I gotta say, I am very impressed by what I've seen with the F-150. It's clear that a LOT of thought has gone into this product and Ford clearly understands their target audience extremely well. There are so many nice features that are so well tailored to folks who buy trucks. All the features to power job sites, etc is really sweet and I can totally see that being super handy. Heck, it would make it super easy to work on projects in my driveway without any worries.
Storage with the massive frunk is awesome. Lots of features around hitches and making it easier to use them and tow with them. Pretty good price point, good acceleration to appeal to the macho truck crowd who will hold their nose while making the plunge to electric so they can feel good about themselves when they floor the accelerator at stoplights and onramps.
There is something for everyone here. Yes, it plays it safe on the aesthetics side of things, but I don't see anything wrong with it. The "safer" aesthetics also make it more useful than the Cybertruck, what with the massive Frunk. Really glad to see some good competition in this space. The next 2 years are going to be really exciting in the EV space!
I could legitimately see every job site having at least one as a rolling power station.
That could be a very useful and popular niche, construction sites without power at early phases of construction aren't rare and power tool batteries are expensive.
I would be really interested in understanding the breakdown in F150's as sold by model number.
For a lot of truck owners, there's going to be some resistance because they love having a v8 engine etc. I don't see those people moving over quickly (although they might be swayed by the acceleration/speed). But if you're using one as a tradesperson, this seems like an absolute no-brainer. You're not driving enormous distances regularly and if you're able to run your entire job site for free, as well as have lower servicing costs... why wouldn't you?
Many new trucks have used turbo V6s instead of V8s for awhile now. There’s definitely some buyers who just want the sound of a V8 or don’t quite trust the reliability of a twin turbo BUT I think more people would be open to electric than you would think, even in people primarily just using them for transportation
I know a few people who tow big trailers, and they buy the V8 because once you hook up a real load the turbo kicks in and you are burning just as much gas. They figure that larger engine without a turbo is probably going to last a lot longer. Those who use the truck for a mix, sometimes with the trailer, sometimes with small loads opt for the turbo v6 and like it just fine, but they all agree if towing is the real goal get the v8. (or better yet get a diesel, and a bigger truck)
I don't know a single person who enjoys going to a gas station. Paying $40 a week just to hear some loud noise is an incredibly lame proposition, and only makes sense if you drive your truck for fun instead of utility. Most people buy a car for work, so avoiding the pump is a huge bonus.
I'm sure gas guzzler enthusiasts will continue to exist, but the financials don't make sense; it would be far cheaper for them to daily drive an EV and keep the old guzzler for fun days. They'd save on gas and maintenance by not driving an ICE all the time, and they still get to use it whenever they have free time.
In conclusion, my argument is that Ford/whoever will still eventually capture these enthusiasts, because they can still keep their old trucks but will always eventually need a new one.
I bought my truck used and somehow missed that it had the extended range tank, which is 36 gallons. I was so confused when I filled it up for the first time and it just kept going and going...
I don’t mind it. I drive a v8 Mercedes and love the sound etc... but at the same time, I’ve moved to NYC so the odds that I even keep a car aren’t particularly high.
I keep my vehicles a long time. I wouldn’t buy a turbo. When they fail, and they will, it’s super expensive. V8s have been around for a century, and they are very reliable.
I had the same thought but I ultimately had to choose between an F150 Lariat w/ EcoBoost or a near base model Tundra in the same condition for $8k more. So I decided to take a gamble on the turbos.
You'd be surprised at how far tradesmen need to drive sometimes. Jobsites are all over the place, and not everyone lives in the same place. So the jobsite might only be 45 minutes from the builder, but it's 75 minutes away from the trimmer. That's the situation for me, and it's not uncommon to travel that far to a job.
Perhaps.. but we'll have to see how the battery holds up under extremely hot or cold conditions to really know if it will be used that way; and few people will want to be stuck at the job site after the end of the day.
Unfortunately I don't think such a vehicle exists yet, while hybrids and even plug-in hybrids are common, they aren't designed to be used as power stations/offer multiple 110v outlets.
This new F-150 is rare in that the manufacturer actually supports its usage like this. If you use a Tesla as a glorified battery they will actually void your warranty.
New f-150 hybrid has (up to) a 7.2kW generator with 120/240 outlets in the bed. This would probably be a better option for most commercial applications than the electric.
My self-built sprinter has seen it's solar-charged electrical system been used many times to power PA systems at parties and running events. Only 120VAC (no 240VAC), and only about 2.5kW/hrs of power available, but I've never needed close to that for anything it's been used for. I've used it a few times to run power tools, but that's when I most regret only having 1kW inverter instead of a 1.5kW one: a router or circular saw startup can trip the inverter breaker.
The only gotcha with this, is that F150s are huge. I have an oversized garage and an F150 will barely fit. Many of my full-size truck driving neighbors opt to park in the driveway because they turn a modern two car garage into a 1.5 car garage unless designed specifically for giant vehicles.
I haven't seen consumer chargers that are designed to be installed outside. Most people have wall chargers in their garages, but I don't thing this is going to work for the majority of F150 home owners.
That being said, this is an otherwise incredible vehicle. The F150 is pretty much the ultimate vehicle for someone with enough space for one, and this improves upon it in nearly every way.
Here in the UK lots of people have garages but I'd actually guess its more common to use them for storage than to keep a car in. Everyone I know who has an electric car keeps it on the drive with an outside charging point.
Underground (or partially underground) parking garages are fairly common for newer and especially fancier apartment buildings where I live. I'm not sure how common electric car chargers are in these garages, however.
The Siemens US2 VersiCharge is a pretty popular consumer charger that's designed to be weatherproof. I have one in my garage, but I've seen them installed in parking lots for commercial use, too.
Ford has said they reused much of the same parts for the ICE F150 so it makes sense they look very similar. This will also help the model be profitable as well.
> good acceleration to appeal to the macho truck crowd who will hold their nose while making the plunge to electric so they can feel good about themselves when they floor the accelerator at stoplights and onramps.
I have a Mustang Mach e and can't emphasize this enough. It makes tooling around my suburban enclave a pleasure as I go from 0 to 30 mph in a blink.
I entered an on-ramp with a BMW behind me. Honestly, I wasn't trying to make a point, but the BMW swung around me as we entered the highway and it was on. Then it was done. Giggle.
Storage with the massive frunk is awesome. Lots of features around hitches and making it easier to use them and tow with them. Pretty good price point, good acceleration to appeal to the macho truck crowd who will hold their nose while making the plunge to electric so they can feel good about themselves when they floor the accelerator at stoplights and onramps.
There is something for everyone here. Yes, it plays it safe on the aesthetics side of things, but I don't see anything wrong with it. The "safer" aesthetics also make it more useful than the Cybertruck, what with the massive Frunk. Really glad to see some good competition in this space. The next 2 years are going to be really exciting in the EV space!