Video look at F-150 Lightning rolling chassis & frame, batteries, motors, suspension, frunk, etc.

ekaddo · Aug 30, 2021

Good stuff. Town and Country has good content on all things Ford.

gorwell · Aug 30, 2021

This has been surprising solid content for someone who eats up every bit of F150 info and knows "everything"

One thing he notes is about the battery:

4 bolts holding the battery pack in place.
Can Individually replace specific cells in battery pack

I've never heard anyone say this before, so not sure if this is exactly "correct" -- but, if so, makes it seem like it could be "relatively" easy to replace the pack down the line when prices drop. Would still get stuck with that slow DC charging speed.

astricklin · Aug 30, 2021

gorwell said:
This has been surprising solid content for someone who eats up every bit of F150 info and knows "everything"

One thing he notes is about the battery:

4 bolts holding the battery pack in place.
Can Individually replace specific cells in battery pack

I've never heard anyone say this before, so not sure if this is exactly "correct" -- but, if so, makes it seem like it could be "relatively" easy to replace the pack down the line when prices drop. Would still get stuck with that slow DC charging speed.

To be able to increase the dc fast charging rate you would need to change the charging controller on the vehicle. It theoretically could be done but is probably not a realistic possibility. However it's still possible that the charge rate could get a higher spec before launch, nothing is set in stone yet, or if the hardware is capable but they are software limiting it till they have better information from the real world battery usage, we could see an ota update increase charging speeds.

MickeyAO · Aug 31, 2021

gorwell said:
This has been surprising solid content for someone who eats up every bit of F150 info and knows "everything"

One thing he notes is about the battery:

4 bolts holding the battery pack in place.
Can Individually replace specific cells in battery pack

I've never heard anyone say this before, so not sure if this is exactly "correct" -- but, if so, makes it seem like it could be "relatively" easy to replace the pack down the line when prices drop. Would still get stuck with that slow DC charging speed.

Doubtful it is only 4 bolts. Most packs have 3-4 passthrough bolts in the middle of the pack and then more along the outer frame (3 interior and 24 outer in the VW ID3.)

EXTREMELY doubtful you can replace individual cells. More likely you can replace individual modules. Cells in an xPyS (parallel and series configuration) make a module, modules in series make a pack. The latest pack I've torn down had modules in a 2P12S configuration (2 in parallel and 12 of those in series).

Nick Gerteis · Aug 31, 2021

MickeyAO said:
Doubtful it is only 4 bolts. Most packs have 3-4 passthrough bolts in the middle of the pack and then more along the outer frame (3 interior and 24 outer in the VW ID3.)

EXTREMELY doubtful you can replace individual cells. More likely you can replace individual modules. Cells in an xPyS (parallel and series configuration) make a module, modules in series make a pack. The latest pack I've torn down had modules in a 2P12S configuration (2 in parallel and 12 of those in series).

Was thinking the same thing about the "four bolts". I wouldn't want anything that weighs 2000 pounds and is going down the highway at 80 mph to be held on by only four bolts! But he is a car salesman, so maybe his obvious enthusiasm for the truck just got the best of him. No biggie.

Mad Mac · Sep 1, 2021

Maybe the battery packs are suspended on welded hangers and the four bolts merely maintain them laterally in the hangers.

MickeyAO · Sep 1, 2021

Mad Mac said:
Maybe the battery packs are suspended on welded hangers and the four bolts merely maintain them laterally in the hangers.

Doesn't make sense from a cost or manufacturing process. No bragging rights for only having four bolts when they are so cheap to put in along the rail.

shutterbug · Sep 1, 2021

MickeyAO said:
Doesn't make sense from a cost or manufacturing process. No bragging rights for only having four bolts when they are so cheap to put in along the rail.

I went to the Pro presentation today. The ford guy said there are 4 bolts on each side. So really 8.

MickeyAO · Sep 1, 2021

shutterbug said:
I went to the Pro presentation today. The ford guy said there are 4 bolts on each side. So really 8.

I still find this unlikely, but not impossible based on semantics. The fewest screws I've seen hold a pack is 24 on the rails and 3 passthrough bolts (most was 72 on the frame). For the semantics part, screws are not the same as bolts, so only four bolts COULD be correct, but unlikely to be the only fasteners holding the pack to the vehicle.

Now I need to ask, why is the number of bolts/fasteners so important, and why do we really care? Sandy Monroe will let them know if they use way too many or way too few, but why do we care about it on this message board?

shutterbug · Sep 1, 2021

MickeyAO said:
Now I need to ask, why is the number of bolts/fasteners so important, and why do we really care? Sandy Monroe will let them know if they use way too many or way too few, but why do we care about it on this message board?

Personally, I couldn't care less. If the pack or parts of it need to be replaced, there'll be plenty of parts and labor charges to make puke. That's why this was my first comment on the topic. I just wanted to add what the Ford's marketing droid said. He seemed to emphasize this for some reason. So the guy in the video must've picked up on that, and still got it wrong.

vandy1981 · Sep 1, 2021

MickeyAO said:
Now I need to ask, why is the number of bolts/fasteners so important, and why do we really care? Sandy Monroe will let them know if they use way too many or way too few, but why do we care about it on this message board?

We are starved for more information about the F150L, so we're overanalyzing every new youtube video that comes out.

At this point, I'm desperate enough to sit through a 30 minute Sandy Munro rant about the number of "threaded unfasteners" in the F150L battery pack.

MickeyAO · Sep 1, 2021

There are two message threads on the number of bolts holding the pack to the frame. I will worry about the number of fasteners used on the Mach-E in three-four months, about 20 minutes before I drop that pack (have to wait for the CAN and instrumentation guys to finish collecting data from the vehicle before I take that pack down to the cell level). I'll worry about the number on a Lighting IF the consortium elects this vehicle for study.

As far as thieves dropping the pack due to too few bolts, it ain't happening. You have to have a table underneath the pack (while allowing access to the passthrough bolts) or you will be crushed by the pack....not to mention all the high voltage connections you need to remove beforehand.

Sun Devil · Sep 1, 2021

shutterbug said:
I went to the Pro presentation today. The ford guy said there are 4 bolts on each side. So really 8.

I was told the same thing today at the Ford event.

Mad Mac · Sep 2, 2021

Munro said suspended,
then corrected it to isolated from frame.
This makes me think that the battery pack
rides on brackets like motor mounts
with rubber or neoprene bushings.

So, raise the truck on a lift.
Roll a table on wheels under the truck.
Lower the truck to rest the battery pack onto the table.
Unbolt 1800 pound battery pack.
Jockey the table or truck clear of the mounts.
Raise truck.
Roll out the table?

I'm not a mechanic but I watch a lot of Motor Trend channel.

Video look at F-150 Lightning rolling chassis & frame, batteries, motors, suspension, frunk, etc.

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