2022 Ford Lightning Discussion

[lamrith]

Good lord, that is crazy rates.  We are spoiled here.

FYI - News late last week out of a dealership is that ordering will open up Oct 26 for the lightning.

Based on how far back I am plus the extremely low production numbers being thrown around I picked up a cheap EV 2weeks ago.  I could not pass up the saving for commuting @$0.057/kw my elect co charges me.

Plus I can start getting used to the EV lifestyle.  I get 2full days commuting on a single charge and with 240v charge it goes from 0-100% in <8hrs.  More likely I will plug it into 120v each night and keep it topped off so no worries if need to run errands at last minute after work.

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[Stein]

Ouch, you could really make some money transporting your employers electricity back home there.

I bet the free chargers are much more popular than around here.

[CP]

Yeah, I rarely see anyone using the free chargers around here.  At 10 cents/KWh it isn’t worth most people’s time.

There are 4 free charging spots at Lighthouse Park, never seen more than 2 cars there at any time.  Usually either empty, or the same black Tesla that parks there overnight and walks on the ferry. 

[Stein]

It will be interesting to see what the aftermarket community develops for these.  Once there are enough out, it would be cool to have external packs you can add to increase range or arbitrage capacity.  I'm wondering how long before groups hack the software for modifications and additions.

[CP]

Good lord, that is crazy rates.  We are spoiled here.

FYI - News late last week out of a dealership is that ordering will open up Oct 26 for the lightning.

Based on how far back I am plus the extremely low production numbers being thrown around I picked up a cheap EV 2weeks ago.  I could not pass up the saving for commuting @$0.057/kw my elect co charges me.

Plus I can start getting used to the EV lifestyle.  I get 2full days commuting on a single charge and with 240v charge it goes from 0-100% in <8hrs.  More likely I will plug it into 120v each night and keep it topped off so no worries if need to run errands at last minute after work.

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What did you get?

[lamrith]

Nothing fancy or trendy, it's a 2016 Fiat 500e w/36k mi so still has factory battery warranty for few years.  Was$10k otd, tags and all.  Just bummed I did not find out about them 8mos ago, they were $3-4k cheaper.  I wanted cheap and there is no ev cheaper at this point.

They are Only 100mi range at best or might be only 85mi depending on source.   I don't see that range with how I drive, plus HVAC load, hills, etc.  While the ride is fine they are not efficient for highway running, they are best under 50-55mph.  Just so happens I live 14mi from work though so it is a great fit.  Better yet, I actually fit.  At 6'4" that is not always easy, but this car has more headroom than my Taurus.  Solid 1"+ over my head.

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[CP]

Nothing fancy or trendy, it's a 2016 Fiat 500e w/36k mi so still has factory battery warranty for few years.  Was$10k otd, tags and all.  Just bummed I did not find out about them 8mos ago, they were $3-4k cheaper.  I wanted cheap and there is no ev cheaper at this point.

They are Only 100mi range at best or might be only 85mi depending on source.   I don't see that range with how I drive, plus HVAC load, hills, etc.  While the ride is fine they are not efficient for highway running, they are best under 50-55mph.  Just so happens I live 14mi from work though so it is a great fit.  Better yet, I actually fit.  At 6'4" that is not always easy, but this car has more headroom than my Taurus.  Solid 1"+ over my head.

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Should serve you well.  I’d probably go with something similar if I still had to commute.  My commuting these days is between the man cave and the kitchen.

[lamrith]

Nothing fancy or trendy, it's a 2016 Fiat 500e w/36k mi so still has factory battery warranty for few years.  Was$10k otd, tags and all.  Just bummed I did not find out about them 8mos ago, they were $3-4k cheaper.  I wanted cheap and there is no ev cheaper at this point.

They are Only 100mi range at best or might be only 85mi depending on source.   I don't see that range with how I drive, plus HVAC load, hills, etc.  While the ride is fine they are not efficient for highway running, they are best under 50-55mph.  Just so happens I live 14mi from work though so it is a great fit.  Better yet, I actually fit.  At 6'4" that is not always easy, but this car has more headroom than my Taurus.  Solid 1"+ over my head.

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Should serve you well.  I’d probably go with something similar if I still had to commute.  My commuting these days is between the man cave and the kitchen.

Yeah, we are using it for everything local, being the new toy and all.

I was pleasantly surprised with performance.  On paper it looks like slug, though faster than the ICE 500'S.  But it jumps right off line, electric torque will roast tires off.  Nice responsive throttle at around town speeds whick makes it fun to drive.

Jealous of your commute for sure.

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[CP]

Kind of dry but this answered a few questions on the truck.  Still a lot unanswered.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Looks like we are going to be delayed a bit.

https://insideevs.com/news/542640/ford-f150-lightning-ordering-postponed/

[lamrith]

Looks like we are going to be delayed a bit.

https://insideevs.com/news/542640/ford-f150-lightning-ordering-postponed/

Yeah but truth be told Ford never once said a planned date.  That was all speculation that became truth from one person/dealers comment.  Then everyone ran with it.  Don't get me wrong I was excited to get order placed, but had a feeling it was BS.  Same with the 15K 1st year numbers.  ONE guy writing for Reuters claimed a ford employee told him that and everyone has run with it like Gospel.  Even with probably material shortages, 15K for a full years production just makes zero sense, ford makes that many normal F150 in a week.  That low a number is can't be worth producing in terms of costs to run the plant versus revenue.

[Stein]

Let's be honest, it's a huge risk, there aren't any commercially successful electric trucks out there.  Most around here seem to think it will be a hit, but it could be a flop as well.  There are plenty of places to go wrong, it's not like they are just putting a new motor or trim package in a truck they have been selling for over seventy years.  They got the looks right, just need to deliver on performance, reliability and features.

[CP]

Let's be honest, it's a huge risk, there aren't any commercially successful electric trucks out there.  Most around here seem to think it will be a hit, but it could be a flop as well.  There are plenty of places to go wrong, it's not like they are just putting a new motor or trim package in a truck they have been selling for over seventy years.  They got the looks right, just need to deliver on performance, reliability and features.

What if they get it right?  I can see improved reliability when they get rid of thousands of moving parts.   I'd just like to see them not try to do too much at once.



 

[Stein]

Yeah, very simple mechanically compared to gas.  Unfortunately very complex electronically compared to gas.  In my mind you are trading complexity at best, not reducing it. 

The one thing that concerns me about EVs in general is that I can go buy a water pump and swap it out in an hour for cheap.  I can't go buy an aftermarket board on the $10k onboard charge controller or the computer that runs assisted driving or any of the 100 other computers needed.  Likely I couldn't even troubleshoot it even if I could.  All the critical parts now might be single sourced from the OEM, likely no aftermarket or any competition since it will all be patent and secret.  Single source guarantees $$$$ to maintain them.

Do any non dealer shops work on these?  Will the OEM provide factory service manuals or will it all be dealer only?

Best case you get aftermarket batteries, motors, simple stuff without much circuitry, but the big critical stuff could easily be kept proprietary by the OEMs.  For sure the scrap market will be red hot.

Either way, I think it will be a hit.  Even if they get quite a few things wrong, they can work them out.  Hopefully they will treat the first owners right.

[CP]

Looks like Ford has been able to get hold of chips where others have not.  Should help with Lightning production.


"Ford said increased availability of semiconductor chips and higher vehicle shipments in the third quarter enabled it to post higher-than-expected results."

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/27/ford-f-earnings-q3-2021.html?__source=newsletter%7Cinvestorsclub