F-150 Lightning will be one and done stopgap in Ford's EV plans

[FordTough98198]

Yeah, that is all true. But GM does the same and take a look at the Silverado EV.....

True. But they are also two years at least behind Ford on getting a base model truck (I don’t count the ultra expensive Hummer EV as an everyday man’s truck) into peoples hands.

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[thegangler]

The big difference is the number of two wheel drive pick-ups back then. The 4x4 versions were harsh and steering, suspension and handling was significantly less desirable 30 and 40 years ago. But a 1987 crew cab 4x4 was a monster with a hood you could party on.

The height of pickups on the road is more of a byproduct of the significant growth in 4wheel drives as a percentage of sales.

Amen, my 79 F150 is a 4x4 and is (fun) mess - point being it's a lot of work to drive.

 

[Regular150]

Yeah, that is all true. But GM does the same and take a look at the Silverado EV.....

You mean the E/V Avalanche? Oh how few times I messed with that PIA midgate.

 

[greenne]

Can I ask a semi serious question here..what is the big allure of a dedicated platform? Is it efficiency everyone is chasing? Performance(either handling or acceleration)?

With regards to performance--I just don't see how much more you can(or want) to expect out of a truck. Everyone has commented this truck blows away any f150 before it. How much faster does it need to accelerate?

With respect to range, I am thinking spending the development money on better batteries and systems would yield more benefits to developing a whole new platform.

I guess I'm not seeing the cost/benefit here of a dedicated platform...

 

[beatle]

Can I ask a semi serious question here..what is the big allure of a dedicated platform? Is it efficiency everyone is chasing? Performance(either handling or acceleration)?

With regards to performance--I just don't see how much more you can(or want) to expect out of a truck. Everyone has commented this truck blows away any f150 before it. How much faster does it need to accelerate?

With respect to range, I am thinking spending the development money on better batteries and systems would yield more benefits to developing a whole new platform.

I guess I'm not seeing the cost/benefit here of a dedicated platform...

A dedicated platform offers better packaging of batteries. If you look under a Lightning you'll see a huge void between the frame and the body. A less traditional design will provide better aero and more range due to increased efficiency. Not sure if the existing platform can be adapted to a 4-motor design, but that's another very nice high end feature.

Battery technology doesn't have to stand still just because they're putting money into a new platform; it is not an either/or if manufacturers want to evolve. This platform may also likely carry over to the EVpedition and perhaps the EVplorer, so it is worth putting some money into.

 

[PV2EV]

I love the idea that this first truck, and Ford's second EV uses all the proven parts that I will interact with directly (Cab, Doors, Bed). I would hate to spend this much on a first model year vehicle and have problems with doors, switches, dials, seats, etc... I would have waited a year or two otherwise.

I would prefer that the second gen platform is dedicated, with a focus on efficiency and other uses (full size SUV, Van, etc...). I would be looking to buy a second or third year version once the kinks are worked out. Likely used.

 

[maverick92]

Can I ask a semi serious question here..what is the big allure of a dedicated platform? Is it efficiency everyone is chasing? Performance(either handling or acceleration)?

With respect to range, I am thinking spending the development money on better batteries and systems would yield more benefits to developing a whole new platform.

I guess I'm not seeing the cost/benefit here of a dedicated platform...

The current Lightning will do a great job replacing most trucks on the road that never leave the pavement or haul more than kids or groceries. A dedicated platform will improve both performance (efficiency/towing range) and manufacturing cost. Right now towing on any EV truck is a joke and likely won’t get significantly better until solid state batteries are a thing 5-10 years from now.

 

[GABAR67]

I fully expected this hence the reason for the IRS as well as the new facility in TN which is where the next generation F150 will be built.

Ford knows it’s customers, especially its F150 customers so you better believe that they’ll never go too radical on the exterior design of the F150.

Yes, it’ll look different than the current F150 but there won’t be any mistaking it for anything but a F150.

 

[Mike G]

Sounds like this will be the only generation of the F-150 Lightning, at least as an electric version of the ICE F-150. Future Ford electric pickups won't be based the F-150 platform and chassis.

Farley said this at 2022 Alliance Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference:

"In a kind of weird way, it’s kind of too bad that Lightning winds up being our most successful vehicle today because it feels so derivative from the F-Series. It’s not our only truck and the other trucks won’t look anything like it,” said Farley.​

Per Ford Authority - While that statement may seem radical, it isn’t completely out of line with how the company is thinking about its future as an electric vehicle manufacturer. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is simply an electric variant of the Ford F-150 and rides on the same basic platform. Going forward, that is not how Ford will develop its lineup, as it intends to do more than make carbon copies of its internal combustion lineup. In all likelihood, while the company certainly learned a lot developing the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, it may ultimately be remembered as a very compelling stopgap pickup that paved the way for a fully electric Ford Ranger to go its own way instead of relying on its internal combustion counterpart. That said, not every Ford product will ditch tradition in the future, as the Ford Super Duty lineup is expected to remain somewhat traditional until technological advances can properly meet the needs of heavy duty pickup customers.

I've read this over several times....

What about the reservation holders that were told they would be able to convert to a 2023 Lightning if they couldn't get a 2022?

And there supposedly is a date for the 2023 order banks to open....

So which is it? There is going to be an opportunity for reservation holders to order a 2023 Lightning, or the Lightning is "one and done".

Mike

 

[sotek2345]

I've read this over several times....

What about the reservation holders that were told they would be able to convert to a 2023 Lightning if they couldn't get a 2022?

And there supposedly is a date for the 2023 order banks to open....

So which is it? There is going to be an opportunity for reservation holders to order a 2023 Lightning, or the Lightning is "one and done".

Mike

He means the design process for the 2022 Lightning (which will be built for several years). In the future they won't look to electrify an existing design (i.e. take an F150, add batteries and an electric motor, clean up the aero and add a Frunk), but instead do a ground up design for their EVs.

 

[Maquis]

I haven't measured, but I park next to a mid 90's F250 at my gym and its hood is noticeably lower and easier to see over than mine. Which matches my recollection of having to be _aware_ of the high hood and restricted front visibility learning to drive in my dad's 80s truck, and the trucks I drove through the 90s and 00s, compared to _super careful_ with my 2020.

Maybe the 20 year gap where I only had cars and vans skewed my perception. But especially in an EV that giant hood is purely cosmetic and I'd be happier not having to peer over it quite so hard.

I have to agree. I have a 97 F250 and a 17 F150. If there’s a tool laying in the bed behind the cab or the old truck I can easily reach over the side and grab it. If the 17 didn’t have running boards to step on, I’d have to crawl into the bed or find a 5 gallon bucket to stand on. There’s no reason for the extra height.

 

[Mike G]

He means the design process for the 2022 Lightning (which will be built for several years). In the future they won't look to electrify an existing design (i.e. take an F150, add batteries and an electric motor, clean up the aero and add a Frunk), but instead do a ground up design for their EVs.

Oh okay...but it kinda didn't read that way to me...but what you're saying makes more sense. I wonder how many more years they will get out of the current platform?

Mike

 

[sotek2345]

Oh okay...but it kinda didn't read that way to me...but what you're saying makes more sense. I wonder how many more years they will get out of the current platform?

Mike

It is supposed to be 2025/2026 when the Gen 2 Lightning comes out.

 

[Mike G]

It is supposed to be 2025/2026 when the Gen 2 Lightning comes out.

2025/2026.....so in essence...the use of the term "one and done" is complete hyperbole then. As in a clickbait story designed to sucker folks into reading something and think that their dreams are about to be crushed.

Have they no DECENCY sir?

wait...nope, they don't.

Mike

 

[sotek2345]

2025/2026.....so in essence...the use of the term "one and done" is complete hyperbole then. As in a clickbait story designed to sucker folks into reading something and think that their dreams are about to be crushed.

Have they no DECENCY sir?

wait...nope, they don't.

Mike

I think it was just how you understood it. The main message was to not expect an EV Explorer, or an EV Bronco, or an EV Ranger using the same design approach (electrify without changing much) that they used for the Lightning. Expect an approach more like the Mach-e. A platform designed from the ground up as an EV.

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