Ford reveals pricing for the F-150 Lightning Pro work truck
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Ah, so the lower density but cheaper to produce tech can fit the use. Thanks for sharing.
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I think they were saying they want an even more stripped version than the XL. Honestly, for the very small number of customers who would opt for something even lower than the SYNC4 infotainment it would cost more to design, develop, test, and stock parts for a lower end system. I mean my '15 Sierra base has a simple AM/FM radio and it's still got a LCD screen and pretty much everything needed to run an infotainment system other than touch-screen controller which is a minimal cost.
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Oh, then in which case, yeah, no. Features and luxury options are not a big part of the build cost of a vehicle like this. In an EV, you're largely paying for the battery. Ford could theoretically throw in the cheapest base-grade fleet interior, and it wouldn't cut the price any.
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Yeah, most fleet trucks aren't being driven hundreds or even dozens of miles a day.
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It's not bad for the toolbox/genset trucks that sits at the site or makes short runs.
Get there, do your work, back to depot (or employee's house).
Won't replace all the use cases. Really depends on how many partial capability trucks you need vs 'do it all' ones.
Get there, do your work, back to depot (or employee's house).
Won't replace all the use cases. Really depends on how many partial capability trucks you need vs 'do it all' ones.
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I remember reading a couple years ago about a volvo (I think the xc90) that was electric, but had a tiny generator built in for those longer trips. It may seem counter-productive in an electric, but a 30 amp generator in the bed for long trips could offset the range limitation.
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This is apparently under discussion, and Ford has patented one that mounts in the bed, but honestly, my feeling is that most users are going to realize very quickly that they don't need it.
The XC90 can be had as a plugin hybrid, but it doesn't operate as a series hybrid, as you're describing.
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Yep, and that's a big cost driver all by itself. Standardizing things into trim packages lets them take advantage of economies of scale in purchasing components, and optimizing the production schedule.
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Like I said before, a 'full capability' truck would be a 100 mile pack PHEV. Minimally sized genset, tuned for constant operation, with enough of a battery pack to do the 'full normal workday' without issues on EV power only.
Brand it as the super duty or whatever, with appropriate springs, and charge superduty-ish prices.
That way - tow a loaded fifth wheel from say, pdx to eugene? no prob. Weekend horse trailer for the boss? no problem. Etc. Meanwhile you're only paying for the pack capacity you're actually using daily.
Brand it as the super duty or whatever, with appropriate springs, and charge superduty-ish prices.
That way - tow a loaded fifth wheel from say, pdx to eugene? no prob. Weekend horse trailer for the boss? no problem. Etc. Meanwhile you're only paying for the pack capacity you're actually using daily.
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Yeah, I was amazed to learn that crank windows actually cost the manufacturer MORE than power windows these days as the actuators are built in such large numbers and the number of buyers willing to go down to crank is so low that their cost to buy, stock, and account for the option is actually more than the savings in material costs. Basically if they offer crank windows it's just to dissuade people from actually buying the base model =)
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And all of the tradesmen, who generally have no need to often carry "long" things. My brother is an electrical contractor and they just need their beds to have room for some large tools, maybe a generator, spools of wire and such.
Anything really big would go on a trailer or get dropped off by their warehouse staff (or as mentioned in all of these threads, directly from the electrical supply houses).
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Depends on your fleet and what you use it for. Just take whatever range it has and cut it in half if you're talking about towing (generally speaking).
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Yeah, decades ago. You can still get an F-150 in any of several million different configurations, but of course they can't possibly custom build you a truck to your specifications anymore; the cost of doing that is insanity, which is why it's not done anymore.
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Ummm...don't you need a special charge system for vehicles? This isn't a 120v system and I highly doubt construction companies are currently prepared to setup vehicle chargers for their employees....
EDIT: I sit corrected - rereading the original Ars article (https://meincmagazine.com/cars/2021/05/he ... ng-pickup/), "For AC charging, F-150 Lightnings will be supplied with a 240 V, 32 A mobile charger, which will just require a compatible socket. This will add 14 miles (22.5 km) of range to the standard battery in an hour and should charge the pack from 15-80 percent in 14 hours. For the extended-range pack, expect to add 13 miles (21 km) of range each hour, with a total charge time of 19 hours."
Thank you for pointing that out, Ars readers.
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Really looking forward to these. Shame they’re so supply constrained and they won’t sell more of them. 100k in two years is ok. But let’s go!! These things are going to sell like ice cream at the beach! i wonder if we’ll see them with higher resale prices (like PS5s).
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FWIW- 24,000 miles into their long-term test, they've averaged a 237 range on a vehicle with a 310 EPA range, which is a healthy bit better than the 60% figure you are using (76%).
And I'm guessing, being Car and Driver, that it includes a fair amount of spirited driving...
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a3 ... intenance/
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The larger 240V/80A onboard charger adds 30 miles of range per hour, according to Ford. Assuming you can charge it while driving, you could theoretically put a 20 kW generator in the bed, but tossing a 600 lb generator plus fuel in there might cut down on your range…
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It comes with a charger base station, which a construction company can install at employees' homes or at their business location, along with software and telematics to let the fleet manager reimburse for home charging, manage battery use, and so on. Plus which, it has an onboard charger that can be plugged into an outlet (preferably a 240v, but not necessarily).
That was all in the article.
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Yeah I don't think lots of sites are gonna have EVSE available. You could hypothetically L1 charge on 120, but that assumes you've got it run already and all the trucks are in a lot and not just haphazardly placed.
As for employee residence / yard charging? Definitely.
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Probably less/cheaper features than vs the Mach E. As well, the margins on the F150 are probably a lot slimmer, as they I assume, hope to sell a lot of them
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Seems like you are confusing 100% to zero range, with usable 90% to 15% range.
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There's a nice interview with Ford's CEO over on The Verge and yes, he basically confirms this. They're not doing this the "super fancy clever" way, they're doing the "lots all the same" way. Which is a very Ford way to do it.
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I didn't enter the website, but I know a few manufactures (in Brazil) that do something similar: You're virtually forever-renting new cars from them. They guarantee to buy back your vehicle at some percentage (let's say 80%) you paid, and the difference between this 80% and the last payment is something you can use to start financing another car from them.
If you're so vain you can't have a car that's over 3 years old.... it may be worth it? It didn't make sense to me, but someone else could see something in this.
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Nope, you can plug it into regular domestic electricity. It's not *fast*, but it's fine for overnight.
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I think the LFP's also hold out better for charge/discharge cycles
I would expect to see a similar approach in India as well
The reason for this simple. In those countries, the cities are extremely dense & distances are in km & when you grow up you think "ahh that a 2 hour train journey or a 1 hour taxi ride"
Then you move to the "Land of The Trombone Repairmen" & one look at California & the distances & everything else has now shrunk & your worldview has expanded quite a bit.
.... and you realize that everyone is driving somewhere & eventually after enough years you too succumb to this "Great Driving Mania" & somehow wind up with a truck.....
......because you can't show up to Home Depot's lumber section in small sedan
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No construction sites have electricity, at least initially. There are also issues surrounding who's name the meter is in (new construction vs renovation and project phase all play a role in this). There's a reason why one of the big features of these trucks are the ability to charge and run your tools from the truck....the lack of power on job sites.
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Or, you could install your own stereo that will be much better and less expensive than any OEM offering.
Crutchfield has guides and installation kits that make it a no-brainer operation for any Arsian-level person.
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For sure, you used to be able to order with an absurd level of detail. I'm thinking more like 'let me pick the reasonably sized wheels while still getting the nicer interior' which isn't even an option here. (earlier in the comments I linked the order sheets we have seen so far - base trim gets 18s, mid gets 20s with 22s as an option, high trim gets the 22s)
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No indications as yet - my feeling is they're going to release one in the next several years, but not until they gauge demand and can supply both the crew cab and the regular cab in sufficient volume.
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Of course that is an option. Been there, done that. I'm not talking head unit features though, I'm talking speaker placement, EQ tuning, subwoofers. Nowadays I'd really rather tick the box and pay the $1500 so the car shows up with an already good stereo. My fab time is more happily spent working on hobby projects rather than sniffing fiberglass making custom stealth subwoofer housings.
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Yeah, EVs can recharge about 2-5 miles of range per hour from 120V depending on the model and conditions (need to devote energy to heating/cooling). The Lightning will undoubtedly be on the low end of that range, but even so it could be good enough for shorter commutes.
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You are probably pretty close with your thinking here and I agree with much of it. Even for the non-professionals, a pickup is the occasional boat/camper towing “long haul” vehicle in the family, so range concerns will be high. Even if 95% of the time driving is “just around town” and not an issue for many people.
With that said, I would not discount 725lb-ft of torque and 0-60 in 4.4s aspect. It will take a test drive or some one leaving a buddies’ hopped up truck back at the previous stoplight to change some attitudes.
I’m guessing much of the pickup truck driving crowd has not ventured behind the wheel of a Tesla and experienced the exhilaration of having 100% torque from a stand still and the “effortless” acceleration therein.
For the non-commercial buyer take up will be a bit of a slow burn, but if the driving experience is what I’d expect from these numbers, it will catch on.
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Yes, that's exactly what I said and you quoted. Use 90% if you want long battery lifetime, 80% is an overkill level of caution.
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