Lightning reservation numbers sequence / pattern?

[SteffanG]

Does anyone know how exactly the reservation numbers work? If you look at the list they are all over the place comparing to the dates.
I reserved exactly 38mins after reveal, but my number is higher than someone that reserved the next day. There are also a few others that are higher numbers than someone who reserved at a later date.

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[ChasingCoral]

tl;dr: Don't get caught up on reservation numbers.

We went through this ad nauseam with the Mustang Mach E reservation system. Analyzing the timing of reservations the night of the MME reveal showed there were three to four servers/server banks running simultaneously, each accessing a different set of 1000 reservation numbers (4000-4999, 5000-5999, 6000-6999, and maybe 7000-7999). Reservation numbers appeared to have been issues sequentially from each set of numbers but simultaneously across the sets. As all reservations were not completed, all numbers were not assigned, leaving gaps. Ford repeatedly stated that timestamp matters, not reservation number.

More importantly, the order bank was opened to all reservation holders simultaneously. It didn't matter if you had the first or the last reservation when it came time to make orders. However, the order number was the same as the reservation number, so the reservation number still had some value.

Production was not sequential by reservation or order. Lots of variables are considered to optimize line speed and sequence production to allow freight cars to be loaded for destination rail yards. Similar issues came up at shipping time to maximize shipping efficiency.

I've heard similar stories when the system was later used for Bronco Sports and Broncos.

 

[Brian Head Yankee]

Yep, as I have said before, you are in line at YOUR dealer. I may be a day behind you but first in line at my dealer. If you start obsessing over it, all the fun will be gone. You can call your dealer and ask where you are in their line to get an idea of where you are overall.

 

[SteffanG]

Ah I see, I'm just trying to get a rough idea of when I would get it as we need a new truck for our farm.
It may be a bit different on shipping than other models as it is right beside their ICE f150 plant which ships out a lot of trucks so they could be combined in the shipments of those.

 

[tkeru408]

Yep, as I have said before, you are in line at YOUR dealer. I may be a day behind you but first in line at my dealer. If you start obsessing over it, all the fun will be gone. You can call your dealer and ask where you are in their line to get an idea of where you are overall.

Do you happen to know how it works when someone switches their dealer? If I were to switch dealers at some point before the order books open, is my spot in the new dealer's line based on when I switched to them (get in the back of the line on that day) or is my spot in the new dealer's line based on my original reservation time stamp (cutting in front of others at that dealer with later reservation time stamps)? Seems like it should be the latter, but I'm not sure.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Yep, as I have said before, you are in line at YOUR dealer. I may be a day behind you but first in line at my dealer. If you start obsessing over it, all the fun will be gone. You can call your dealer and ask where you are in their line to get an idea of where you are overall.

How much your place in line within your dealer's orders will really depend on how closely Ford follow the model they used for the Mustang Mach E. With the Mach E, the dealer really had no say. They often didn't even know what was arriving until the car carrier showed up. Because buyers had their VIN for up to 4 months before delivery, it was all a matter of Ford's scheduling. It sounds like almost all deliveries of the Lightning will be pre-orders, so I suspect Ford will follow a model close to that of the Mach E where almost every delivered vehicle was attached to a customer order.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Do you happen to know how it works when someone switches their dealer? If I were to switch dealers at some point before the order books open, is my spot in the new dealer's line based on when I switched to them (get in the back of the line on that day) or is my spot in the new dealer's line based on my original reservation time stamp (cutting in front of others at that dealer with later reservation time stamps)? Seems like it should be the latter, but I'm not sure.

For the Mach E, all orders carried the original reservation time stamp, even if you moved from one dealer to another. Dealers received a $500 bonus if the sale was from the same dealership as the original reservation.

 

[RavenYZF-R6]

I asked a high volume dealer that has good incentives about switching to them, and they said it would not affect your place in line at all to switch. Reservations are by time, not dealer allotment. Or so they say.

 

[Blainestang]

Do you happen to know how it works when someone switches their dealer? If I were to switch dealers at some point before the order books open, is my spot in the new dealer's line based on when I switched to them (get in the back of the line on that day) or is my spot in the new dealer's line based on my original reservation time stamp (cutting in front of others at that dealer with later reservation time stamps)? Seems like it should be the latter, but I'm not sure.

The FAQ on the Lightning site says you can switch dealers without affecting your place in line, which leads me to believe those saying there effectively isn’t a line at the dealer. It’s more of an overall line and your dealer is just the delivery method. Otherwise, moving to a different dealer would put you at the end of their line, which would all most certainly delay your delivery vs staying with your original dealer.

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