The Ultimate F150 Lightning build based on viewers' input!

[Trucked Up EVs]

Based on my info from an Australian member who checked up on this, AUS EV and its parent company are now "in receivership". To me this reads "bankrupcy and liquidation".

Well, that would make a heck of a lot of sense. Thanks for the heads up.

Sponsored

 

[arod412]

throwing out some other ideas here since this is suppose to be the ultimate lighting build

1. its a 400v architecture. as anyone explored what is needed to upgrade it to 800v? Faster charging means less downtime and more play time

2. if we are focusing on offroad beast, should we focus on weight? I enjoy a spirited light offroad area in NJ and some of the bridges have "4Ton" signs. we know the lighting is already heavy (not as heavy as other ev trucks) but would love to whip out the scales each time we made a modification to see what the weight looks like

3. fender flare options. i know bigger tires is king offroading, but that can kill weigh and range. having some room for fender flares will help with clearance (kinda looking at that ford f150 lighting raptor)

4. is there any more room above the motors to push those up just a little? one of the downsides of this truck is that the motors do hang down just a bit. having them a little higher and out of the way would be great.

5. speaking of room, retractable side steps is a must...but steps that do give you some protection

 

[Trucked Up EVs]

throwing out some other ideas here since this is suppose to be the ultimate lighting build

1. its a 400v architecture. as anyone explored what is needed to upgrade it to 800v? Faster charging means less downtime and more play time

2. if we are focusing on offroad beast, should we focus on weight? I enjoy a spirited light offroad area in NJ and some of the bridges have "4Ton" signs. we know the lighting is already heavy (not as heavy as other ev trucks) but would love to whip out the scales each time we made a modification to see what the weight looks like

3. fender flare options. i know bigger tires is king offroading, but that can kill weigh and range. having some room for fender flares will help with clearance (kinda looking at that ford f150 lighting raptor)

4. is there any more room above the motors to push those up just a little? one of the downsides of this truck is that the motors do hang down just a bit. having them a little higher and out of the way would be great.

5. speaking of room, retractable side steps is a must...but steps that do give you some protection

All wonderful ideas.
As promised, it needs to be totally DIY so anyone can do it, wherever possible, with available parts. I think we can pull off some of these but definitely not the 800v approach. That's basically making a new truck.
The motors as well would involve a complete redesign, and even if we found a way to lift them, you'd lose at least a portion of the frunk and have a big bump in the back base of your bed. There's simply no room above them without cutting. However, getting more distance between the ground and the plating via suspension, and looking at geometry, and extensions of some parts could definitely compensate for the location of the motors.
I'm already looking at weight compromise with every step, and wherever possible shedding weight for what I add. I hope to not exceed a couple hundred kilograms max overall in the entire truck rebuild, the goal of remaining 900kg (2000 lbs) lighter than the Silverado EV Trail Boss. It restricts a lot of what we can do, but the massive lift F350 monster beast approach is NOT the way I'm taking this. You and I are thinking along the same lines.
Steps are out. Sliders are likely in, and surprisingly, we anticipate reducing some weight here while improving strength & clearance. Stay tuned!

 

[MountainAlive]

Really looking forward to this series! Agree with several others that the protective skid plate with side protection for the HV wire harnesses and the coolant lines would be my first thought. It’s too bad that Australian company isn’t responding. But fabricating that piece of metal can’t be that hard, right?

 

[arod412]

All wonderful ideas.
As promised, it needs to be totally DIY so anyone can do it, wherever possible, with available parts. I think we can pull off some of these but definitely not the 800v approach. That's basically making a new truck.
The motors as well would involve a complete redesign, and even if we found a way to lift them, you'd lose at least a portion of the frunk and have a big bump in the back base of your bed. There's simply no room above them without cutting. However, getting more distance between the ground and the plating via suspension, and looking at geometry, and extensions of some parts could definitely compensate for the location of the motors.
I'm already looking at weight compromise with every step, and wherever possible shedding weight for what I add. I hope to not exceed a couple hundred kilograms max overall in the entire truck rebuild, the goal of remaining 900kg (2000 lbs) lighter than the Silverado EV Trail Boss. It restricts a lot of what we can do, but the massive lift F350 monster beast approach is NOT the way I'm taking this. You and I are thinking along the same lines.
Steps are out. Sliders are likely in, and surprisingly, we anticipate reducing some weight here while improving strength & clearance. Stay tuned!

ha...i completely agree. there is a financial aspect here that can play a role in all of it. Its not like we all have deep pockets to do EVERYTHING. i just keep spitting out ideas not just for you, but if anyone that does see this, they can pick up and run with it.

Thank you for your attempt, and we all appreciate it.

P.S. i wish you were able to keep THOR after the "minor" off-roading incident...then if it was paid off, you can to anything you want to it without fear of warranty.

 

[21st Century Truck]

Really looking forward to this series! Agree with several others that the protective skid plate with side protection for the HV wire harnesses and the coolant lines would be my first thought. It’s too bad that Australian company isn’t responding. But fabricating that piece of metal can’t be that hard, right?

AUS EV is in receivership and has ceased function.

 

[digitaldad]

AUS EV is in receivership and has ceased function.

Based on the websites videos, it looked like they (and/or others) had a decent sized Lightning fleet out there.

 

[21st Century Truck]

Based on the websites videos, it looked like they (and/or others) had a decent sized Lightning fleet out there.

I understand from an Australian Lightning owner that the receivership of AUS EV's owning company happened after Ford ceased production of the Lightning. The parent company had a ten-year existence and were oriented on EVs overall.

Sponsored