what's your disappointment so far on what Ford Lightning has to offer

[jazzmanmonty]

1. ER is not just more battery cells. They also include the 80A charger and im sure there is more cooling systems involved as well to cool more cells. ER also gets dual onboard chargers for L2 so that is an additional cost as well. There are also a few other things that the ER gives as well.
2. Larger battery naturally will charge faster. It isn't a limit of the wiring harness but rather how much current the cells are able to take in. Charging the SR battery at the rate of the ER battery could overheat it and damage the cells.
3. The SR battery can power your home, you just need to buy the 80A charger for that.
4. Clearly they don't want to sell XLT models so they put it as a price that people aren't going to be likely to choose it.

Yes i know there are more components involved as you mentioned.. I was just generalizig.. but there is no way that the 30% more cells (either more or larger) and some extra components you stated can justify a $10k markup. Its akin to how Elon Musk stated that battery replacement on a tesla can range from $3k to $7k, then tesla repair centers scamming trying to bill $16-22k just for the replacement battery pack.

From everything I've searched and per comments made by ford, only lightnings with ER can power your home.. its because of the dual on board chargers and component setup on the ER is designed to allow the electricity flow to be bi-directional. So ford could have done the wiring design to make it work for the SR battery. And that's the reason only the ER models are getting the 80A pro chargers.

If you have a source stating as fact that the Pro has bi-directional power, then please share, because Ii'm reading different things on here ..some say no, some say all you need is the 80A charger, to others saying you need an 80A charger and you need to upgrade to the 9.6 Pro Power package.. I really want to get to the bottom of it because i already ordered my pro, but didn't get the pro power package. If that's all i need, then i'll call my dealer monday to add it.

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[sotek2345]

Yes i know there are more components involved as you mentioned.. I was just generalizig.. but there is no way that the 30% more cells (either more or larger) and some extra components you stated can justify a $10k markup. Its akin to how Elon Musk stated that battery replacement on a tesla can range from $3k to $7k, then tesla repair centers scamming trying to bill $16-22k just for the replacement battery pack.

From everything I've searched and per comments made by ford, only lightnings with ER can power your home.. its because of the dual on board chargers and component setup on the ER is designed to allow the electricity flow to be bi-directional. So ford could have done the wiring design to make it work for the SR battery. And that's the reason only the ER models are getting the 80A pro chargers.

If you have a source stating as fact that the Pro has bi-directional power, then please share, because Ii'm reading different things on here ..some say no, some say all you need is the 80A charger, to others saying you need an 80A charger and you need to upgrade to the 9.6 Pro Power package.. I really want to get to the bottom of it because i already ordered my pro, but didn't get the pro power package. If that's all i need, then i'll call my dealer monday to add it.

Here is a source for you. Sunrun is providing the system for Ford.

https://www.sunrun.com/ev-charging/ford-f150-lightning#faq-collapse200

 

[SteffanG]

Yes i know there are more components involved as you mentioned.. I was just generalizig.. but there is no way that the 30% more cells (either more or larger) and some extra components you stated can justify a $10k markup. Its akin to how Elon Musk stated that battery replacement on a tesla can range from $3k to $7k, then tesla repair centers scamming trying to bill $16-22k just for the replacement battery pack.

From everything I've searched and per comments made by ford, only lightnings with ER can power your home.. its because of the dual on board chargers and component setup on the ER is designed to allow the electricity flow to be bi-directional. So ford could have done the wiring design to make it work for the SR battery. And that's the reason only the ER models are getting the 80A pro chargers.

If you have a source stating as fact that the Pro has bi-directional power, then please share, because Ii'm reading different things on here ..some say no, some say all you need is the 80A charger, to others saying you need an 80A charger and you need to upgrade to the 9.6 Pro Power package.. I really want to get to the bottom of it because i already ordered my pro, but didn't get the pro power package. If that's all i need, then i'll call my dealer monday to add it.

Honestly, the cheapest way is the 9.6 pro power and use a plug in to give the house power. The bi-directional power requires an inverter and transfer switch in addition to the 80a charger so you would be looking to add at least $10k on top of the charger to install it

 

[Tony Burgh]

The Perfect is always the enemy of the Good.

 

[RidetheLightning]

Not that Ford set any expectations about it, but Max Recline should be made available on more trim levels because who wouldn't want to take a nap on a long road trip while charging and arrive more refreshed than the person who drives 400+ miles straight?

 

[uniblab]

Another issue I have with the available option with moonroof is the heavier extended range battery. Based on my usage, no plan on towing & mostly city driving within 100 miles tops, i really can live with SR battery and don't need to lug around an extra 200 lbs ER battery <snip>

Everything I've seen says that the ER battery is 500lbs heavier, not 200lbs. I share your concerns about the extra weight and my usage will be similar to yours so I don't mind being steered by Ford into ordering the SR battery.

My main gripe is that with the SR battery you are giving up over 100hp. It remains to be seen (at least for me) how much difference this will make in the "real world" of stoplight wars, merging into freeway traffic, etc. but I wish Ford would have figured out a way to draw more KW from the SR battery without hurting it. I'll be interested in knowing whether it is truly limited by cell chemistry, or if there is some arbitrary limit that Ford has programmed in that could possibly be increased later without risk of damaging the battery pack. The lack of some kind of WOW, WTF, Ludicrous mode on the Lightning is a major disappointment for me.

While we're talking about disappointments, I'm also disappointed that I can't get heated seats in the Pro trim. It would seem to be a small, inexpensive thing for Ford to include this, and IMO in an electric vehicle heated seats go from a nice-to-have to a necessity. Aftermarket to the rescue I guess.

So much with the "green" effect of EV F-150 Lightning!

The only "green effect" I care about is making my friends green with envy when I roll up in my new Lightning.

 

[adoublee]

I'll be interested in knowing whether it is truly limited by cell chemistry, or if there is some arbitrary limit that Ford has programmed in that could possibly be increased later without risk of damaging the battery pack.

This is not a Ford-formulated issue. The rate at which an electro chemical battery pack gives up its electrons (and related effects such as heating) when discharged is directly related to battery capacity/life. It's a spectrum, not a matter of ER isn't damaged by use and SR would be with another 100hp allowed. But the SR would be damaged more at the same hp because a higher percentage of available electrons in overall pack are being discharged. So what you are suggesting is that Ford should take more risk on warranty/customer satisfaction so that you can experience the same performance as a more qualified vehicle. If anything, you should probably be celebrating that they are using the same motors across the lineup and maybe you will be able to hack the vehicle out of warranty in the future if you choose to hammer the battery.

 

[Nick Gerteis]

Everything I've seen says that the ER battery is 500lbs heavier, not 200lbs. I share your concerns about the extra weight and my usage will be similar to yours so I don't mind being steered by Ford into ordering the SR battery.

My main gripe is that with the SR battery you are giving up over 100hp. It remains to be seen (at least for me) how much difference this will make in the "real world" of stoplight wars, merging into freeway traffic, etc. but I wish Ford would have figured out a way to draw more KW from the SR battery without hurting it. I'll be interested in knowing whether it is truly limited by cell chemistry, or if there is some arbitrary limit that Ford has programmed in that could possibly be increased later without risk of damaging the battery pack. The lack of some kind of WOW, WTF, Ludicrous mode on the Lightning is a major disappointment for me.

While we're talking about disappointments, I'm also disappointed that I can't get heated seats in the Pro trim. It would seem to be a small, inexpensive thing for Ford to include this, and IMO in an electric vehicle heated seats go from a nice-to-have to a necessity. Aftermarket to the rescue I guess.


The only "green effect" I care about is making my friends green with envy when I roll up in my new Lightning.

Even with the lower HPs you’re going to out-accelerate everything else on the road. Well, except that one guy that got the ER….and the one in the Tesla plaid. I think you’ll be ok!

 

[EaglesPDX]

For a bloody moonroof...

No kidding...but opposite of what you mean.

End of the world if no free moonroof.

 

[Fordskeptic]

I understand that Ford is using electric resistance for heating. It would have been nice to have a heat pump and perhaps Ford could figure out a way to scavenge battery heat to assist with cabin heating.

 

[metroshot]

For such a low entry priced EV, I think Ford hit out of the field.

I say this because coming from a PHEV at $36,000 when new, to 3 years later, a full on EV - Pro trim available for $40,000 is amazing!

I for one don't miss anything that Ford is offering - as a matter of fact from my perspective over time, the Lightning offers more features and range than my almost as expensive PHEV.

My friends and co-workers all have Teslas and complained that when the first models rolled off, they could not get their hands on a base trim. Had to pay super extra premium for the exclusivity of driving the first year model.

I am sure over the years, the Lightning will also become mainstream and base models will be just as common as the now common base Tesla model 3, Y, X, S......

 

[TF1000]

While we're talking about disappointments, I'm also disappointed that I can't get heated seats in the Pro trim. It would seem to be a small, inexpensive thing for Ford to include this, and IMO in an electric vehicle heated seats go from a nice-to-have to a necessity. Aftermarket to the rescue I guess.

This is my only disappointment. Pro SR (with max tow and 9.6 pro-power) is all I've wanted from the beginning.

 

[ryan]

wish the lariat could get Max recline, drop the power tailgate and shrink the wherls. I get that Ford wants to push people to higher margin vehicles in the beginning so I’m not too salty about the lack of er on the pro/xlt even though a pro Er would have been my first choice

 

[PungoteagueDave]

The only thing i want that is missing from the pro is siriusxm and running boards. Mostly the running boards.

You can add any form of running board, including auto-deploy, and SiriusXM is available through your subscription on streaming. I have SiriusXM in the TEsla, but mostly use my cell phone for streaming it anyway because it has the NFL channels, etc, that aren't on the Tesla subscription. The only issue is having good cell service - SiriusXM native is not reliant on that.

 

[hturnerfamily]

SteffanG is right: there is NO requirement that you 'must' have the 80amp system or ER battery in order to be able to provide power to anything else, whether your 'home', your power tools, or another EV, especially if you have the 96.kwh option, available on the PRO, with 240v power outlet as a bonus. If you keep a NEMA14-50 to 4-prong generator adapter onboard, along with your 240v level two charge cable, you'd be able to charge any EV that accepts your J1772 charge plug.
It's all good - don't buy into 'having' to have some elaborate 'whole house' integrated system - use extension cords. Easy. No generator needed, either, and no noise. No one 'needs' to power their home's air conditioning system or oven or clothes dryer during 'trying times'... few things other than computers, internet modem, cell phones, fans, and the fridge will 'need' power.

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