Lightning E-Rev 690 to 700 mile range

[Shmoe]

This sounds pretty good for fords next generation of electric trucks. On board generator to keep the truck battery charged for heavy loads and towing and long road trips. Sounds exciting. I’m glad ford is moving forward with this setup and I look forward to see the new f150 series electric truck line up. Who’s all in? I’m starting to save my hard earned money now… whoohoo ford built tough.

History will reflect it as a giant step backwards for Ford, and nothing else.

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[Altivec]

This sounds pretty good for fords next generation of electric trucks. On board generator to keep the truck battery charged for heavy loads and towing and long road trips. Sounds exciting. I’m glad ford is moving forward with this setup and I look forward to see the new f150 series electric truck line up. Who’s all in? I’m starting to save my hard earned money now… whoohoo ford built tough.

So you want me to be excited to fill up with gas and go ONLY 690 miles. I already have gas trucks that go further than this. This is solving a problem that doesn't exist by creating a bigger problem of complexity and costs. If you drive/tow long distances often, gas/diesel is the best choice. If you drive like half the market (less than 150miles daily) best choice is a BEV. Zero excitement and zero chance of an EREV for me. Ford, who was positioned to be a leader in next gen full size trucks has tossed it away and is going backwards by at least 10 years. Good Luck Ford.

 

[TurboChris]

Ford should have never discontinued the BEV Lightning to make an EREV. If anything they should have added it to the lineup keeping both as an option.
Bear with me while I compare the new RAM EREV to illustrate what is at hand, hopefully for Ford they will implement this better but here is what RAM's EREV looks like.
690 mile range total.
145 miles on battery alone.
690-145=545 mile range provided by the generator.
RAM says it has a 27 gallon fuel tank.
545/27= 20.18 mpg
Even factoring back in the battery added and gas generator full range of 690 miles we get:
690/27= 25.55 mpg
In conclusion, if I wanted a 20-25mpg pickup that burns gasoline and requires gas engine maintenance then I would save a bunch of money and just buy an Ecoboost F150 instead.
Yes it can benefit around town using electric only but after already owning EV's I realize that I don't really ever/oh so rarely require or benefit from the range extending generator.
It will be interesting to see the MSRP on these vehicles, that will be probably one factor that will make or break it as well for a lot of people who may have more interest in buying one than me.
I am looking forward to seeing more details, but I already know I will gladly keep my current Lightning as long as I possibly can.

 

[Adventureboy]

The best EREV for Ford would be the F250 or F350. Marry the torque of an electric drive with the range, efficiency and torque capabilities of a good diesel engine on the heavier platform. It would simplify the drivetrain for the Superduty and create a more efficient workhorse.

That would be a step forward, not a step back.

 

[chl]

...and it looks like gasoline could be well over $5 a gal on average pretty soon and stay there for a long time due to the 'excursion' in the middle-east and their response...great timing Ford...NOT.

 

[Adventureboy]

and it looks like gasoline could be well over $5 a gal on average

I love my Lightning. ESPECIALLY with our cheap overnight electricity here in Ontario. Did I mention CHEAP?

 

[Randys Lightning]

Hah, I'll pass on that headache. I'll just stop for the 1/2 hour and grab a coffee and maybe some lunch... It will be way less time and a lot less expensive than trying to load that into the bed and hook it up.

EXACTLY and we have a full body on frame chassis.

 

[jobofly79]

Not even remotely interested in an EREV. It’s a niche market that will buy it. I bet it won’t sell as many as the Lightning.

 

[Quibbs]

My bet is none of the EREVs will be cheaper than their pure ice variants. If they are released or if they are released in any amount.

As a EV driver and boat owner the pitch that I can drive around town on EV but have ICE to recharge for towing long distances is not a selling point to me. I bet most of us on here do not tow far very often and drive 80% of the time in our home towns. Why pay a premium and extra maintenance just because you could tow more miles on that rare occasion?

For those of you that do tow and drive far and complained about the shortcomings of the Lightning you looked at, or bought, the wrong tool for the job. If you believe an EREV is your answer then great, but you won't find many here that share your enthusiasm.

Ford can try astroturfing the EREV appeal but it's not going to work. Most who have been following Ford for the last few years probably have a impression of why the Lightning was cancelled and why it's being replaced.
A fair amount of companies seem to have changed course not too long after the 24 election. That is not a coincidence.

Everything after the fairly abrupt cancellation just makes Ford seem disingenuous.

My.02

 

[Aminorjourney]

Does it come with a free lifetime supply of catheters? Because that's the only way people will genuinely be able to drive it 700 miles non-stop

 

[25StarWhiteLightning]

Based on current climate, I will be shocked if this gets released at all.

 

[srspring551]

Yeah, also no thanks - if I had wanted a hybrid with no frunk, I'd have bought one. Ford just sucking up to cheesy.

 

[PJnc284]

Does it come with a free lifetime supply of catheters? Because that's the only way people will genuinely be able to drive it 700 miles non-stop

200-250 miles is about my butt/back/bladder limit. Took the Ram instead of the Lightning on a ~800 mile trip to SE florida and back. Stopped halfway on the way down but drove it straight back. Truck could go about 400 miles on a tank (20mpg avg) but you can bet I stopped more than twice on the way back.

 

[Briendevine]

This sounds pretty good for fords next generation of electric trucks. On board generator to keep the truck battery charged for heavy loads and towing and long road trips. Sounds exciting. I’m glad ford is moving forward with this setup and I look forward to see the new f150 series electric truck line up. Who’s all in? I’m starting to save my hard earned money now… whoohoo ford built tough.

My lightning's been at the dealer for 2 months now trying to get a frunk issue resolved. Not really thrilled right now.

 

[Jon A]

...It’s a niche market that will buy it. I bet it won’t sell as many as the Lightning.

I'll take the other side of that bet. I think they'll easily sell far more EREVs than they ever did BEVs.*

*With a couple caveats:

1) They are brought to production at full capacity soon (so there aren't shortages/dealer markups).
2) The specs are similar to/competitive with the Ram Rev.
3) The price is reasonable (same or less delta with the gas trucks as the BEV Long Range had).

It has been...interesting to see the comments from people here after this announcement. Everybody has their own needs/wants, etc, people will like what they like and there's nothing wrong with that. I can't say I'm surprised with the overall tone as most here are representative of the 4% who already chose to buy the BEV.

As a member of the 96% who has exactly zero interest in buying the BEV version, I can say for sure I'll be in the market for one of these in a couple of years. Hopefully they can bring it to market soon enough and it's a really good truck. It will be fascinating to see what happens the next couple of years with the Ram Rev and (especially if it's successful) how Ford tries to match or beat it.

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