Why isn’t the Lightning getting more of the gas F150 market?

[Cbowe]

I got this STX loaner while my Lightning was getting fixed and with it 700 miles of range for $50k this is where I think our trucks need to get eventually to capture more of the 700k+ gas F150 sales. My original post on X / Twitter hit 75k+ views, so I went deeper with this video! Why do you think is holding back the Lightning from capturing more of those huge gas sales?

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[astrand1]

I think there is a lot of perceived range anxiety. When I would bet 90% of the people who worry about it rarely if ever tow. Since that’s where the biggest hit comes from. I’ve had my lightning since August. I traded my PB for it and it’s hands down not just the best truck I’ve ever owned but the best vehicle overall that I have ever driven! The power is amazing. But it’s still a normal looking truck. It does everything indeed it to do. I’ve driven it across the country already and will be doing it again in February. I think more people need to get out and drive one. It’s very addicting. I do get that it’s far from the perfect truck and there are plenty of people where this truck would not fit their use case. If prices start to come down and if they can get maybe into the 400’s for range it’s going to get more compelling. I have the ER and I don’t have an issue with the range but I can’t lie that another 80-100 miles more would really be nice.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Dealers are pushing people away from the Lightning and toward diesel and gas trucks. A family member of mine was---just this afternoon---talked out of buying a Lightning by the dealer using FUD about towing and hauling. They got annoyed with the dealer and decided not to buy a new truck instead of buying the Lightning or whatever junk the dealer was pushing on them.

 

[Cbowe]

Dealers are pushing people away from the Lightning and toward diesel and gas trucks. A family member of mine was---just this afternoon---talked out of buying a Lightning by the dealer using FUD about towing and hauling. They got annoyed with the dealer and decided not to buy a new truck instead of buying the Lightning or whatever junk the dealer was pushing on them.

Man I hate to hear this type of stuff where the dealer themselves are involved

 

[Cbowe]

I think there is a lot of perceived range anxiety. When I would bet 90% of the people who worry about it rarely if ever tow. Since that’s where the biggest hit comes from. I’ve had my lightning since August. I traded my PB for it and it’s hands down not just the best truck I’ve ever owned but the best vehicle overall that I have ever driven! The power is amazing. But it’s still a normal looking truck. It does everything indeed it to do. I’ve driven it across the country already and will be doing it again in February. I think more people need to get out and drive one. It’s very addicting. I do get that it’s far from the perfect truck and there are plenty of people where this truck would not fit their use case. If prices start to come down and if they can get maybe into the 400’s for range it’s going to get more compelling. I have the ER and I don’t have an issue with the range but I can’t lie that another 80-100 miles more would really be nice.

When you’re doing a cross country drive what are you using for route planning and navigation since Telsa chargers aren’t in the native navigation?

 

[tkm7501]

When you’re doing a cross country drive what are you using for route planning and navigation since Telsa chargers aren’t in the native navigation?

They show up in mine. I navigated to the one in Memphis multiple times.

 

[MeanGeneO]

When you’re doing a cross country drive what are you using for route planning and navigation since Telsa chargers aren’t in the native navigation?

ABRP has been rock solid for me. Just made it back from Memphis yesterday. It was very helpful along the way.

 

[Cbowe]

They show up in mine. I navigated to the one in Memphis multiple times.

In your native navigation? I’ve seen them in the charging app and then it uses that as a destination but doesn’t precondition or know that it’s a charger.

 

[astrand1]

When you’re doing a cross country drive what are you using for route planning and navigation since Telsa chargers aren’t in the native navigation?

So what I do is make my “flight plan” with ABRP first. Then I use the trucks nav to route me as close to where I’ve decided to stop like a SC that way the truck will precondition the battery if needed. I’ve found the SC to be more reliable as well as usually a little cheaper than other chargers especially if you pay for the membership with Tesla which I do.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

When you’re doing a cross country drive what are you using for route planning and navigation since Telsa chargers aren’t in the native navigation?

We use Google Maps. All brands of chargers show up--filtering isn't as nice as it should be, but it works.

 

[Cbowe]

So what I do is make my “flight plan” with ABRP first. Then I use the trucks nav to route me as close to where I’ve decided to stop like a SC that way the truck will precondition the battery if needed. I’ve found the SC to be more reliable as well as usually a little cheaper than other chargers especially if you pay for the membership with Tesla which I do.

Yeah agreed I do something similar but I wish it wasn’t so complicated

 

[astrand1]

Yeah agreed I do something similar but I wish it wasn’t so complicated

Yes. I wish they would just update the nav to show SC. It would make it quite a bit easier. I like the factory nav for routing for the most part so if they can just get their act together and add in Tesla sc id be pretty happy.

 

[tkm7501]

In your native navigation? I’ve seen them in the charging app and then it uses that as a destination but doesn’t precondition or know that it’s a charger.

Yessir. I used the Native Nav to use the one in Memphis(Germantown). Pulled 182kW both times.

The one in Brinkley, AR wasn’t showing in the truck or on the ford app. I knew it was there because I’ve been in a Tesla for 2 years. When I looked in the Tesla app it showed it was a partner site. Sure enough it worked fine just couldn’t native nav to that one and the truck precondition.(which was fine just doing a test) I think I pulled 170kW at that one. It shows up now in the truck and app.

 

[swajames]

Interesting post cbowe. Here's how I see things. We don't have 700 miles of range, but the trucks that do get that range don't have the speed, power, smoothness, quietness, acceleration and so on that we do. They can't wake up with a full tank every day, they can't be fueled at home, and they can't take advantage of the operating cost savings that we enjoy. I've never had a range issue, I've never had an issue charging on my longer trips (~500 miles or so) and the Tesla chargers opening up to us has, by and large, taken away the only reasonable concern which was that you can't rely on EA. Granted, my perspective is a bit skewed as I live in CA and it never gets even remotely cold here, but I find the Lightning meets pretty much all of my needs as is.

 

[RickKeen]

Its the dealers and the sales process. Easier to just sell an ICE vehicle to somebody familiar with ICE vehicles than to convert them to an EV.
Even Ford is giving up marketing them. There is just no ROI in competing against their own product.

Key is going to be to market the Lightning vs the Tesla, Rivian, and Chevy/GM trucks. Get market share of the people who already know they want an EV.

Also, its harder than many would realize to close the deal same day when you have to deal with the charging question. Sending people away to research how much its going to cost to wire a charger in their garage and the logistics of hiring an electrician to do it can make it impossible to close the deal that same day. But the salesperson CAN close an ICE truck sale same day, no problem.

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