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

[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.

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[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?!

 

[Altivec]

And that trailer costs $300,000

And 100" TV's use to cost a $100,000 not too long ago. You can't base the future solely based on pricing.

 

[PJnc284]

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?

he obviously didn't ask chatgpt. Now whether or not it's actually correct is a completely different matter.

ChatGPT said:
For an EV (electric vehicle), the term “cylindrical header” makes much more sense in the context of the battery pack, not the engine (since EVs don’t have exhaust systems or cylinder heads).
What a “cylindrical header” usually refers to in an EV
It typically means a header plate or busbar assembly used with cylindrical battery cells (like 18650, 21700, or 4680 cells).
In battery engineering, a header is a structural + electrical interface piece that:

• Holds the tops of cylindrical cells in place
• Provides current-collecting paths (busbars)
• Adds structural stability
• Sometimes integrates sensing elements (temperature, voltage)
• Helps align cells during manufacturing

You’ll see this most commonly in:

• Tesla battery modules (they use cylindrical cells)
• Battery packs built from 18650 / 21700 / 4680 cells
• E-bike, scooter, and DIY EV battery packs

Some engineers call it:

• A cylindrical cell header
• Battery header plate
• Cell array header
• Busbar header

Why it’s called a “header”
Because it sits at the head (positive or negative terminal end) of a group of cylindrical cells and connects them electrically and mechanically.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

but the Lightning doesn't use cylinder cells - it uses pouch cells...

 

[PJnc284]

No guarantee they were planning to stick with pouch cells though

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