2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Electric Truck

billiebob

Well-known member
The issue that I have with Ford's range extender is, according to the patent, it will be disguised as a bed mounted toolbox, so it will take up space in an already short bed. I like the idea of a range extender to make EVs viable for remote long-range travel, but taking up bed real estate is another hurdle to overcome for people like us. If the range extender takes up too much room in the bed, then it makes the bed virtually useless for hauling in exchange for alleviating range anxiety. If we used a Lightning with the range extender for extended remote travel, then we would have to buy a trailer to carry the displaced gear. Currently, I can carry everything my family of 4 needs for a week, including 3 bikes and a bike trailer, within the footprint of the truck - no hitch rack or trailer required.
I'm not sure the lighning is targeting extended overland expeditions.
Their target market is the urban commuter.
98% who never leave pavement.
 
D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
The issue that I have with Ford's range extender is, according to the patent, it will be disguised as a bed mounted toolbox, so it will take up space in an already short bed. I like the idea of a range extender to make EVs viable for remote long-range travel, but taking up bed real estate is another hurdle to overcome for people like us. If the range extender takes up too much room in the bed, then it makes the bed virtually useless for hauling in exchange for alleviating range anxiety. If we used a Lightning with the range extender for extended remote travel, then we would have to buy a trailer to carry the displaced gear. Currently, I can carry everything my family of 4 needs for a week, including 3 bikes and a bike trailer, within the footprint of the truck - no hitch rack or trailer required.


If only the Lightning used the space where the gas engine should be as a massive trunk....oh wait ;-)
 

Lovetheworld

Active member
I love it. With the exception of road trips (FL to NM and FL to NH) that require 1,000 miles in a day, it can do 100% of what my current truck does... With a lower operating cost.

It is still possible but depends on payload and whay your cruising speed is.
It just takes slightly more time. Which I guess you don't have?
 

Grassland

Well-known member
An EV F250 would be a game changer for work in the city. I think the transit is supposed to come out with something like that.
If there was a reg cab Long box lightning then I could get behind that for work as well. At least for a service only truck. Typically have 2000# of stuff in/on the vehicle all the time which is why I retired my F150 from fleet.

Give it another five years and I bet the range will increase on the lightning while keeping same footprint
 

NorthwestDriver

Active member
To underline the point that this really only
has appeal for urban travelers, I did some fuel cost comparisons.

A few EV blogs are estimating the 300m range model has a 155kW battery. Using DC fast charging prices ($.43/kW from Electrify America and also the stations run by my utility), it would cost $66 to charge from 0-100%. My 2009 4.6L 3V F150 gets over 20 mpg highway, using a conservative 20mpg for mountain driving and $3.30/gal, I spend $49.50 for 300m of range. Keep in mind the difference is likely greater as EVs fair less well in open Highway cruising.

For city driving, which would be all at home charging at $.12/kWh, would cost $18.60 for 300+m of range (city range is probably a bit higher than the reported number). I’d spend $71 for comparable range in my gas F150 (14mpg, which is fairly low but my AT tires are killing my city driving).

Since the majority of my driving is city and inter-city Highway within 100mi of home, an EV vehicle definitely still makes sense. However, it might make even more sense to rent an ICE SUV for long road trips —fuel costs will greatly offset the rental cost, there will be no long waits at chargers, no range anxiety, and I can let my toddler eat in the backseat (no eating in Daddy’s new truck!).

I’m estimating about $1400/yr fuel savings with an EV truck. I presume that would go right to the insurance man. Registration in my county is about $150/yr plus $80 per $10,000 of value. A new $60k truck would be $630. That’s before 10.5% sales tax. Ouch.
 

Grassland

Well-known member
Gas is pushing $5 a US gallon here and our current kW rate is under 10 cents for sure closer to 9 if have to go check.
All summer, spring, and fall, EV could work well here. It's -33 that I'm concerned about.
 

skyfree

Active member
The range thing is my biggest reservation about electric vehicles. My diesel ZR2 has a realistic range of 575 miles, but as most people do, I'm not likely to run it more than 500 since I don't like running around on a nearly empty tank. So a 300 mile range means probably about 250 (or less) realistically -- half.

Range is why I went with diesel. My VW Touareg TDI (cheater dieselgate) once took me 700 miles on a single tank. It's a luxury that I'm reluctant to give up. I do spend an unusual amount of time travelling some lonely roads like Highway 50 east of Fallon, NV and Highway 95 south of there.

Of course the day is coming when all new vehicles will be electric. As a consumer and someone interested in preserving the environment I hope they find a way to put more range in these things without hauling around tons of battery which requires many kilograms of lithium carbonate. Mining the lithium is very destructive and estimates are that 200-300,000 tons of it would be required to electrify the US fleet of vehicles for the next 20 years.
 

onemanarmy

Explorer
This will expedite the end of the ICE for everyday use. They'll sell so many of these things that the charging infrastructure ( a major turnoff for most car buyers) will naturally be increased and buffed up. Which in turn will entice more EV buyers.

I've never understood why it took this long to make an electric version of the best selling vehicle in America for 30 years now....why they wasted so much time on Cmax hybrids and Fusion hybrids.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
This will expedite the end of the ICE for everyday use. They'll sell so many of these things that the charging infrastructure ( a major turnoff for most car buyers) will naturally be increased and buffed up. Which in turn will entice more EV buyers.

I've never understood why it took this long to make an electric version of the best selling vehicle in America for 30 years now....why they wasted so much time on Cmax hybrids and Fusion hybrids.
$ is the only reason
Trucks were / are huge profit products at least they were before Car standards were applied to them regarding crash gear and mileage.
 

NorthwestDriver

Active member
Gas is pushing $5 a US gallon here and our current kW rate is under 10 cents for sure closer to 9 if have to go check.
All summer, spring, and fall, EV could work well here. It's -33 that I'm concerned about.

Charging at home is where the most meaningful savings are. Anyone with time of use pricing can really benefit. I don’t have that available here in Washington state.

The DC fast charging at $.43/kWh works out to $4.40 per gallon equivalent (assuming a 20mpg Highway truck). This can get a bit cheaper with some of the fast chargers that offer discounts with memberships (EA is $.31/kWh with a $4/mo fee). There’s definitely a savings for some, but it’s not nearly as extreme as people expect with typical EV designs that chase low profiles and drag coefficients. The conventional truck profile comes with a substantial drawback in terms of efficiency.

As I’ve been mulling this over, I don’t think buying a 300m “extended” range model makes sense for me. It’s forecasted to cost $10,000 for an added 70 miles, and I just don’t drive that far on a regular basis. Hmm… I’m really looking forward to getting more info on pricing and specifications!
 

85_Ranger4x4

Well-known member
Lol... Don't ya love how the 2% of truck owners complains about a truck designed for 98% of the population..haha.

It is almost as funny as all the people that think 98% of the truck population is only used for urban commutes.

If only the Lightning used the space where the gas engine should be as a massive trunk....oh wait ;-)

Which is kinda worthless for truck things...

If you could get buy just hauling stuff in the frunk you could get buy hauling your junk in a car.
 
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