What Features Do You Want to See In Next Gen Lightning?

[62F1004x4]

I would like to see an option for a 600kwh useable battery . I don’t care about what the battery is made from.

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[reffahcs]

I'm still holding out for my massaging chair that I was promised.

 

[Dinozero]

I searched but didn't find this so thought I'd post. For me the Lightning is great, but could be better. My wish list:

Heads up display

Digital camera rear view mirror

Eliminate center shifter. Go to a pushbutton, dash knob, or stalk style to free up center console area. I know I can't be the only one who feels like the shifter is kind of flimsy and not necessary for a truck that is all drive-by-wire. It doesn't feel premium to the touch and takes up space.

Faster charging (I know this is probably a definite as most makers are going with faster architecture like Hyundai/Kia and now Audi)

More premium lighting accents. The milky white front DRL bar doesn't look near as premium as some other makes. Ford could take some design cues from Audi and make the lighting more distinctive and customizable. Directional turn signals are becoming commonplace and are a nice touch.

What did I miss?

I'm not sure if you were a ICE F150 owner or not, but I can add some information to the console shifter.

Ford has actually been itching to relocate that for awhile now. It's just not practical where it is. But for some reason current Ford owners just LOVE their console shifter. Ford spoke about this during the unveiling and demonstration of the 2021 redesigned F150. The engineers wanted to move it to a knob or something on the dash like RAM has but focus groups with existing F150 owners said they would be really upset with that.

It's one reason Ford specifically mentions Console shifter on the vehicle documentation. People claim it's "Sportier".

Ford had to spend $$$ to over engineer the current shifter with the ability to send it down so you can have the fold flat surface. Clearly, that wasn't their first option. They'd rather have just moved the shifter.


But there is a stronger possibility that future electric F150s could specifically have a different shifter location?

I used to be in love with the console shifter but I've come to the realization that it's not the most practical spot. It's taking cup holder space!


**I believe people stated it's one of their favorite spots to rest their hand when driving

 

[reffahcs]

I'm not sure if you were a ICE F150 owner or not, but I can add some information to the console shifter.

Ford has actually been itching to relocate that for awhile now. It's just not practical where it is. But for some reason current Ford owners just LOVE their console shifter. Ford spoke about this during the unveiling and demonstration of the 2021 resigned F150. The engineers wanted to move it to a knob or something on the dash like RAM has but focus groups with existing F150 owners said they would be really upset with that.

It's one reason Ford specifically mentions Console shifter on the vehicle documentation. People claim it's "Sportier".

Ford had to spend $$$ to over engineer the current shifter with the ability to send it down so you can have the fold flat surface. Clearly, that wasn't their first option. They'd rather have just moved the shifter.


But there is a stronger possibility that future electric F150s could specifically have a different shifter location?

I used to be in love with the console shifter but I've come to the realization that it's not the most practical spot. It's taking cup holder space!


**I believe people stated it's one of their favorite spots to rest their hand when driving

Personally I hate the feel of the Lightning shifter. I wish it would "snap" into reverse, but whenever I go from drive to reverse it always wants to "snap" into neutral instead of reverse. Such a pain.

 

[COrocket]

I'm not sure if you were a ICE F150 owner or not, but I can add some information to the console shifter.

Ford has actually been itching to relocate that for awhile now. It's just not practical where it is. But for some reason current Ford owners just LOVE their console shifter. Ford spoke about this during the unveiling and demonstration of the 2021 redesigned F150. The engineers wanted to move it to a knob or something on the dash like RAM has but focus groups with existing F150 owners said they would be really upset with that.

It's one reason Ford specifically mentions Console shifter on the vehicle documentation. People claim it's "Sportier".

Ford had to spend $$$ to over engineer the current shifter with the ability to send it down so you can have the fold flat surface. Clearly, that wasn't their first option. They'd rather have just moved the shifter.


But there is a stronger possibility that future electric F150s could specifically have a different shifter location?

I used to be in love with the console shifter but I've come to the realization that it's not the most practical spot. It's taking cup holder space!


**I believe people stated it's one of their favorite spots to rest their hand when driving

I’ve alluded to it in other threads but I don’t know why they can’t take the column shifter from the six seat cab configs and make it standard across the entire F Series. The parts have already been engineered. It doesn’t take up console or dash room and sits in otherwise unused space. Feels way more solid as well. I’d love for the four cup holder/cubby combo in the center console to make a comeback.

 

[Shawnson]

Dog mode

 

[Dirt]

I love my truck. It's getting better all the time. They have given us an amazing vehicle with tons of features. That being said. I'm still waiting for a Lightning.....
Next gen. I want a REAL Lightning. Street truck.
A E-F-150, which is pretty much what we got.
And an E-Raptor real 4wd beast. Plz
Fill them with features of the like.
Just ask me. I'd love to help

 

[willk66]

1. Rear wheel steering.
2. Rotary gear shift like in the Maverick.
3. Adjustable air suspension.
4. More interior colors.
5. Faster charging.
6. More range.

 

[Truaz]

Dog Mode - Yes.
800 Volt architecture - Yes
48 Volt architecture - It's going to happen eventually.
Changes made to the Auto-Hold - Dont start unless you've moved 10' or more after placing the truck in drive.
Heads Up Display - Nice option.
Smoked front light - make it an option on a specific trim.
Charge port on both sides. Keep near the front of the vehicle though.
Fix the center console so it stays up and not have to do the 20 Cent hack on the springs.
Enable Matrix LED High beams. I know this is a NHTSA thing.
Easily added 3rd party options so we dont have to "hack" the fuse box/battery or other power source. Kinda like on the Raptor.
More details on the display about battery/performance/etc, Have a default "every-one" mode like you have now but another that is customizable by the operator to add/remove details.

Well have to wait and see what the next couple generations bring to this truck.

 

[Ish]

Using the BlueCruise driver facing cameras and/or other sensors to identify hands on the steering wheel. Seems like a fairly easy addition to the most common erroneous alert I get.

 

[reffahcs]

1. Rear wheel steering.
2. Rotary gear shift like in the Maverick.
3. Adjustable air suspension.
4. More interior colors.
5. Faster charging.
6. More range.

Regarding interior colors, the dealer mentioned to me when I picked up my Lightning that you can actually get any interior color if you ask. I believe he said it was $1,000 extra, but that's not terrible. I had no idea that Ford did that.

 

[JohnnyEV]

• Make sport mode the normal mode......coming from a Tesla it feels the most like how an EV should behave.
• More Range
• Cameras Record your driving (access to cameras from app when parked)
• Climate Controls from App
• I like having access to all the F150 accessories so don't go completely crazy with the design.
• Android or Apple based OS, partner with them. Let them do the truck updates too.
• Keep the current physical buttons add climate controls to physical buttons along with heated and cooled seats.
• Add a decent sub woofer, maybe in the center console

 

[ctuan13]

Well I'm no expert, but I can tell you what I'd personally like to see change and what I'd like to see not change:

- Don't change the isolated, bolt in battery pack design and switch to a "structural" battery. Despite all its teething pains with failing modules and such, the only reason any of these repairs were relatively straightforward (once Ford actually sent the parts to dealers), is because it's around 18 bolts and the entire battery drops out from between the frame rails. I want my truck highly repairable and potentially upgradable down the line with aftermarket or remanufactured batteries as battery chemistry breakthroughs occur, especially when I'm long past my warranty.

- A slightly larger battery. It doesn't have to be gargantuan, but maybe the standard range is 131kWh and the extended range is 180kWh? And despite what Tesla fan boys might have you believe, this doesn't actually conflict with my first wishlist item. Just look at the RAM Rev, it maintains a true body-on-frame design and a bolt-up from underneath battery pack design. The only real change that was required was redesigning the frame rails to sit far more outboard, widening the gap between them.

- Don't remove the keyless entry keypad. Despite some saying it's a vestigial feature of Ford's of ole, I still find it to be an invaluable feature that I use all the time, even if it's relegated to an option, please don't kill it entirely.

- Better rear seat HVAC. For the price we paid for our trucks the fact that the rear seats don't have a separate zone or at least better airflow, is inexcusable. Yeah it's adequate, but at the prices we paid for Lightnings, it should be fantastic.

- DO NOT ADD SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR HARDWARE FEATURES. This is a disturbing trend I'm seeing automakers continually trying and mostly failing at getting off the ground for now, but nonetheless, it cannot be overstated: charging me a monthly fee to use a feature that is already fully built into my vehicle is insanity.

- Like others said, more colors. The colors were already limited the first model year and they only got more limited in 2023. If this is Ford's flagship, premium EV, their pride and joy, I better be able to order it in any color of the rainbow.

- like others have said, do something about the shifter, but leave it as some skeumorphic mechanical interface. I hate knobs, button shifters and absolutely can't stand touchscreen "shifters". My ideal choice would be a column shifter, but I imagine theres a slim chance of that happening.

- and this might be a longshot, but hey you said wishlist:
Give me concrete, hardware switches to cut power to all wireless radios separately, allowing me to switch off GPS, wifi, Bluetooth and cellular connectivity individually as desired. And code the firmware to make clear and concise EULAs that clearly state in plain, simple English what data is required for what services and what consenting or hitting "accept" means.

Regardless of it being "current year" simply saying "wHy dO yOu cArE iF yOu hAVe nOtHiNg tO hIdE?" is just simply an unacceptable excuse for you needlessly having to spread your digital butt cheeks, just to use a feature of a vehicle you paid for.

I'm sure I've forgotten a few things, but that's gotta be my shortlist.

 

[invertedspear]

Regardless of it being "current year" simply saying "wHy dO yOu cArE iF yOu hAVe nOtHiNg tO hIdE?" is just simply an unacceptable excuse for you needlessly having to spread your digital butt cheeks, just to use a feature of a vehicle you paid for.

And it’s not that I have anything to hide, it’s that I trust no corporation to be good stewards of any of my information. Credit bureaus have proven they can’t keep anything safe. Banks and medical tech companies get information hacked all the time. All of them have more government mandates to secure data than a car manufacturer. If they can’t keep data safe, I doubt Ford will be able to.

 

[ctuan13]

And it’s not that I have anything to hide, it’s that I trust no corporation to be good stewards of any of my information. Credit bureaus have proven they can’t keep anything safe. Banks and medical tech companies get information hacked all the time. All of them have more government mandates to secure data than a car manufacturer. If they can’t keep data safe, I doubt Ford will be able to.

Exactly. It's less about pure privacy and a matter of data security. Automakers would be the last ones I'd trust with my data.

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