Will You be upgrading to the Lightning EREV?

[flux capacitor]

Putting a engine/generator will mean they have to cut the weight somewhere and where else then the battery. Also by the time they re-engineer the Lightning for this design the battery tech will most likely be much better by charging faster and with no degradation like the Solid State battery Samsung is working on with silver-carbon (Ag-C) composite layer in the anode to improve performance, density, and safety, allowing for faster charging, longer life and preventing dendrites. After the thread of that person swapping his standard size battery to the extended battery that opens the door for the future. By the time I need a new battery I might be able to double my range. So far every new tech the comes out it just improves or doubles over time. I think BEV's are no different.

Instead of redesigning the Lightning create a new model called the Locomotion.

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[Rice_classic]

I jumped from a 2019 Ranger to another Ford (lightning) BECAUSE it didn't come with all the issues of Ford drivetrains and I don't have any interest in owning more Ford combustion engines. By the time it comes to replace the Lightning (or want something else) which is likely 5+ years from now, the price of batteries or battery chemistry (and charging infrastructure) should be better than today and BEV Trucks may be in a better place so an EREV may be irrelevent, or much less so.

 

[hturnerfamily]

while I might be actually warming up to the idea of an EREV, especially after looking at details of the RAM and how it's internals will work... I'm still wondering about other things that make me hesitate...

A) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, and lines from a Gas tank, which will take place of some of the Battery Pack, and the Exhaust pipes back out to the rear, and the gas Filler and external Inlet additions, and wiring... how is this then going to be more easily swallowed, price wise?
I didn't even mention the possible addition of a Radiator and hoses and tank...

B) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, you are now making me think of the negatives of regular OIL CHANGES, and maintenance, a new addition that is NOT part of my current LIGHTNING...

C) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, you are now making me think of the negatives of having to now ALSO stop at gas stations... even if I don't 'have' to stop at a DC Fast Charger...

D) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, running at HIGH RPMs, Loudly, potentially for HOURS ON END, you are now making me think twice about how this 'helps' me own a full EV, and yet have to HEAR this, as well...

oh my... and it sounds like my EV range will suffer, as well...

but, those who have never owned a full EV may be swayed, more easily... maybe.

 

[MaintGrl]

Sarcasm aside, this is the best summary of the situation I've found. The dealer thing is real.

Boy . . that stings! when you explain it that way...sad, very sad

 

[ctuan13]

I have no plans to give up my Lightning, but because I do tow my teardrop camper cross country every summer, I really am interested in an alternative for a second vehicle. I'm in the fortunate position to be able to take on a second vehicle.

The real question is will that be the Scout Terra or an EREV Lightning? Right now I have an F350 King Ranch with a 7.3L Godzilla. It's a beautiful truck, but a bit overkill and I would still rather have an all electric drive train with a generator for driving cross country, than a direct drive ICE drivetrain.

 

[The Weatherman]

I have no plans to give up my Lightning, but because I do tow my teardrop camper cross country every summer, I really am interested in an alternative for a second vehicle. I'm in the fortunate position to be able to take on a second vehicle.

The real question is will that be the Scout Terra or an EREV Lightning? Right now I have an F350 King Ranch with a 7.3L Godzilla. It's a beautiful truck, but a bit overkill and I would still rather have an all electric drive train with a generator for driving cross country, than a direct drive ICE drivetrain.

Have you seen the product coming for range extending your Lightning?

May be expensive as an add on, but a lot cheaper than another vehicle. Plus you can take it down when you’re not traveling.

Just wanted to make sure you knew it was out there. Checkout Martin Rebuilds on YouTube.

 

[Grease Lightning]

I planned to drive it for 10+ years. Now I don't know if I will risk it.

I know what you mean. I will likely keep it for the 5/60 warranty and then reevaluate. Love the truck, but would be worried about service long term after 2028-2030. Then by then everyone should have a true roadmap.

Sadly I chose my Lightning over the Rivian R1T because I was worried they would fail and sadly Ford is the one that quit us…

Really hope the decide to design in a way the generator can be a delete option if you are okay with less range.

 

[nanohead]

I had already put a deposit on a Ram Charger. Love the Lightning, but hate public charging with a passion, and we do get stung by it often enough that an onboard generator sounds fine to me. We do enjoy the EV driving experience, but am not religious about it either.... we also have several gas cars as well.

I'm not emotional about car brands, and have owned cars from every manufacturer during my life (except Toyota, no real reason, just never bought one), and have had plenty of Fords which have treated me well.

All the navel gazing here about Ford abandoning us, etc, is kind of weird to me at least. Car manufacturers introduce new cars regularly, and cancel them often too (we also have an Edge, another cancelled product).

Also have a Mach E which is a terrific car for every day driving.

In our case, not sure we'll get another full size pickup.... ever. Not sure we'll actually buy a Ram Charger even if they do ship the darn thing (it already really late). I'd prefer a nice mid size pickup (had many Dakotas over the years, and had a godawful Ranger as well)

 

[PrimeRisk]

while I might be actually warming up to the idea of an EREV, especially after looking at details of the RAM and how it's internals will work... I'm still wondering about other things that make me hesitate...

A) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, and lines from a Gas tank, which will take place of some of the Battery Pack, and the Exhaust pipes back out to the rear, and the gas Filler and external Inlet additions, and wiring... how is this then going to be more easily swallowed, price wise?
I didn't even mention the possible addition of a Radiator and hoses and tank...

B) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, you are now making me think of the negatives of regular OIL CHANGES, and maintenance, a new addition that is NOT part of my current LIGHTNING...

C) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, you are now making me think of the negatives of having to now ALSO stop at gas stations... even if I don't 'have' to stop at a DC Fast Charger...

D) If you are going to add a full ENGINE to the Frunk, running at HIGH RPMs, Loudly, potentially for HOURS ON END, you are now making me think twice about how this 'helps' me own a full EV, and yet have to HEAR this, as well...

oh my... and it sounds like my EV range will suffer, as well...

but, those who have never owned a full EV may be swayed, more easily... maybe.

I have owned ICE, Hybrid, and full EVs

EREV is just another Hybrid. Literally, look it up, it is just a full hybrid (no mechanical linkage from the ICE to the drivetrain) vs a mild hybrid (your typical implementation like in a PHEV Toyota Prius).

So, it is going backwards as you are getting all of the maintenance related to owning and ICE vehicle along with the limitations of of a full EV. Literally the worst of both worlds.

The only edge that this particular hybrid has is it may be more efficient than mild hybrid vehicles, but its implementation matters to see if this is actually going to be true.

 

[PrimeRisk]

Really hope the decide to design in a way the generator can be a delete option if you are okay with less range.

Well, you can always self-delete by not filling the fuel tank...though Ford will probably read it as a powertrain fault and not let you shift out of park.

 

[Robocop]

No.

I don't view the erev or whatever as an upgrade. I got the truck I wanted and I own it outright. The plan is to own it long term so I'm good.

 

[brewski]

I got the Lightning because if fit my "mission". City truck stuff, no towing, 90 minutes to the airport a few times a month.
It's a great fit for me...and most people if they researched on their own vs listening to the news.
Wait for this winter's EV horror stories.

 

[All-Terrain]

I'm no expert, so I asked Chat GPT to help me understand how an EREV like the Ram Charger will work in practice.

The Ram seems to me to be WAY over kill. 690 miles is a crazy range, although towing would half that. I think a better option would be a extended range lightning with a tiny genset that could get another 100 miles. Something that could fit in the frunk. Or something that fits in a cross bed box. Potentially something removeable or available as an add on.

Here's what it said [THESE ARE MY COMMENTS]:

Ram’s own spec for the Ram 1500 Ramcharger (EREV) is a 92-kWh battery [SLIGHTLY LESS THAN STANDARD RANGE LIGHTING] paired with an onboard generator rated at 130 kW.

How much energy can the generator “make”?

• At max output (130 kW): it can produce 130 kWh of electrical energy per hour of runtime (power × time).
• In real driving it won’t sit at 130 kW continuously; it will typically run at whatever power is needed to meet demand and manage the battery’s state of charge.

How long would it need to run to achieve the claimed range?

Ram’s claimed 690 miles total includes about 145 miles on the battery [ABOUT 35 KWh for 2 hours or 2 m/KWh @ 70mph for 2 hours] before the engine-generator is needed.

That leaves roughly 545 miles where the generator + gasoline are doing the work.

Ram/press reporting also points to about ~20.5 mpg in range-extender operation, and the truck is cited with a 27-gallon tank [THIS IS MORE FUEL THAN A STANDARD TRUCK HOLDS].

That implies you’re burning about:

• 545 miles ÷ 20.5 mpg ≈ 26.6 gallons (i.e., basically the whole tank) to cover the generator-supported portion of the trip. [NOT BAD MILEAGE IF AVERAGED FOR THE WHOLE TRIP EVEN INCLUDING THE ALL ELECTRIC PORTION]

Runtime: once the initial ~145 electric miles are used, the generator would need to run for roughly the time it takes to drive those remaining ~545 miles (because it’s providing most of the ongoing energy).

• Example: at 65 mph average, 545 miles ÷ 65 ≈ 8.4 hours of driving → on the order of ~8–9 hours of generator operation during that portion (not necessarily continuously—could cycle).

 

[AlaskaFlash]

Curious to quantify what other Lightning owners are thinking...

My plans have not changed. I plan to drive my Lightning for at least 10 years. In 2005 I purchased the 50th anniversary addition of the Ford T-Bird convertible for $30,000. I sold it in 2024 for $10,000. I needed the garage space for my Lightning. Plus the wife said that I needed to sell it if I wanted the Lightning. Having a vehicle that is not currently in production is not a problem for me. I'm very happy with my Lightning. I am not interested in buying anything that runs on gas other than a snowblower. .

 

[Newton]

No. I can easily drive from the Canadian border to California with my Standard Range Lightning, which has far more range than needed for daily driving. For me to get to Bellingham and back is about 110 miles, takes three hours total and leaves me with more than 80 miles of range. This is real life not "what if I wanted to get from Austin to Denver driving 80 mph the entire way because there are no such things as traffic jams."

I'm kind of hoping for a fire sale on these things, although we tried out a Platinum and found that the seats were not as comfortable as our Lariat (they made a SR Lariat for awhile). My 1990s Toyota work truck finally had a major mechanical and now that we have a canopy there is no way in he** that my wife will let me load the truck with dirt and rocks anymore.

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