

Hood emblem belongs on the hood. (best image I could find)

Enhancing the value of something the customer already paid for seems counterintuitive. But it builds brand loyalty and lets a company that does it bank on that future value. Tesla shipped the Cybertruck without the software implemented yet for several off-road functionalities. But Tesla buyers...

Exactly the same use case - when the Truck is used as a standby power source for your house is the situation people run into issues with.

Its also a law in most states to stay in attendance.

Easiest to just use the back seat.