Top 3 lists: what went wrong and right

[PrimeRisk]

I looked up the 0-60 time of an SS396 Chevelle and compared it to a Prius Prime. The Prime won.

A Nissan Leaf would be a dead heat.

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[Lytning]

A Nissan Leaf would be a dead heat.

The big V-8's would likely pass them about half way down the quarter mile track, though.

 

[ZeusDriver]

The big V-8's would likely pass them about half way down the quarter mile track, though.

1970 Chevelle SS396 : Car Life test: 15.5 second 1/4 mile.
2024 Prius Prime: Motor Trend: 14.7 second 1/4 mile.

Weight: Prius Prime: 3500lb +/- SS 396 Chevelle: 3600 - 3900 depending on equipment

Of course our 6000 lb trucks would smoke any of these, easily.

I certainly put a few hundred thousand miles on air cooled VWs, and old sports cars (Triumph, MG, Alfa, etc) that took a better part of a day to get through a 1/4 mile, and I thought they were fun to drive, nevertheless.

I genuinely think there is a market for a much simpler, slower, cheaper vehicle.* I used my 1990 F150 with a 4.9 six to tow a 6000 lb boat/trailer. It worked just fine, and, in fact, had a manual five speed, which avoided the irritating upshift/downshift cycling on long pulls that a three-speed automatic of the day had. A whopping 145 HP!

Ahhh, the old days: I restored a 1957 Ferrari. Top speed the same as a modern Honda Civic. Handling? Worse than a Civic --- and not even in the same ballpark as any of the Civics hopped up by highschoolers.


* My little prototype took this to the ludicrous extreme.... but a lot of people liked the way it looked and at least imagined that they would value its efficiency (10 miles per kWH).

 

[Lytning]

1970 Chevelle SS396 : Car Life test: 15.5 second 1/4 mile.
2024 Prius Prime: Motor Trend: 14.7 second 1/4 mile.

Weight: Prius Prime: 3500lb +/- SS 396 Chevelle: 3600 - 3900 depending on equipment

Of course our 6000 lb trucks would smoke any of these, easily.

I certainly put a few hundred thousand miles on air cooled VWs, and old sports cars (Triumph, MG, Alfa, etc) that took a better part of a day to get through a 1/4 mile, and I thought they were fun to drive, nevertheless.

I genuinely think there is a market for a much simpler, slower, cheaper vehicle.* I used my 1990 F150 with a 4.9 six to tow a 6000 lb boat/trailer. It worked just fine, and, in fact, had a manual five speed, which avoided the irritating upshift/downshift cycling on long pulls that a three-speed automatic of the day had. A whopping 145 HP!

Ahhh, the old days: I restored a 1957 Ferrari. Top speed the same as a modern Honda Civic. Handling? Worse than a Civic --- and not even in the same ballpark as any of the Civics hopped up by highschoolers.


* My little prototype took this to the ludicrous extreme.... but a lot of people liked the way it looked and at least imagined that they would value its efficiency (10 miles per kWH).

Was the VIN on the prototype just a "1"?

 

[Daragh]

Continuing with the dealership-franchise model is the single worst decision Ford continues to make. This is the root cause of all evil (excluding the auto workers unions who drive the price of vehicles up excessively) in the auto industry. Every dealership I’ve ever dealt with not just Ford is out to maximize profit over all else and always always always try’s to upsell both in vehicle purchase and maintenance. Once out of warranty I avoid dealerships at all costs.

Ford should allow customer to order directly, have fixed maintenance costs and clear pricing on parts.

Dont ever expect this to happen but its the way new modern car manufacturers are operating.

 

[Oafy44]

I’m not an analyst or economist, and I don’t have any special insight into Ford’s internal decisions. I’m just a Lightning owner who’s been thinking a bit about what might have gone wrong — and what actually went right.

I’m curious whether, as a group, we could do a little constructive “group think” and try to build two simple lists:
1. What went wrong
2. What went right

So for me, what went wrong might look like:

1. Marketing (storytelling not present of how it all comes together to be fun/useful/smooth/saving)
2. Cost/price (especially on Flash)
3. Range anxiety (not painting the typical use case picture - i think this is something that for most could have been overcome)

What I think genuinely worked:

1. The truck itself — I still think it’s an excellent vehicle.
2. Ford Power Promise — This worked smoothly for me and reduced a lot of friction early on.
3. Charging infrastructure (in practice) — I personally found it good enough for my travel. The maps worked reasonably well, and most chargers I encountered were functional.

I’m genuinely interested in how others make their top 3 lists of each — especially where your experiences line up or differ.

Not trying to argue or point fingers, just hoping to learn from the collective perspective of people who actually own and use the truck.

A bit of word on the Marketing thought:
In my own experience, whenever I showed the Lightning to friends, neighbors, or coworkers, the reaction was almost always positive — even from people who were initially skeptical about electric trucks. Once they saw it up close or took a short ride, things started to click: the power and smoothness, the quiet and smooth ride, the frunk for groceries, the outlets for camping or road trips (I carry a microwave), ease of home charging, what “2.3 miles/kWh” actually means in real life, the no-rustable aluminum body, bed utility, turning headlights at night, and so on. It usually took 15–20 minutes of hands-on exposure, but people got it. In one case, that curiosity even turned into a purchase.

Not one of them knew of the Lightning. Not one of them knew there was no engine. Not one of them knew of the self-drive, the tailgate, the aluminum, the soft ride, etc. The story seemingly never got out. ...and so owners will tell the story each time we open the frunk at a store parking lot....

Great question!

I think for me (hindsight is 20/20)

1) all reservations should have probably been $3k - that $3k would include someone from ford installing the charging station before your truck was delivered. If you already had a charging station then just the normal reservation $$ would apply.

It took ford 4 weeks to get me my charger. I was lucky I own a company that has access to electricians and they installed it with ease. This would have helped with the adoption process.

2) marketing IMO was actually really good IMO. Probably too good. They shouldn’t have pushed the home generator option so early on. Think a lot of people got frustrated with that. Almost would have been better for some influencer to have figured it out on their own

3) lack of appealing trims/appearance pkgs. would have bought a king ranch lightning /tremor in a second

4) lack of software updates. Everyone thought the lightning was going to be a Tesla. and when lack of updates came thru - people felt they were oversold technology.


What they got right

iMO - everything else - it truly is a remarkable truck. I’ve had over 20 trucks in my life - from raptors to power wagons / f450s / tremors ect. It’s one of my favorites of all time - would get a new one every year if they came out with newer trims / styling / ect. Even if their battery range went up 30 miles it would show progression and customers backing it I think.

Anyway I’m not too down - I know if Farley is somehow still employed in 3 years he will change the course again. Nothing like an automotive CEO pivoting and trying to convince companies to buy ford Energy storage solutions after they just wrote off $20B in a quarter that was the “future” of Ford.

 

[PrimeRisk]

Continuing with the dealership-franchise model is the single worst decision Ford continues to make. This is the root cause of all evil (excluding the auto workers unions who drive the price of vehicles up excessively) in the auto industry. Every dealership I’ve ever dealt with not just Ford is out to maximize profit over all else and always always always try’s to upsell both in vehicle purchase and maintenance. Once out of warranty I avoid dealerships at all costs.

Ford should allow customer to order directly, have fixed maintenance costs and clear pricing on parts.

Dont ever expect this to happen but its the way new modern car manufacturers are operating.

I won't argue with your observations on the Stealership model, but outside of direct ordering from the manufacturer with the likes of Tesla, Rivian, and other EV companies, the maintenance solution is not all it is cracked up to be. Maintenance fees across Tesla service centers is not consistent. I do not know if individual service centers are allowed to set their own prices or if corporate does some calculation based on region to set prices, but whatever it is, which service center you are dealing with can produce a large variation in price.

I haven't had to replace my LVB on my '21 MYP, but I know from some people in a local users group have told me to directly call a certain service center (we have 2 regionally) as they will charge $168 for mobile service to come to you and do it and less if you bring it in to the service center. If you go to the other regional service center they charge $250. This just doesn't make any sense, but from a service perspective it's the same old model.

 

[ZeusDriver]

Was the VIN on the prototype just a "1"?

Definitely. To save the weight of those extra 16 digits.

 

[PreservedSwine]

Do you think Lightning is still around if the administration didn't do all the things I've cited?

Unfortunately, no. I think the price, and lack of towing capability is what ultimately led to it's demise.
I also feel it's the best F150 Ford has ever made. It's only a matter of time before the Lighting is back.

 

[Lytning]

Unfortunately, no. I think the price, and lack of towing capability is what ultimately led to it's demise.
I also feel it's the best F150 Ford has ever made. It's only a matter of time before the Lighting is back.

I think you are correct about the Lightning coming back in the future ... in an even better form. I believe the EV market share of vehicles will continue to grow with charging infrastructure and battery improvements and cost reductions. The Ford EREV truck was not on the schedule 4 years ago. Who knows what will be on the schedule 4 years from now? I actually expect offerings of BOTH EV and EREV trucks. EV if you want efficiency and low operating cost, and EREV if you want maximum towing capacity and range.

 

[b.go]

I didn't use the frunk for the first six months, and now I can't imagine not having it.

 

[jeep2liberty]

Wrong :

1a. Dealers got greedy, f'ed over people with reservations, and absolutely overestimated people's appetite for paying over sticker; fear of missing out on maintenance revenue
1b. Ford matching that greed by stuffing the channels with too high of trims
2. Not bringing this drivetrain to more models (Expedition / Excursion, etc) to spread R&D costs
3. Marketing

Right:
1. Lockable diff. That's the #1 reason I have a lightning and not a Sierra EV.
2. Accessories commonality with the combustion rigs
3. The few Ford dealers that did go ahead and get DCFCs seem to be reasonably priced, available, and decently reliable in my experience. Though this could easily be in the wrong category as dealers totally did not understand how this could drive traffic and then sales.

Locking rear diff would have been amazing.
I'd bet an upgrade would be very expensive.

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