Wave 1 Lightning invitation email thread [Update: Emails AFTER 5PM ET]

[Mike G]

Does anyone know from what email address the invitation comes from and what does it look like?

See Attached.

The sender email address is at the top of the page.

Mike

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[broncoaz]

'Prioritization' means the dealer went in and adjusted their top positions (which was a percentage of the total reservations for that dealer) based on loyalty or other reasons. If no 'prioritization' took place then the list went purely by reservation timestamp. I would be surprised if a dealer didn't prioritize their list. If they didn't, they obviously had no longtime loyal customers to put at the head of the line. And from what your dealer is saying.....I can tell you that is ludicrous on the face of it. They have a reservation page they use to manage this process. I've seen the one for my dealer. So your dealer should definitely know what's going on at this point...they may just not want to tell you.

Mike

I’d guess that my dealership didn’t do a prioritization list since I was first wave. I was #2 by time stamp on their list for Bronco and purchased in December, but I’ve never purchased anything from them before. They were great to deal with on the Bronco. I am a fleet manager for a company with 140 GM vehicles, and they know that, but we haven’t done business. The area I live in is not popular for electric vehicles, you see some Tesla stuff in the summer tourist season, but not much among the locals here all winter.

 

[lawandorder815]

Are there any ways to find out how many allotments the dealers have. My dealer in Albany NY has me #80 out of 170 total to this point so im not expecting anything but trying to figure out how far out I should be?? Even if thats a possible option of finding anything out. My dealer has been cooperative with info but still maintain that they dont know much at this point.

 

[cts888]

Are there any ways to find out how many allotments the dealers have. My dealer in Albany NY has me #80 out of 170 total to this point so im not expecting anything but trying to figure out how far out I should be?? Even if thats a possible option of finding anything out. My dealer has been cooperative with info but still maintain that they dont know much at this point.

I read on another thread that the max a dealer can get for this year is 50.. And that's for the huge ZEV dealers with probably 500+ reservations

 

[lawandorder815]

I read on another thread that the max a dealer can get for this year is 50.. And that's for the huge ZEV dealers with probably 500+ reservations

so i shouldnt keep holding my breath ?????

 

[Snakebitten]

Yes, we get moved to the MY23 reservation list. But who's to say that Ford won't just give the dealers another 25 priority slots to assign for that model year as well, like they did with 22MY. I moved from #2 to #26 when they did that, and wouldn't be surprised to have it happen again.

Moving from 2 to 26 would kinda imply they have no idea who you are.

 

[Deleted member 9341]

Here are some things I think I've figured out.

1) Each dealer got one and only one allocation from the first wave.

2) Ford did this to give every dealership a chance to work through the kinks and get experience without a crush of pushy buyers (us! ) flooding them with calls and visits.

3) The allocations for the first and subsequent waves are either by a) dealer priority if they indeed did it prior to the December deadline or, b) if not, then by timestamp of reservations assigned to their dealership.

4) This means that if you are # 1 at a dealership (by the priorities mentioned in # 3 above), you would be in the first wave.

5) Subsequent waves will be bigger.

6) Ford will build between 15k -20k in 2022, so if you ordered in the first 48 hours (Ford previously stated they got 20k orders in the first 48 hours), you should get a vehicle this year, assuming you don't defer.

7) Ford has budgeted builds based upon that chart they previously provided the dealers (the most will be Lariat +'s, then Platinums, etc.). The are doing this because it is easiest and most efficient to make a large number with the fewest variations and they are also the most profitable vehicles.

8) They are making some of the Pros and XLTs in the first year, which is a lot better than Tesla has done with new models. Even Chevy and Hummer are exclusively producing the most expensive models first.

8) Given the battery sizes and the comparison to the Rivian's batteries and EPA's #'s, the 230 and 300 estimates are pretty accurate: -0% + 5%. (The Rivian is a few lbs. heavier than the Lightning and a bit smaller and probably more aerodynamic as it was a clean sheet design. It also has 4 motors, so I'm betting that for the most part the these things cancel each other out. I believe their 135KW battery gives them an EPA range of 314 miles and the Lightning's Large battery is 131 KW.)

10) If anyone thinks they will really get that range out of a 'tank' in normal use, they are kidding themselves. (As pilots say, "The only time you have too much fuel is when you are on fire.") Seriously, between accessories, weather, traveling faster the the EPA estimates, age on the battery, not charging to 100% or draining to 15%-20% and just the peace of mind, every extra KW is worth it.

11) Ford is actually doing a pretty good job and doing it in a reasonable fashion. Their communication can be improved, as can the process, but compared to they peers (Tesla & Rivian) their way ahead of the curve.

Just my humble opinions. YMMV.

Full disclosure: I drive a model S and have a early deposit on a Rivian and could have ordered the initial limited model, but because I want/need the largest ("Max") battery will have to wait until the "First half of 2023" If they actually meet that promise.

#2 sure backfired based on all the confusion and posts about calling dealers! Haha

#10 is def not so straightforward in my personal experience. I’ve driven 2 different BMW i3’s for a few years in heavy stop and go traffic in LA (25 mile commute each way), and due to excellent regenerative braking, it was actually not uncommon to get home and have the same or even more range at the end of the trip than there was at the beginning. Not kidding. I’m not saying that happened every time for sure, but EVs are seriously efficient in certain types of traffic. Point being that speed, temperature, accessories are all factors as stated, but it’s not necessarily true that nobody will get the range expected. I know first hand that I actually got even more than BMW published without even trying most (but not all) of the time. Without question, the biggest battery suck I found was using heat…Major impact for sure at ~30%

 

[vandy1981]

Moving from 2 to 26 would kinda imply they have no idea who you are.

Not sure it should matter if the dealer knows who they are, LOL.

 

[TexasGuy]

#10 is def not so straightforward in my personal experience. I’ve driven 2 different BMW i3’s for a few years in heavy stop and go traffic in LA (25 mile commute each way), and due to excellent regenerative braking, it was actually not uncommon to get home and have the same or even more range at the end of the trip than there was at the beginning. Not kidding. I’m not saying that happened every time for sure, but EVs are seriously efficient in certain types of traffic. Point being that speed, temperature, accessories are all factors as stated, but it’s not necessarily true that nobody will get the range expected. I know first hand that I actually got even more than BMW published without even trying most (but not all) of the time. Without question, the biggest battery suck I found was using heat…Major impact for sure at ~30%

Congrats! You seem to have had phenomenal vehicles. I don't want to be snarky and say that BMW has created a vehicle that defies the laws of Physics, but unless your drive home is downhill all the way, I would assume that the range calculating software is not perfect and fails to accurately measure something on those rides.

I am sure different manufacturers' cars perform differently, but I do think it is fair to say that over time, most vehicles and rides will end up with less than original spec EV mileage. Yes, in over two years owning a Tesla, my car has outperformed the calculation on a few drives, but all-in-all, I rarely get the stated distance.

It's also fair to say that I have only driven with less than 25 miles of indicated range in my battery a few times, and those intentionally, and also only filled it up to 100% (or what's left of 100%) a few times. Between this and the above comments on getting the stated range, I can say that it is a rarity that I use more than 65% of the range between recharges. The point to all of this is that folks who suggest that paying for an extended range batteryis hardly wort it may be quite short sighted. Even with ~400 miles of range, range anxiety is a much bigger factor for me than it ever was in an ICE car.

 

[vandy1981]

Yes, in over two years owning a Tesla, my car has outperformed the calculation on a few drives, but all-in-all, I rarely get the stated distance.

Tesla is infamous for over optimistic EPA ranges, so I'm not surprised by this at all. Other vehicles, including the Mach-E and Taycan, have consistently met or exceeded EPA range on 70 mph tests.

All EVs have battery degradation over time, but this is mitigated in vehicles that have larger battery buffers. Tesla tends to have smaller buffers and allow you to use more of the battery pack so the degradation observations that you've made may not necessarily apply to other manufacturers.

 

[cts888]

#2 sure backfired based on all the confusion and posts about calling dealers! Haha

#10 is def not so straightforward in my personal experience. I’ve driven 2 different BMW i3’s for a few years in heavy stop and go traffic in LA (25 mile commute each way), and due to excellent regenerative braking, it was actually not uncommon to get home and have the same or even more range at the end of the trip than there was at the beginning. Not kidding. I’m not saying that happened every time for sure, but EVs are seriously efficient in certain types of traffic. Point being that speed, temperature, accessories are all factors as stated, but it’s not necessarily true that nobody will get the range expected. I know first hand that I actually got even more than BMW published without even trying most (but not all) of the time. Without question, the biggest battery suck I found was using heat…Major impact for sure at ~30%

Agreed I can get "more than advertised" with my bolt or model 3 in stop and go or city driving. However day to day driving doesn't matter when your car can achieve 150 miles + easily. The only part that matters with range is on road trips.. that's the only time anyone should be driving over 200 miles at once. In the case of road tripping you will certainly get quiet a bit less than advertised. I would guess that on a full charge the EXT battery would get less than 250 miles going 65mph or faster. Even in perfect weather/elevation/weight conditions

 

[Deleted member 9341]

Congrats! You seem to have had phenomenal vehicles. I don't want to be snarky and say that BMW has created a vehicle that defies the laws of Physics, but unless your drive home is downhill all the way, I would assume that the range calculating software is not perfect and fails to accurately measure something on those rides.

I am sure different manufacturers' cars perform differently, but I do think it is fair to say that over time, most vehicles and rides will end up with less than original spec EV mileage. Yes, in over two years owning a Tesla, my car has outperformed the calculation on a few drives, but all-in-all, I rarely get the stated distance.

It's also fair to say that I have only driven with less than 25 miles of indicated range in my battery a few times, and those intentionally, and also only filled it up to 100% (or what's left of 100%) a few times. Between this and the above comments on getting the stated range, I can say that it is a rarity that I use more than 65% of the range between recharges. The point to all of this is that folks who suggest that paying for an extended range batteryis hardly wort it may be quite short sighted. Even with ~400 miles of range, range anxiety is a much bigger factor for me than it ever was in an ICE car.

I can only report what I see. Stop and go traffic with brake regeneration is amazing on the 405 in Los Angeles. And as I said, that won’t be the case for everyone. It was for me…and not all the time as I also said.

Speaking for myself and how I drive, I’d never pay for extended range at current prices given how I commute and charge. And I have other ICE vehicles for long trips, so non-issue on that for me. But I’m one guy with one unique experience, as is everyone. That was my point. Generalizations rarely apply to everyone on any subject. ?

 

[Deleted member 9341]

Agreed I can get "more than advertised" with my bolt or model 3 in stop and go or city driving. However day to day driving doesn't matter when your car can achieve 150 miles + easily. The only part that matters with range is on road trips.. that's the only time anyone should be driving over 200 miles at once. In the case of road tripping you will certainly get quiet a bit less than advertised. I would guess that on a full charge the EXT battery would get less than 250 miles going 65mph or faster. Even in perfect weather/elevation/weight conditions

Agree all around ?? Apparently your Bolt also “defies the laws of physics” as was stated elsewhere about my actual real life experience. I also see you’re in LA and know full well the effect of stop and go driving on range (and the corresponding pain that goes with it!)

 

[vandy1981]

Agree all around ?? Apparently your Bolt also “defies the laws of physics” as was stated elsewhere about my actual real life experience. I also see you’re in LA and know full well the effect of stop and go driving on range (and the corresponding pain that goes with it!)

InsideEVs has done 70 mph range tests on a bunch of vehicles. Some do much better than their EPA highway range. See the chart here.

 

[Deleted member 9341]

InsideEVs has done 70 mph range tests on a bunch of vehicles. Some do much better than their EPA highway range. See the chart here.

Correct. And to be fair many also do much worse. At the end of the day mostly it boils down to how you drive and the geography and weather in which you drive them.

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