Got My First Thumbs Down

[Danface]

I had someone at Homedepot shouting out their window I think at me about "being gay" or something, he was so animated that I too amused to actually process what he was saying. I was glad he was so engaged and I just hope he doesn't tell my wife!

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[BarryGoyette]

I want people to see as many EVs on the road as possible so they realize that they are becoming normal, not the exception. When I drove a Model Y, you know it's an EV. The Lightning...not so much.

living in coastal California, EV’s have rapidly become the norm, not the exception, as it seems like 30-50% of the cars on the 101 at any given moment are Teslas. Here where I live, there aren’t a lot of lightnings though, but no-one seems to comment Frunk open or not. Spent a week over in Bakersfield recently and every morning at the valet line it drew questions, comments and lots of interest. Same at the Grand Canyon. Overall I love that it’s a stealth EV. I’m not an evangelist by nature, and I didn’t choose the Lightning to save the planet, but rather for its feature set. I think folks will come to EV’s for their own reasons at their own time and place, unless they live where I live and get forced to by the state in a few years, while it continues to ramp the price of electricity well beyond the price of gasoline.

 

[GoHawks]

I received a thumbs down from an oncoming vehicle. Hand out his window, thumbs down staring at me. It was a Rivian truck. I was flabbergasted and had no response for that.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

The head of the body shop where I got my "first in Boston area" lighting in June 2022, told me that the buyer of the second Lightning the dealer sold paid the body shop to remove the "Lighting" badging before he'd take delivery. Buyer didn't want his co workers and neighbors to know he was driving and EV.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

I received a thumbs down from an oncoming vehicle. Hand out his window, thumbs down staring at me. It was a Rivian truck. I was flabbergasted and had no response for that.

Maybe the middle finger would have been the best response.

 

[Adventureboy]

Very few even notice. I've never had any negative responses other than when discussing towing or driving 2000 mile road trip.

People notice when I pop the Frunk to load things. I've had a few folks run over and ask where the engine is. I usually start by saying, "Not sure, I guess they forgot it, but it goes when I press the pedal".

 

[davehu]

I was charging at a Magic Dock station north of Montgomery with a couple friends from the military (who had an ev as well) and someone yelled everyone's favorite statement about Brandon at us. It's annoying since driving an ev doesn't mean you belong to any one side, I have VERY conservative friends who love their model y. I wish it could go back to just being a vehicle. It's like when folks start telling me all the reasons they heard that evs are bad, like towing range or what not, I just tell them that the truck may not be for them and that's okay, maybe something down the road will.

Universally though, most people love the power and low operating cost. They'll come around, hopefully, especially as more people drove them and folks realize it's not a political issue to drive what makes sense for your use case!

agreed but until the government quits jamming them down people's throats using taxpayer money the resentment will always be there.

 

[Pottsie]

Don’t know you but …exactly. I had a coworker recently who got mouthy after he had too much liquid courage make some sort of comment about me being “unAmerican”. Made me laugh then I reminded him I get my fuel for my American designed and produced Ford from the American designed and operated Nuclear Power Plant down the road from our house, unlike where his fuel comes from to fuel his Volkswagen (no joke).

Just further confirms everything we all know about people in general.

 

[Tom Jensen]

I spent the weekend at a sporting event where I had people, multiple times ask me about the truck.
I was doing my part, for @Ford Motor Company in being a brand and EV ambassador.
Everyone who asked and looked and talked thought everything was simply nifty...as we already know.

Then when leaving today, I got my first .

I was in a parking lot and a dud in a old Toyota wagon looked at me, frowned and gave it to me.
I don't know what to do.
It just makes me so sad.

I...I...well, I am being sarcastic.
I laughed as it seemed so ironic.

This is the closest thing to a negative response I've had since owning the truck.

Reactions to my 2023 Lariat have generally been very positive, but one guy in the line for a ferry wanted me to know that the truck was going to burst into flames at some point and would fail to start in the cold. He said the ferry crews “all hate” EVs because they catch fire and endanger ferries. I asked him if he was aware of any Lightnings catching fire on a ferry or anywhere else (no, but “they all do”) and any ICE vehicles burning up (yes, but not anywhere near as often as electrics) and whether ICE cars have trouble in the cold when the driver runs out of gas (yeah, but that’s their fault, not the car’s). He said I was lying when I told him I’d made a 350 mile drive with one 60 percent recharge at the halfway point. He knew for sure that none of “them” goes more than 100 miles before “quitting on you.”. The gaslighting by certain incumbent interests has taken some folks down pretty sad paths.

 

[Calvin H-C]

Most don't realize the Lightning is electric until we put stuff in the frunk.

I've had the same experience with the Focus Electric that looks exactly like the ICE hatchback version except for the rear right gas door being replaced by the front left charge port. Heck, the FFE was built on the same assembly line as its ICE siblings.

 

[Zprime29]

I received a thumbs down from an oncoming vehicle. Hand out his window, thumbs down staring at me. It was a Rivian truck. I was flabbergasted and had no response for that.

Spread the love, blow them a kiss.

 

[ddimit]

living in coastal California, EV’s have rapidly become the norm, not the exception, as it seems like 30-50% of the cars on the 101 at any given moment are Teslas. Here where I live, there aren’t a lot of lightnings though, but no-one seems to comment Frunk open or not. Spent a week over in Bakersfield recently and every morning at the valet line it drew questions, comments and lots of interest. Same at the Grand Canyon. Overall I love that it’s a stealth EV. I’m not an evangelist by nature, and I didn’t choose the Lightning to save the planet, but rather for its feature set. I think folks will come to EV’s for their own reasons at their own time and place, unless they live where I live and get forced to by the state in a few years, while it continues to ramp the price of electricity well beyond the price of gasoline.

In California Tesla's are known as "California Camry's" due to the abundance of them here

 

[MaintGrl]

living in coastal California, EV’s have rapidly become the norm, not the exception, as it seems like 30-50% of the cars on the 101 at any given moment are Teslas. Here where I live, there aren’t a lot of lightnings though, but no-one seems to comment Frunk open or not. Spent a week over in Bakersfield recently and every morning at the valet line it drew questions, comments and lots of interest. Same at the Grand Canyon. Overall I love that it’s a stealth EV. I’m not an evangelist by nature, and I didn’t choose the Lightning to save the planet, but rather for its feature set. I think folks will come to EV’s for their own reasons at their own time and place, unless they live where I live and get forced to by the state in a few years, while it continues to ramp the price of electricity well beyond the price of gasoline.

So, I live 20 mi Northeast of San Francisco, I'm kind of an early adopter, had solar on my home in 2007, when NO ONE else around had solar. I have a 96 Ranger XLT and had a great 06 Taco 4x4, didn't feel the need to buy electric, but when the first Lighting's came out, I wanted to trade in the Ranger and get a Lightning. Kinda never got around to pulling the trigger till my Taco got totaled (Not my fault) IN Nov. 23. I live in a small town, and have seen another Lightning 2, maybe 3 times. I got the reflective blue F-150 Tailgate and the F-150 charge door stickers with the lightning bolt to stand out just a lil bit. and still am never noticed...
I like the fact that even with the SR battery, my lighting is faster than most f-150 ICE

 

[Daveo]

living in coastal California, EV’s have rapidly become the norm, not the exception, as it seems like 30-50% of the cars on the 101 at any given moment are Teslas. Here where I live, there aren’t a lot of lightnings though, but no-one seems to comment Frunk open or not. Spent a week over in Bakersfield recently and every morning at the valet line it drew questions, comments and lots of interest. Same at the Grand Canyon. Overall I love that it’s a stealth EV. I’m not an evangelist by nature, and I didn’t choose the Lightning to save the planet, but rather for its feature set. I think folks will come to EV’s for their own reasons at their own time and place, unless they live where I live and get forced to by the state in a few years, while it continues to ramp the price of electricity well beyond the price of gasoline.

I know what you mean about the Tesla to everything else ratio in coastal Cali. I live in San Diego and almost all my neighbors have at least one Tesla in the driveway.
I did have to snap a picture this morning though when I pulled my truck up to the charging spots at work and saw two of my brethren there.

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