Ford kills off its all all-electric F-150

[MapleLeafFarmer]

well this doesn't really surprise me but today Ford announced they are killing off their all electric F150.
next to come is a plug in hybrid version that's supposed to be a combo electric-gas job.

so 2 systems / weight / etc... going forward as they concluded all electric is a failed experiment?

that was a pretty quick failed experiment.

 

[4570Man]

It was a failed idea from day one without government subsidies.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I actually drove one once and quite enjoyed it, but I would never purchase an electric. I'm not surprised the Lightning is gone, not am I surprised to see it's replacement is something more sensible.

 

[RayIN]

Plans are to build a F150 similar to the Ram hybrid with an onboard gas generator. Range projected to be 700 miles.

 

[fatjay]

Plans are to build a F150 similar to the Ram hybrid with an onboard gas generator. Range projected to be 700 miles.

Similiar to the fisker karma built in 2011, the smartest of hybrid designs. Instead of a stupidly complex transmission involving both gas engine and electric motors, take a page out of hte train book and their diesel electrics and have a purely electric drive full of torque and horsepower, powered by a diesel or gasoline engine connected to a generator with a small battery for a buffer.

 

[hayden]

Similiar to the fisker karma built in 2011, the smartest of hybrid designs. Instead of a stupidly complex transmission involving both gas engine and electric motors, take a page out of hte train book and their diesel electrics and have a purely electric drive full of torque and horsepower, powered by a diesel or gasoline engine connected to a generator with a small battery for a buffer.

The trouble with that is you lose a bunch of efficiency between engine output and drive wheels from various forms of power conversion. So to the extent it's running on the engine, it gets worse mileage than if the engine were connected straight through a mechanical transmission like it is in a so-called "parallel hybrid".

I think the lightening failed because it doesn't fit how people use a truck, and where people use trucks. It all comes down to range, access to recharge facilities, and time to recharge. A hybrid solves those problems.

Trains are diesel electric because it's the only (or best) way to build a transmission for that use. Similarly for tugs and cruise ships, diesel electric is about maneuverability. Ships that just go in a straight like for thousands of miles are always engine+shaft+prop. Many don't even have a transmission or clutch, and to reverse you shut down the engine and restart it with opposite rotation. The result is max efficiency while underway, but tug $$ assist is required for docking and maneuvering.

 

[JeepHead]

My neighbor has the Ford lightning and he absolutely loves it. I have ridden in it and it's insanely fast. But personally, I am not a fan of electric vehicles whatsoever.

 

[Hay Dude]

My neighbor has the Ford lightning and he absolutely loves it. I have ridden in it and it's insanely fast. But personally, I am not a fan of electric vehicles whatsoever.

I sense they will be able to be had used dirt cheap in the coming years

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

So, what will a hybrid cost?

I mean, maybe I'm weird, but $80k plus for a vehicle seems like a luxury that the vast majority cannot afford.

The US consumer is getting buried in debt. The average car payment is ridiculous

 

[MossRoad]

well this doesn't really surprise me but today Ford announced they are killing off their all electric F150.
next to come is a plug in hybrid version that's supposed to be a combo electric-gas job.

so 2 systems / weight / etc... going forward as they concluded all electric is a failed experiment?

that was a pretty quick failed experiment.

I can smell the ozone.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

My son in law has a F150 Lightening. He loves it. He has over 100k miles on it and uses it to pull his excavator, his 32' camper, or my skid steer on a 24' bumper pull trailer. I don't know what he paid for it, but he ordered it before they came out and was one of the first to own one.

He has learned how to plan and schedule his driving to accommodate the charging issues. He also has solar panels at his house that he uses to charge the truck and/or their electric SUV when they can.

He is an electrician.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Probably going to be some deals to be had. New vehicles discounted and used ones losing value rapidly.

Sorta feels like the big EV tractor push a couple years ago, which seemed to disappear. That CNH tractor that was at all the shows and on Tik Tok evaporated

 

[QRTRHRS]

Ford is making major changes at it's new KY battery plant. They are taking full ownership from it's South Korean partner, laying off 1,600 workers and restructuring the plant to produce advanced battery energy storage systems for data centers, etc. Their first battery rolled off of the line in August of this year.

I seem to recall reading about an earlier Ford electric car based on the Fiesta? Something about the battery no longer being available? Maybe I am wrong? I could not find any info on line. Anyway, I would worry about battery availability for anything other than maybe a Tesla? And what about the smaller EV startups?

 

[fatjay]

My neighbor has the Ford lightning and he absolutely loves it. I have ridden in it and it's insanely fast. But personally, I am not a fan of electric vehicles whatsoever.

Yeah, they're fast. So are sports cars. The problem is trucks need to be trucks and sports cars can be sports cars. If it's no good at being a truck, then it's not very useful.

 

[JeepHead]

Yeah, they're fast. So are sports cars. The problem is trucks need to be trucks and sports cars can be sports cars. If it's no good at being a truck, then it's not very useful.

It's also AWD and has a much higher profile than a sportscar so gets around a lot better offroad. He likes to go fast but also likes to be able to haul his trash down to the landfill. So I suppose, it's best of both worlds for him - can haul the trash off, haul some lumber, and can almost keep up with a new corvette...

 

[Torvy]

Like with any EV, a pickup EV is a niche vehicle.

The best use is for someone who doesn't stray too far from home with that vehicle. 95% of the time, I could probably be fine with an EV truck. But then I have to help my kid move to Denver 875 miles; get a piano from mom, 750 miles; regular trips to Lubbock, 450 miles. A hybrid or plug-in hybrid of the same truck and I don't have a problem.

If you have heavy trailers, especially more than a few miles, probably should stick with diesel.

Unlikely we will ever upgrade our Tundra as it is paid for and it handles our needs. If I did, I would wait a few years. Toyota is likely to put its plug-in hybrid system into a truck in the US in the next few years. They are well ahead of most on PHEV tech.

 

[JeepHead]

The neighbor makes monthly 450 mile trips with his Lightning to visit his kids. He said he always takes a break half way through to rest and get a bite to eat. Says he stops at the same place each time and tops off the charge. It also has a 120v outlet in the bed that he says will run power tools. There was some other really cool features he was showing me but I can't remember what they were now. Neat truck but I would certainly never want one...

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

On the news this morning the Ford CEO said they are taking a U$20 billion hit!

Ford had a market cap. of U$54 billion, I am surprised its not a company killing thing. If I woke up one morning and had to decide to write off 40%+ of my worth I would be devastated.

wonder how GM / Stelantis / etc... going to weather this storm as they are even less strong financially than Ford.

I'm all for making motion to make less impact on environment but I sometimes wonder how many affordable houses, disease that could be fixed, hungry people that could be fed, etc.... if better decisions could have been made on how to spend "social" monies.

$20b / $100k per small affordable track homes = 200,000 small home * 4 people per family = 800,000 people housed from this one companies follies alone. Imagine if this math was made across all companies?? and across all countries.... the numbers are amazing spent.

wonder if socially it could have been spent more effectively.

 

[Snobdds]

My son in law has a F150 Lightening. He loves it. He has over 100k miles on it and uses it to pull his excavator, his 32' camper, or my skid steer on a 24' bumper pull trailer. I don't know what he paid for it, but he ordered it before they came out and was one of the first to own one.

He has learned how to plan and schedule his driving to accommodate the charging issues. He also has solar panels at his house that he uses to charge the truck and/or their electric SUV when they can.

He is an electrician.

My Brother in law in upstate New York has one. It has IRS and has very low tow capacity, with the heavy battery. I am amazed your son hauls a 32 foot camper and an excavator with it. We pulled a brush mower and it basically maxed out the suspension.

They are not built for towing, at all. The pogo effect I experienced with a 2500 pound machine was something.

I would love to see a lightning hooked up to a 32 foot camper...

 

[fatjay]

EV's just suck for anything other than grocery getters at this point. Not going over 80% or below 20% costs you 40% in range.

I took my EV on a 500 mile trip to the beach. I had to charge 3 times because of the charging locations to ensure I didn't run out. Each time was 45min+ to stop and charge.

I took my ev with trailer to pick up a golf cart 100 miles away. I had to stop twice to charge.

Don't even get me started on winter range losses.

My ev works for specific things, but at current technology level there's absolutely no way that it can be the only vehicle I own.

Maybe if you never leave the city it might be suitable, but for folks in the sticks... And my solar system is no where near capable of handling ev at this point, I'd need another 20kw of panels.