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I think the failure of the F150 Lightning Edsel was due to two things: 1) first and foremost, the precipitous decline in the price of gasoline, from its peak in 2022. At $4+/gal, the first Lightning customers cut their gasoline bills by over $300/mo; today, at $2.80/gal, the economics are no...

What makes Ford think that it all comes down to range? Is that the feedback they got from people who actually buy EVs- or from people who would never buy an EV, regardless of range? If the vehicle’s range is more than average daily distance driven, it’s sufficient for the vast majority of use...

Thanks for saying that- I wish more Americans agreed. It is rare and refreshing to read what is seldom acknowledged today, but was once universally recognized: Taiwan is the free Republic of China, and the rightful government of the Chinese people.

Google AI says F150 typically depreciates 27%-49% in first three years. Lightnings may depreciate more, but it’s not a huge gap (and a Lightning purchased with EV tax credit had $7500 of depreciation from MSRP already covered!) Also, a Lightning purchased today is apt to have significant...

In your estimation, if a fully autonomous vehicle does very well in 99% of situations, what % of situations does a non-autonomous driver with a cellphone, or a bad temper, or three beers downed do very well in?

I own a Lightning and a Tesla MY. My Lightning meets my needs for occasional hauling and is our go-to for comfortable highway cruising; but with FSD 14.2, a month or so ago (for 2023+ vehicles), I now have a car that drives itself, in confidence and greater safety than I can (because it sees...

CATL, for sure. Second choice, Panasonic.

Funny how technology evolves and advances in the places where things are manufactured, not necessarily where they’re invented (solar cells, another classic example).

They are less energy-dense, that’s also true. For the same size/weight as the Lightning’s present NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) pack, an LFP pack will have fewer kWh. But if you can routinely charge the LFP to 100%, compared to an NMC’s say, 80%, there really isn’t a proportional penalty in...

LFP batteries have longer lives, can be routinely charged to 100% without longterm degredation, and perhaps best of all: there’s less rapid release of energy from a cell puncture…. in other words, they don’t catch fire! I have an LFP pack in one of my Teslas, and it’s performance and...

Charge rates are in kW, not kWh. The units of electricity added to the battery (and purchased on your credit card) are kWh.

I don’t regret buying the truck I don’t regret buying the truck. I would not have paid over MSRP to a dealer, even for a truck I’d waited for and wanted for a long time- my dealer’s policy was to sell customer-ordered Lightnings at MSRP. You write as though this happens every day, but in my...

Maybe you remember, maybe you don’t, but Ford actually LOWERED the price of a new Lightning after the details of the new EV rebates were known (lowered so more ER battery vehicles would qualify for the EV tax credit). Instant $10 depreciation hit for all earlier purchasers. Ford could have...

It would seem that every size battery pack could have significantly faster DCFC, if the pack could be divided into two equal (400v architecture) modules, coupled in parallel for driving, but in series for charging (higher voltage for charging, resulting in more kW for the same acceptable level...

I think the ER battery pack is overrated as a solution for those with range insecurity: 1) it’s only about 30% more kWh than the SR. This is not insignificant, but it’s not like it’s going to provide vastly more range. (it’s also downright puny compared to the 210kWh GM packs in those 9000lb...

Right?? So like Ford, to withhold that information. It’s about as transparent as last year’s White House press briefings.

Pardon my ignorance, but does cold weather actually 1) reduce drivetrain efficiency? or 2) reduce battery capacity and output? (thereby reducing range) I always assumed it was the latter, not the former. (I’ve never used an EV in cold weather.) I guess I would have expected the only difference...

Wow! I guess “real world” conditions vary according to the real world we drive in. There’s almost always traffic all around me, so “drafting” on the highway boosts efficiency. Our 70mph highways are often clogged with traffic doing 50-60 or less, depending on time of day, and unknown to most...

Just curious about your annual average 1.47 MPK. Do you tow, often, with your Lightning? Or is that an effect of cold weather driving? Here in FL, my longterm average is 2.4 MPK (pretty much corresponding to EPA-rated efficiency); but I never tow, and in our crazy dense traffic, it’s hard to...

It’s not what’s “outstanding,” if by that you mean a check your write to IRS on 4/15. It’s your total tax liability for the year (line 24 on your 1040).