Electric F-150 unveiled

[Kaido]

I think it's beautiful. I think people are going to be shocked how great it looks when they see it in person.

I think it's going to be one of those things that looks weird in pictures, but has a lot of presence in-person. Curious to see how it looks on the highway!

There's a dude near me who owns a Unimog. It's hilarious to see it driving around. Looks awesome lol.

 

[Kaido]

I'm not sure on the regs in the US but they wont be selling it anywhere in Europe unless it has a good crumple zone.
Thick and durable sounds great until you realise that it killls everyone outside that you crash into and everyone inside if you crash into something sturdy.

Very curious about the crumple zone situation. Is it going to be like a $25,000 replacement if you get into a fender bender? How do you escape if the windows are bulletproof?

 

[Heartbreaker]

I'm not sure on the regs in the US but they wont be selling it anywhere in Europe unless it has a good crumple zone.
Thick and durable sounds great until you realise that it killls everyone outside that you crash into and everyone inside if you crash into something sturdy.

Pretty sure the engineers will have thought of that.

 

[BoomerD]

I'm not sure on the regs in the US but they wont be selling it anywhere in Europe unless it has a good crumple zone.
Thick and durable sounds great until you realise that it killls everyone outside that you crash into and everyone inside if you crash into something sturdy.

Dude...that's a feature, not a bug.

 

[ultimatebob]

Wow... Ford built an electric truck that actually looks like a truck, and might actually function like a truck. I like it!

 

[BoomerD]

I definitely won't buy one this year...never buy the first year model of any vehicle...let them work the bugs out a bit first...but NEXT year? Maybe.

 

[Kaido]

I definitely won't buy one this year...never buy the first year model of any vehicle...let them work the bugs out a bit first...but NEXT year? Maybe.

Yeah I learned that one the hard way lol

 

[Wreckem]

Yeah I learned that one the hard way lol

I had zero problems with my first year of a brand new mode when I had my Kia niro. Nor have I had any problems with my brand new model, my 21 Kia Sorento hybrid. I’ve got a deposit on the Ford F-150 lightning. We will see what it actually becomes when it’s actual production for the market is released.

 

[darkswordsman17]

With regards to towing, Ford was supposedly working on a gas generator accessory that could sit in the bed to extend range. So take your boat, then let the generator run while you're out on the water and you come back to enough charge to go back home.

I'm definitely interested in the F150 Lightning, but will need to see what price the one I would want ends up at. I was checking out some ~5 year old F150s and was only able to find one in 500mile radius that fit what I wanted (front bench seats, panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled seats, wasn't lifted or otherwise f'ed with in ways I don't want) that wasn't still like $50k. The Cybertruck arguably fits what I am looking for (and I could swallow $50k+ for brand new.

I'm not a fan of the front lighting though. The weird milky white mustache is worse than the Cybertruck's, and there's other weirdness with the lights. At least they didn't make a chintzy light up "grille" like Mercedes (which honestly that wouldn't even be awful if it had some practicality and customization) that was a gigantic FORD badge.

Yeah I learned that one the hard way lol

I mean, I don't have a lot of faith that Chrysler has stuff worked out years after starting production so I think that's the bigger issue there. I mean I could understand it if you were talking about the new Fiat 500 electric since the previous attempt was a dumpster fire that FCA couldn't sort out even though they supposedly lost $18,000 on each one sold (and I think that was before they basically were giving away leases on them).

My main concern with the electric F-150 is that big screen and the software situation, since that's often the biggest issue on new cars. But Ford seems to be ok on that I think so I'm not expecting it'll be too terrible in that regard (and the Mach-E will have given some idea by then).

Electric powertrain should be more reliable than ICE and this F-150 is largely the same as the recent refresh (depite Ford's claim about it being so new its clear that its largely iterative of the one that came out like a decade ago).

I haven't seen much feedback on the Ford hybrids like the C-Max but I haven't seen anything indicating they're much worse than Prius or other hybrids with regards to battery reliability but I could be wrong about that.

I think it's beautiful. I think people are going to be shocked how great it looks when they see it in person.

I think the overall design is fine, but I would have preferred a curved arch instead of angled top. It wouldn't need to be as curved as the other Teslas or anything, but I think it would still look better and provide practicality benefits - that rear seat headroom for instance. I also think they definitely could've done a better job with the front fascia. And the Wheels look like trash can lids. Otherwise I generally like the unified design and not putting ridiculous creases everywhere to try and make it look tougher.

I also wish they'd have made one that was upright SUV/wagon look (so basically came with an integrated camper shell) with optional seating in the back (jump seats that could mount different ways). Basically where you could have an SUV or pickup when you want it. Make all the seats after the front ones fully configurable. Or even the front fairly configurable (so you could have seats that fold totally flat the entire length of it). Sort of like the Avalanche but where the full interior would be available. I know some of the other electric SUVs are kinda doing things like that (there's one that looks like just riveted steel version of the old Defenders where there's openings all the way to the front of the vehicle that can be configured).

 

[nOOky]

Sad to say I'm in the target demographic for this truck. The 0 to 60 time is icing on the cake. The bed is rather small, but I've found when I need to actually haul things, the home improvement stores delivery fee isn't that bad compared to keeping a landscape trailer in the way all year round for a few trips a year.

 

[bigi]

This will be a tough transition for Ford. I do wish them well with EVs but we will have to see how this is going to look in 1-5 years.

For starters, they will lose money on each 150EV. They will not have enough batteries to produce what is wanted.
They have to keep their ICE fleet going as it is too much of a burden to do anything drastic.

Now, Ford has a very solid customer base. Folks can be very brand oriented and that happens in many industries. This might be a 2 edged sword. It provides the faithful customers but also that base can be their hardest critics.

That type of behavior shows strongly in Germany. There are plenty of German folks who hate Mercedes, BMW and others for not keeping up with EV transition. They buy American made Teslas like hot cakes. They are the most vocal critics of their home country car manufacturers.

Some of this might be true here eventually.

In any case, the F150ev will have to compete with their F150 gasoline and the Cyberturck for instance. Let's see how this looks like in 2026 or so.
Press releases and demos are one thing. Manufacturing hunderds of thousands of EV trucks is a completely different story.

 

[WhiteNoise]

I like it! I dig electric vehicles as well as gas powered vehicles and though I'd not ever sell my 1965 F100 with it's 8 mpg on a good day mileage, I'd love to compliment that truck with this new Ford electric. And my F100 does have an 8 foot bed so I'm good there.

 

[manly]

This will be a tough transition for Ford. I do wish them well with EVs but we will have to see how this is going to look in 1-5 years.

For starters, they will lose money on each 150EV. They will not have enough batteries to produce what is wanted.
They have to keep their ICE fleet going as it is too much of a burden to do anything drastic.

Now, Ford has a very solid customer base. Folks can be very brand oriented and that happens in many industries. This might be a 2 edged sword. It provides the faithful customers but also that base can be their hardest critics.

That type of behavior shows strongly in Germany. There are plenty of German folks who hate Mercedes, BMW and others for not keeping up with EV transition. They buy American made Teslas like hot cakes. They are the most vocal critics of their home country car manufacturers.

Some of this might be true here eventually.

In any case, the F150ev will have to compete with their F150 gasoline and the Cyberturck for instance. Let's see how this looks like in 2026 or so.
Press releases and demos are one thing. Manufacturing hunderds of thousands of EV trucks is a completely different story.

Bogus narrative. In many places (perhaps less so in the U.S.), nationalism plays a big role in purchasing preferences. It's quite strong in East Asia, and also prevalent to some degree in the E.U. One of the reasons Tesla is setting up shop in Berlin isn't just to avoid transportation costs, but that Europeans want to buy cars produced in Europe (independent of make). Tesla dominated the last decade of sales because they were the only BEV without compromises in town. And even so, a variety of other less capable BEVs still sold in Europe. Now look at 2021 BEV sales figures in Norway; when there is plenty of consumer choice, buyers make a wide variety of transactions. They don't just blindly choose Tesla. I've never heard anybody claim there are "plenty" of Germans who hate their automakers for a slow EV transition.

Your so-called double-edged sword defies common sense. In the pickup truck market, Americans often have high brand loyalty. This loyalty appears to supersede the harsher criticism that you claim exists. In other words, a guy whose family has always bought Ford is generally happy to "stay in the family." Same applies for Chevy buyers, although Dodge Ram has certainly picked up market share recently.

I can guarantee you Ford will be happy if F-150 Lightning cannibalizes its F-150 ICE sales. Obviously they'll be unhappy if Cybertruck is the one doing the "cannibalizing." The auto industry in the U.S. and developed world is highly competitive, and I agree it's too early to declare any winners or losers. I feel Tesla is in a good position now, but don't believe they'll grow into a 10M units per year seller. Only time will tell, but you seem to have made up your mind years ago.

 

[Torn Mind]

Wow... Ford built an electric truck that actually looks like a truck, and might actually function like a truck. I like it!

Dirt test in the rear and "frunk" would be the ultimate proving point. Might as well test the full extremes of the battery because trucks are meant to be used like that.

 

[Torn Mind]

This will be a tough transition for Ford. I do wish them well with EVs but we will have to see how this is going to look in 1-5 years.

For starters, they will lose money on each 150EV. They will not have enough batteries to produce what is wanted.
They have to keep their ICE fleet going as it is too much of a burden to do anything drastic.

Now, Ford has a very solid customer base. Folks can be very brand oriented and that happens in many industries. This might be a 2 edged sword. It provides the faithful customers but also that base can be their hardest critics.

That type of behavior shows strongly in Germany. There are plenty of German folks who hate Mercedes, BMW and others for not keeping up with EV transition. They buy American made Teslas like hot cakes. They are the most vocal critics of their home country car manufacturers.

Some of this might be true here eventually.

In any case, the F150ev will have to compete with their F150 gasoline and the Cyberturck for instance. Let's see how this looks like in 2026 or so.
Press releases and demos are one thing. Manufacturing hunderds of thousands of EV trucks is a completely different story.

Bogus narrative. In many places (perhaps less so in the U.S.), nationalism plays a big role in purchasing preferences. It's quite strong in East Asia, and also prevalent to some degree in the E.U. One of the reasons Tesla is setting up shop in Berlin isn't just to avoid transportation costs, but that Europeans want to buy cars produced in Europe (independent of make). Tesla dominated the last decade of sales because they were the only BEV without compromises in town. And even so, a variety of other less capable BEVs still sold in Europe. Now look at 2021 BEV sales figures in Norway; when there is plenty of consumer choice, buyers make a wide variety of transactions. They don't just blindly choose Tesla. I've never heard anybody claim there are "plenty" of Germans who hate their automakers for a slow EV transition.

Your so-called double-edged sword defies common sense. In the pickup truck market, Americans often have high brand loyalty. This loyalty appears to supersede the harsher criticism that you claim exists. In other words, a guy whose family has always bought Ford is generally happy to "stay in the family." Same applies for Chevy buyers, although Dodge Ram has certainly picked up market share recently.

I can guarantee you Ford will be happy if F-150 Lightning cannibalizes its F-150 ICE sales. Obviously they'll be unhappy if Cybertruck is the one doing the "cannibalizing." The auto industry in the U.S. and developed world is highly competitive, and I agree it's too early to declare any winners or losers. I feel Tesla is in a good position now, but don't believe they'll grow into a 10M units per year seller. Only time will tell, but you seem to have made up your mind years ago.

It's easy to sell sell electrics to those with a patriotic and nationalistic bent. Just say that we're free from oil tyrants and supporting American utilities.

In fact....the embargo in the 70s started this gradual in the first place.....

Then, since an electric has far less points of failure, it will be the most reliable and least costly truck they have ever owned, as long as it doesn't crap out when doing a heavy duty job.

Like it or not, Toyota and Honda are always reeling in coverts due to their better build standards, with the former being the deserved "Craftsman" or "Anker" of cars. Electrics are the only meal ticket the American car industry has to beat the Japanese.

 

[Brainonska511]

Dirt test in the rear and "frunk" would be the ultimate proving point. Might as well test the full extremes of the battery because trucks are meant to be used like that.

They might be meant to be used like that, but the majority of buyers are using them as simple commuter/everyday vehicles. Most truck buyers would be better off with a sedan and a cowboy hat.

 

[Torn Mind]

They might be meant to be used like that, but the majority of buyers are using them as simple commuter/everyday vehicles. Most truck buyers would be better off with a sedan and a cowboy hat.

Words of a vehicle virgin right here. Hatchbacks, wagons, minivans, and the gajillion smaller unibody SUVs would be the appropriate substitute. The sedan is an limited little cupcake in case of contingencies.

I mean, just this weeks I hauled over 1500 pounds worth of wood over three 50 miles round trips with a Toyota Matrix. Would not be able to do that in a Corolla. Also have haul refrigerators(doors need to be disassembled), stuffed in 3-4 gas lawn mowers. Yes, all in a Corolla Matrix.

And the dude who I got the wood from has wife with a truck, and a bumper sticker "My husband drives a Prius". She tows...horses.

 

[Brainonska511]

Words of a vehicle virgin right here. Hatchbacks, wagons, minivans, and the gajillion smaller unibody SUVs would be the appropriate substitute. The sedan is an limited little cupcake in case of contingencies.

Sedan was a shorthand for substantially smaller vehicle since I was writing on my phone. My point still stands that a majority of people buy vehicles that are way too big because of extremely rare use cases that they imagine for themselves.

I mean, just this weeks I hauled over 1500 pounds worth of wood over three 50 miles round trips with a Toyota Matrix. Would not be able to do that in a Corolla. Also have haul refrigerators(doors need to be disassembled), stuffed in 3-4 gas lawn mowers. Yes, all in a Corolla Matrix.

And the dude who I got the wood from has wife with a truck, and a bumper sticker "My husband drives a Prius". She tows...horses.

Good for you. For most trucks and SUVs around me, the biggest loads they drag are a bag of groceries.

 

[K1052]

For most trucks and SUVs around me, the biggest loads they drag are a bag of groceries.

Yeah the trucks on my street do about as much hauling as the local G wagon posse does off roading.

 

[Torn Mind]

Sedan was a shorthand for substantially smaller vehicle since I was writing on my phone. My point still stands that a majority of people buy vehicles that are way too big because of extremely rare use cases that they imagine for themselves.

You got any witness testimony to back up the ivory tower claim? A sort of "non-activity" log.

You wouldn't know whether those use cases are actually rare or you simply never see them in application because it's not in use at that particular time on the road. Because because are disregarding cost savings just to buy a truck or its covered counterpart. The upfront costs, the insurance costs, gas cost, and in the case of the Big Three, eventual mechanic costs due to integrated obsolescence.

 

[Greenman]

You got any witness testimony to back up the ivory tower claim? A sort of "non-activity" log.

You wouldn't know whether those use cases are actually rare or you simply never see them in application because it's not in use at that particular time on the road. Because because are disregarding cost savings just to buy a truck or its covered counterpart. The upfront costs, the insurance costs, gas cost, and in the case of the Big Three, eventual mechanic costs due to integrated obsolescence.

As you walk by open ended SUV's take a look in the bed, most are flawless. Take a look at the trailer hitch, most don't have a scratch on them. Have a look at the tires, most are 4 ply car tires.

 

[vi edit]

I actually put a reservation in today. The "frunk" and bidirectional power pushed it over the edge for me. The frunk adds the storage that the back end of my minivan provides while still having the back seat and bed available. I've got a family of 4 and live out in Oregon now. We do a ton of biking and paddleboarding. Kids want to start getting into skiing up on Hood and I want to do more gravel biking and camping. My van can't get to Hood in the winter and this will make carrying bikes a lot easier than with the van. I can also get down some fireroads here that the van probably doesn't have any right going down.

We had huge sections of Portland that were without power for days in February. There's so many trees around here that any ice just brings branches down and lines go with it. All power lines are external. This basically works as a backup generator and that's awesome. I'm WFH so long as my ISP can keep running I can continue to work then. We're also moving to much more renewable power sources for the grid and have been told to expect "brownouts". That's probably mostly FUD on energy companies part, but it's a nice backup in case it happens.

I've been looking at Toyota Rav4 Primes but they are pretty small overall. This is a similar overall passenger space, but the "Frunk" and bed push it over the edge of function. It's a much more capable vehicle and a true EV. My use is pretty weird. I don't really drive at all through the week and if I do, I try to use the bike first. If it's too far or I need to haul then I hop in a car. Hybrids aren't *as* efficient as they could be in that case. I'm starting the vehicle cold so the battery has to get conditioned before it starts drawing on it. So I may only get hybrid efficiency on my way back after it's warm. A full EV doesn't do that. All battery all the time.

Over the pandemic it took me close to 8 months to get through a tank of gas in my van. And in that time the battery died from so little use. Half the time I start it up it's grumpy because it's been a few weeks since I used it. Just moving to a pure EV works for me. No more oil changes to worry about or gas sitting around in a tank. 300 miles is enough to get me to the coast and back or Hood and back. I could also get to Seattle without any serious range anxiety.

Stuff like the VW electric or the other small hatches just are too small for my taste. Can't really fit a family of four + gear in them easily. I'm just looking for an overall ute style vehicle that's refined but capable and a full EV with reasonable range is icing on the cake. It's not any wider than my van, and about 2ft longer. So there's not much adjustment in how "big" it feels. And it probably rides as well if not better.

I've always been on the fence about EV's. This was the first one that didn't feel like it made many compromises, especially at it's cost. Performance looks great. It looks like a normal vehicle. And it's just a lot of interesting features that aren't taking away from some other function.

 

[Kaido]

I actually put a reservation in today. The "frunk" and bidirectional power pushed it over the edge for me. The frunk adds the storage that the back end of my minivan provides while still having the back seat and bed available. I've got a family of 4 and live out in Oregon now. We do a ton of biking and paddleboarding. Kids want to start getting into skiing up on Hood and I want to do more gravel biking and camping. My van can't get to Hood in the winter and this will make carrying bikes a lot easier than with the van. I can also get down some fireroads here that the van probably doesn't have any right going down.

We had huge sections of Portland that were without power for days in February. There's so many trees around here that any ice just brings branches down and lines go with it. All power lines are external. This basically works as a backup generator and that's awesome. I'm WFH so long as my ISP can keep running I can continue to work then. We're also moving to much more renewable power sources for the grid and have been told to expect "brownouts". That's probably mostly FUD on energy companies part, but it's a nice backup in case it happens.

I've been looking at Toyota Rav4 Primes but they are pretty small overall. This is a similar overall passenger space, but the "Frunk" and bed push it over the edge of function. It's a much more capable vehicle and a true EV. My use is pretty weird. I don't really drive at all through the week and if I do, I try to use the bike first. If it's too far or I need to haul then I hop in a car. Hybrids aren't *as* efficient as they could be in that case. I'm starting the vehicle cold so the battery has to get conditioned before it starts drawing on it. So I may only get hybrid efficiency on my way back after it's warm. A full EV doesn't do that. All battery all the time.

Over the pandemic it took me close to 8 months to get through a tank of gas in my van. And in that time the battery died from so little use. Half the time I start it up it's grumpy because it's been a few weeks since I used it. Just moving to a pure EV works for me. No more oil changes to worry about or gas sitting around in a tank. 300 miles is enough to get me to the coast and back or Hood and back. I could also get to Seattle without any serious range anxiety.

Stuff like the VW electric or the other small hatches just are too small for my taste. Can't really fit a family of four + gear in them easily. I'm just looking for an overall ute style vehicle that's refined but capable and a full EV with reasonable range is icing on the cake. It's not any wider than my van, and about 2ft longer. So there's not much adjustment in how "big" it feels. And it probably rides as well if not better.

I've always been on the fence about EV's. This was the first one that didn't feel like it made many compromises, especially at it's cost. Performance looks great. It looks like a normal vehicle. And it's just a lot of interesting features that aren't taking away from some other function.

Congrats! I gotta say, the more I learn about it, the more awesome it looks! Things I like about it over the Cybertruck:

1. It looks normal
2. House generator
3. Power ports
4. Huge frunk with drain & auto open/close via keyfob
5. Physical knob on the touchscreen. This is huge because I am human & need tactile controls lol.
6.Lie-flat laptop/snack tray in the middle
7. Normal steering wheel (vs. yoke) with lots of useful clicky buttons
8. Ventilated seats (might even have a massage option!)
9. Bed camera (plus bed scale)
10. Apparently the 300-mile top-end range is with a load, so (based on the video below) there's a possibility of just over 400 miles. Factoring in highway efficiency loss, winter, etc. that's a much nicer number to deal with
11. Really nice tailgate system
12. Flip-up back seat for covered storage
13. Awesome sunroof
14. Actual 4x4 system
15. BlueCruise system allows for actual hands-free driving (other roads feature hands-on lane-centering)
16. Actual dealership you can go to in order to get help & repairs

This is a blatant advertising review video below, but they did a really good job walking through pretty much all of the features:

Lighting is nice too:

 

[DooKey]

If I didn't need my diesel 3500 to pull a fifth wheel I would definitely consider the Lightning for my next truck. Looks good and has nice range/features. Ford has a winner here.

 

[ultimatebob]

The work truck version of this looks pretty awesome:

https://www.engadget.com/ford-f-150-lightning-ev-preview-video-170103332.html

I'm curious what these are actually going to cost, though. If you didn't pre-order one, I'll bet that the dealer markups will be insane.