Single motor Lightning?

[Scorpio3d]

Just a random thought I had. Ford is trying to cut costs to keep the price down on the lightning. Does anyone have any thoughts on a single motor lightning? Obviously, it would not have the speed or towing capacity, but would it be more efficient?

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[COrocket]

It would be more efficient due to the lighter weight and less drivetrain energy losses. I’d imagine it would be similar to the Mach E and Tesla lineup where you get approximately 20 miles of extra range on a typical 300 mile vehicle. I most likely would have bought a single motor variant Lightning if it was a 340 mile truck for $4000ish lower price point. I would have been fine with a 290 HP & 387 Lb/ft setup (half the current spec) since I don’t think horsepower is the limiting factor on the Lightning towing and payload numbers.

In addition I actually really like the driving feel of our RWD Tesla and the lack of front motor is one less thing that I have to worry about breaking ($$$)

 

[Mach Turtle]

For some uses, a single motor Pro would probably be a good idea. Imagine a contractor who works in a city or suburbs and has no need to access places with very steep terrain, lousy roads, etc.

Although there would be some efficiency gain from lighter weight and less drivetrain friction, that gain probably wouldn't be nearly as pronounced as the gains 2WD cars experience. The Lightning's brick-like aerodynamics have got to dominate energy usage at most speeds -- its coefficient of drag is reported to be around 0.46 (as compared to the Tesla cars' 0.23 or so), and the truck's frontal area is close to that of a barn door.

I'm guessing that Ford is saving money in another sense by having a minimal number of distinct versions of the truck, reducing development costs and simplifying the assembly line. They probably also don't want to "dilute" the brand name too much by making an electric truck with less than shocking performance.

Conclusion: IMHO a good idea, but I think I can see why Ford hasn't chosen to pursue it yet.

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