July/Aug Issue Of Car & Driver dedicated 100% to electric vehicles

[vandy1981]

I don't have the link to the source on hand now, but when I was researching a statement for an interview, I found there were 100+ (I think the reputable source said 150+) ICE fires a day, but no one cares. If there is one EV fire ANYWHERE in the world, it makes front-page news all over the world. Why? EV is new and unknown, whereas ICE is a known commodity that we know how to deal with.

Was thinking the same thing the other day when I saw this F150 en fuego on my commute. No one was hurt. I scoured the internet for a story about the fire but came up empty.

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[Theo1000]

Wow! Not even an emergency vehicle or gawker crowd....

 

[MickeyAO]

Was thinking the same thing the other day when I saw this F150 en fuego on my commute. No one was hurt. I scoured the internet for a story about the fire but came up empty.

If this was a year in the future, and that was a Lighting, you know it would have been front-page news and my bosses would be asking me why it happened. But this is an ICE so it's just same old same old, nothing to report here.

 

[RLXXI]

Why do people with no interest in EV's join EV forums? Is it so they can feel superior about themselves by extolling virtues of what they have compared? What sense does that make?

No sense, just trolls with nothing better to do than act like fools. If you're afraid the truck may catch fire, don't buy one and go find another forum to troll.

 

[Bbass5]

Back to the topic at hand…

When I heard about the Ford Lightning I was really intreagued. Then I looked it up and saw all the stuff it can do and I was blown away! A house back up generator, a large Frunk for keeping stuff dry on a drive,l (don’t need a tonneau cover now), and it still looks like a normal truck! Plus all the gadgets and infotainment stuff…

My only hesistancy for the time being is range. Our family frequently travels to visit parents/grandparents and go to the beach. Those trips go beyond the planned range of the extended battery lightning. The lightning is an increasingly step forward in EV technology. It’s a great truck and I’m sure a lot of people are excited about it. But given the range I’m not quite there yet.

I do believe in the next 5-10 years we’re going to have long range EV vehicles available, or super fast charging stations which make long trips feasible and comparable to their ICE counterparts. And I’m looking forward to that day.

 

[greenne]

Why do people with no interest in EV's join EV forums? Is it so they can feel superior about themselves by extolling virtues of what they have compared? What sense does that make?

No sense, just trolls with nothing better to do than act like fools. If you're afraid the truck may catch fire, don't buy one and go find another forum to troll.

Its the same with a-holes which do anti EV things at every turn. There are news reports of people specifically targeting Teslas (presumably because they are EVs)-- aggressive driving, gestures, "coal rolling" blocking EV access to chargers etc. If it isn't your thing--fine-- but don't be a dirt bag and leave people alone

 

[greenne]

Back to the topic at hand…

When I heard about the Ford Lightning I was really intreagued. Then I looked it up and saw all the stuff it can do and I was blown away! A house back up generator, a large Frunk for keeping stuff dry on a drive,l (don’t need a tonneau cover now), and it still looks like a normal truck! Plus all the gadgets and infotainment stuff…

My only hesistancy for the time being is range. Our family frequently travels to visit parents/grandparents and go to the beach. Those trips go beyond the planned range of the extended battery lightning. The lightning is an increasingly step forward in EV technology. It’s a great truck and I’m sure a lot of people are excited about it. But given the range I’m not quite there yet.

I do believe in the next 5-10 years we’re going to have long range EV vehicles available, or super fast charging stations which make long trips feasible and comparable to their ICE counterparts. And I’m looking forward to that day.

Brandon..how far is your trip? If its less than say 500-600mi keep in mind you could theoretically only have to charge one time on the road. You could plan that around a lunch/dinner stop. In theory you'd start on a full charge, stop somewhere along the way and make it the rest of the way on the 2nd charge. Then as you vacation..charge it(even a level 2 charge would work over a few days), then repeat on way home.

My parents live 750mi away and I almost always drive to visit. I think planning one charge stop is doable with minimal effort...but two charge stops or more it becomes more of a challenge. I reserved the lightning to primary use around town( and commute),,,my wifes suv we'll use for trips--for now.

I'm waiting to see what Ford does with the Explorer EV or possibly(hopefully) an expedition type EV in a few years. If they could get the range to say 500mi I think at that point it becomes competitive as a road trip vehicle. Driving like crazy I can do about 750-800mi tops before I am exhausted and have to stop.

 

[RLXXI]

Back to the topic at hand…

When I heard about the Ford Lightning I was really intreagued. Then I looked it up and saw all the stuff it can do and I was blown away! A house back up generator, a large Frunk for keeping stuff dry on a drive,l (don’t need a tonneau cover now), and it still looks like a normal truck! Plus all the gadgets and infotainment stuff…

My only hesistancy for the time being is range. Our family frequently travels to visit parents/grandparents and go to the beach. Those trips go beyond the planned range of the extended battery lightning. The lightning is an increasingly step forward in EV technology. It’s a great truck and I’m sure a lot of people are excited about it. But given the range I’m not quite there yet.

I do believe in the next 5-10 years we’re going to have long range EV vehicles available, or super fast charging stations which make long trips feasible and comparable to their ICE counterparts. And I’m looking forward to that day.

They have fast chargers located all over the country.

That's just the plugshare network, there's several others but it's easy to see travel shouldn't be limited too much right now and will only get better as more are added. You can zoom in on your area @ www.plugshare.com

 

[vandy1981]

If they could get the range to say 500mi I think at that point it becomes competitive as a road trip vehicle. Driving like crazy I can do about 750-800mi tops before I am exhausted and have to stop.

]
I think a lot of Tesla and Taycan owners would argue that their vehicles are great road trip vehicles, not because of their range but because of the charging speed.

After owning an EV for a year, I've begun to realize I placed too much emphasis on range and not enough on Lvl3 charging rates when I was getting into the market. *Most* people can't or won't drive more than two hours without having to stop to stretch their legs and take a bio-break. If your EV has a 300 mile range and the ability to charge from 10%-80% in 20 minutes, there's minimal time penalty for an EV.

Current battery technology is not at the point where it's economical to have a 500 mile range on a brick-on-wheels like the F150L but it IS possible to have a vehicle with a decent charging curve (see Ioniq5, EV6, Tesla, Taycan, E-tron GT, etc.).

The stated 41 minutes for 15-80% on the F150L ER isn't terrible for such a large battery pack, but the package would have been even more compelling with a faster charging curve.

The charging network for non-Tesla vehicles is a whole other story, but I'd also argue that it's possible to comfortably road trip through most parts of the country using the Electrify America network.

 

[TRP]

We own a Mach E. Drove from TN to MD and back to TN last week. 2 charging stops to get there and 3 to get home due to elevation (more uphill on the way home). Each stop averaged 40min to charge from 10-80%, enough time for a short walk, bathroom break, and get a snack or quick meal. 588 miles each way. The Mach E added about 1h20m to the trip on each leg. Used Electrify America for all charging stops. Definitely road trip capable IF you plan it out.

 

[Aamyotte]

On another thread it was mentioned that the charge curve for the Lightning will be better than the Mach-e which should improve the length of time spent at charge stops.

 

[greenne]

]
I think a lot of Tesla and Taycan owners would argue that their vehicles are great road trip vehicles, not because of their range but because of the charging speed.

After owning an EV for a year, I've begun to realize I placed too much emphasis on range and not enough on Lvl3 charging rates when I was getting into the market. *Most* people can't or won't drive more than two hours without having to stop to stretch their legs and take a bio-break. If your EV has a 300 mile range and the ability to charge from 10%-80% in 20 minutes, there's minimal time penalty for an EV.

Current battery technology is not at the point where it's economical to have a 500 mile range on a brick-on-wheels like the F150L but it IS possible to have a vehicle with a decent charging curve (see Ioniq5, EV6, Tesla, Taycan, E-tron GT, etc.).

The stated 41 minutes for 15-80% on the F150L ER isn't terrible for such a large battery pack, but the package would have been even more compelling with a faster charging curve.

The charging network for non-Tesla vehicles is a whole other story, but I'd also argue that it's possible to comfortably road trip through most parts of the country using the Electrify America network.

KIa and Hyundai are already moving in on the 800v(350kw?) charging for their new EVs. Hoping Ford is taking note...wonder if that would be something they could do with an OTA update in the future.

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