F-150 Lightning EV Tax Credits & Rebates - Discussions & Predictions

[Whiskey]

Personally I am going XLT or Lariat because the Lightning will not only be my daily driver and truck to do truck things in, but also our family road trip vehicle, so I want the ER battery and some creature comforts. Credit vs. no credit could push me to Rivian, if I can figure out how to make the size work and some longer term quality reviews come back positive.

Rivian? A more expensive vehicle? Now that’s an interesting choice.

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[BennyTheBeaver]

Rivian? A more expensive vehicle? Now that’s an interesting choice.

With a current production rate of 2 vehicles per day...

 

[shutterbug]

For me the ev credit makes the jump to xlt er possible. I drive 140 miles round trip a day with a once a week 220 mile round trip I worry come winter the SR will be pushing the range a bit. I had planned on a fully loaded xlt but spent more on the wife’s car than planned…

If your regular (once a week is regular) trip is 220 mile, then SR is absolutely wrong for you.

 

[Brian Head Yankee]

If your regular (once a week is regular) trip is 220 mile, then SR is absolutely wrong for you.

Why? It's only 110 miles each way. You don't know if there is a charge station at the destination so how can you say it's "absolutely wrong for you" ?

 

[Sgt Beavis]

Rivian? A more expensive vehicle? Now that’s an interesting choice.

When compared to the XLT, yes. But it's very much in line with the Lariat's price. It's also better equipped.

 

[Texas Dan]

For me the ev credit makes the jump to xlt er possible. I drive 140 miles round trip a day with a once a week 220 mile round trip I worry come winter the SR will be pushing the range a bit. I had planned on a fully loaded xlt but spent more on the wife’s car than planned…

Your plan is Interesting but very different from my plan. I don’t do much commuting anymore so I’m planning to just use the F150L for around town and then for adventure trips. If I was going to commute then I would want something more like the Niro EV that I have now.

It’s still hard to get my head around but the F150L should be incredibly efficient around town in stop and go traffic with maximum speed around 40 mph. Take the F150L on the highway for a high speed commute and that efficiency will largely disappear. The only reason I can imagine you wanting to use a F150L for a 140 mile per day commute is if it will be your work truck or if you have to make a lot of short hauling trips.

But it’s your plan and I hope it works for you.

 

[shutterbug]

Why? It's only 110 miles each way. You don't know if there is a charge station at the destination so how can you say it's "absolutely wrong for you" ?

Because from my perspective your range needs to cover your regular worst case. There may be a charging station at the destination but if it doesn't work one day (for whatever reason), you're screwed. Also @lancersrock appears to be in Iowa, which does get a tad cold on occasion. Mind you in my own case, there is absolutely no need for a XR battery. I don't plan any road trips and my normal commute is 11 miles r/t. In the 7 months I've owned MME, my longest day mileage was a bit over 100 miles. I think many people here think they need a bigger battery then they actually do. However, those that will make reasonably long trips should be going into this with clear eyes.

 

[astricklin]

Your plan is Interesting but very different from my plan. I don’t do much commuting anymore so I’m planning to just use the F150L for around town and then for adventure trips. If I was going to commute then I would want something more like the Niro EV that I have now.

It’s still hard to get my head around but the F150L should be incredibly efficient around town in stop and go traffic with maximum speed around 40 mph. Take the F150L on the highway for a high speed commute and that efficiency will largely disappear. The only reason I can imagine you wanting to use a F150L for a 140 mile per day commute is if it will be your work truck or if you have to make a lot of short hauling trips.

But it’s your plan and I hope it works for you.

For me, I want something that I can also tow with. I currently have an older SUV that gets used for farm duties and also towing. I'd really like to replace it but I just can't justify buying another truck that is just going to sit around most days as I only put a couple thousand miles on it a year. However, with an ev, I can drive it daily as well and not spend a ton of money on gas.
$40k is still a lot to spend on something that will be driven probably 5k miles a year but if the larger amount of tax credit comes through then $27,500 is a lot easier on the pocketbook. Right now, a used truck in that price range is 7-10 years old and close to 100k miles, it's probably going to need an amount of maintenance similar to my current vehicle.

 

[Fordskeptic]

The Pro version with the rebate is the value proposition that tempted me to reserve. Factor in operating cost per mile and maintenance vs a used ICE truck and the Pro is very attractive.

 

[gorwell]

Just curious as to why you would move over to Rivian. To me, the Rivian seems like a smaller truck for more cost than the f150..

If you're looking at a higher Trim + Extended in the F150, and like tech; then the Rivian is a good alternate choice. The Rivian is much more featured packed and almost on par with the XLT+ Extended price, then it will be cheaper than the Lariat Extended.

The two biggest downsides for the Rivian to me are:

1. Bed Size: 4.5 is a bit small for some people. However, it still has the same width as an f150 and with the tailgate down, it's got plenty of room (~4x7 feet). The nail in the coffin for me is that it is likely too small for my local landscape supply to use their front loader to fill it with pea gravel or mulch for my yard which I replenish every year or so.
2. Rear Legroom: The F150 has massive rear legroom and is very family friendly and the Rivian came out with kind of disappointing numbers. Plenty of reviews has said it is good though. Once Rivian comes to my area, will definately check it out to see if it's actually good enough.

 

[sotek2345]

Just curious as to why you would move over to Rivian. To me, the Rivian seems like a smaller truck for more cost than the f150..even without the Tax credit factored in.

I guess if you want to go rock climbing its got that extreme 4x4 thing going...but the Ford seems more substantial to me in many ways.

Also...Rivian is first to market but I am wondering about their ability to drastically increase production. I don't have the same worry about Ford

Very much agree on the concerns with Rivian, which is why I originally selected the Lightning. I will probably stay with a Lightning, but if my truck gets pushed to a 2024 or 2025, and there is no tax credit for the Lightning (but is for the Rivian), and Rivian comes through those concerns, I may reevaluate.

 

[sotek2345]

If you're looking at a higher Trim + Extended in the F150, and like tech; then the Rivian is a good alternate choice. The Rivian is much more featured packed and almost on par with the XLT+ Extended price, then it will be cheaper than the Lariat Extended.

The two biggest downsides for the Rivian to me are:

1. Bed Size: 4.5 is a bit small for some people. However, it still has the same width as an f150 and with the tailgate down, it's got plenty of room (~4x7 feet). The nail in the coffin for me is that it is likely too small for my local landscape supply to use their front loader to fill it with pea gravel or mulch for my yard which I replenish every year or so.
2. Rear Legroom: The F150 has massive rear legroom and is very family friendly and the Rivian came out with kind of disappointing numbers. Plenty of reviews has said it is good though. Once Rivian comes to my area, will definately check it out to see if it's actually good enough.

Yup - Both of those are concerns of mine. Is the bed large enough to hold the equipment for my robotics team? The 5.5' bed on my current F150 barely work, but then Rivian as the gear tunnel that I might be able to put to good use to cover the difference.

Also - during the robotics season (~6 months of the year), my bed stays full and I use the back seat for grocery shopping - is the Rivian's big enough (4 adults, 2 teens, 2 dogs, and a cat - we use a lot of groceries)

 

[adoublee]

If you're looking at a higher Trim + Extended in the F150, and like tech; then the Rivian is a good alternate choice. The Rivian is much more featured packed and almost on par with the XLT+ Extended price, then it will be cheaper than the Lariat Extended.

The two biggest downsides for the Rivian to me are:

1. Bed Size: 4.5 is a bit small for some people. However, it still has the same width as an f150 and with the tailgate down, it's got plenty of room (~4x7 feet). The nail in the coffin for me is that it is likely too small for my local landscape supply to use their front loader to fill it with pea gravel or mulch for my yard which I replenish every year or so.
2. Rear Legroom: The F150 has massive rear legroom and is very family friendly and the Rivian came out with kind of disappointing numbers. Plenty of reviews has said it is good though. Once Rivian comes to my area, will definately check it out to see if it's actually good enough.

Rivian has every intention of behaving like a luxury/niche manufacturer. They expect to get $15.5k in lifetime software fees per customer. The Lightning will exceed the utility per dollar at every trim level IMO.

 

[greenne]

If you're looking at a higher Trim + Extended in the F150, and like tech; then the Rivian is a good alternate choice. The Rivian is much more featured packed and almost on par with the XLT+ Extended price, then it will be cheaper than the Lariat Extended.

The two biggest downsides for the Rivian to me are:

1. Bed Size: 4.5 is a bit small for some people. However, it still has the same width as an f150 and with the tailgate down, it's got plenty of room (~4x7 feet). The nail in the coffin for me is that it is likely too small for my local landscape supply to use their front loader to fill it with pea gravel or mulch for my yard which I replenish every year or so.
2. Rear Legroom: The F150 has massive rear legroom and is very family friendly and the Rivian came out with kind of disappointing numbers. Plenty of reviews has said it is good though. Once Rivian comes to my area, will definately check it out to see if it's actually good enough.

Some here have said the Rivian is a better deal with more luxury. I would counter that is like comparing the highest trim Ranger to the high(but not highest trim) f150.

From kbb:

Size

Unlike some theoretical competitors both the R1T and Lightning look like what they are: trucks. But the F-150’s an F-150 while the R1T’s slightly more compact than most full-size pickups, which have grown immense in recent years.

The R1T’s going to be 217.1 inches long and 81.8 inches wide (with the side mirrors folded) with a wheelbase of 135.9 inches. Including the antenna it’ll be 75.7 inches tall. Combined, the front trunk, bed, and gear tunnel are said to hold 68 cubic feet of gear, and that gear tunnel behind the cabin ahead of the bed can hold up to 300 pounds.

The Lightning’s nearly identical to gas-powered F-150 in size at 232.7 inches long and 83.6 inches wide (with the side mirrors folded) with a 145.5-inch wheelbase. It’ll be 78.9 inches tall. The front trunk will hold up to 14.1 cubic feet and up to 400 pounds of gear while the bed can haul 52.8 cubic feet of stuff.

 

[lancersrock]

Right now I fill up every other day in my fusion and it’s only averaging 27-28 on the highway these days. I need the truck for hauling on the weekends (kids gocarts and such) and honestly there’s no other sub 50k ev that currently meets my needs. This is replacing my 19 xlt and my car at the same time, killing two birds with one stone. If I do settle for a minimally equipped pro I will still have my car for trips the truck won’t cut it. As of right now we still don’t know how accurate 230 is either. I typically could get 25mpg out of my 3.5 so I’m hopeful I can beat 230 on average.

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