'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says • Hacker News Board

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#191

Post by toomanybeersies » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:21 AM UTC

ip26 wrote: post #47

ProfessorLayton wrote: post #14

This is a big deal. The F-Series is the single most popular vehicle in the US, and nearly 900K of them are sold every year! In fact, the top 3 models in the US are F-Series, Silverado, and Ram, so the environment will definitely appreciate the electrified competition the F-Series will force.

... Although now I'm reminded of the bit I read recently that noted in thirty minutes a two-stroke leaf blower emits as much CO & NOx pollution as driving an F-150 3,800 miles. https://www.citylab.com/life/2016/11/the-case-against-neighb...

I used to ride a 2 stroke motorbike to school. It emitted more CO and NOx than an SUV. Upon saying that, SUVs still (obviously) emit more CO2 than 2 banger bikes. And the biggest polluter is still cargo ships with their massive 2 stroke engines burning high-sulfur, heavy fuel oil.

I'm not sure about the USA, but at least in Australia 2 strokes aren't very common at all these days. I don't remember the last time I saw a 2 stroke lawnmower or any other type of garden tool. Electric is probably more popular than petrol for home use, as it doesn't require you to keep a little tank of petrol lying around and it's a lot quieter.

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#192

Post by semi-extrinsic » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:26 AM UTC

cloudwalking wrote: post #156

H1Supreme wrote: post #144

Hopefully they make a version that isn't absolutely gigantic. I've wanted a basic, no-frills 4x4 pickup truck with a 6 foot bed for years now. Problem is, they're all gigantic. And, they all have back seats! Ford released a new Ranger, which is nearly large as everything else out there. In the late 80's / early 90's there were all types of small trucks on the road (including the ranger). Now, there's zero options in…

You can get a 2 door 6ft bed Tacoma. It does have "back seats" but nobody's going to want to ride in them for more than 10 minutes. You can also get an F150 with just two seats and a 6.5ft bed. But yeah, physically, any pickup today is significantly bigger than one made in the 80s or 90s.

I dunno, the two-door Nissan Frontier at least looks like a "small 90s pickup"? But the photos could be lying, of course.

https://www.autoblog.com/nissan/frontier/

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#193

Post by Scoundreller » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:32 AM UTC

tlb wrote: post #111

Scoundreller wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trailers should lend themselves well to the sharing economy, no? Minimal maintenance, largely stored sitting idle, no cleaning required. You don't even need to unethically deem your workers as contractors.

Untrained people pulling poorly maintained trailers with under-sized vehicles and without the brake lights hooked up properly because there are several connector standards will cause a lot of wrecks.

Isn’t that what U-Haul does? Possibly behind a 28’ truck driven by a driver that’s never driven anything more than a Civic?

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#194

Post by erikpukinskis » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:33 AM UTC

ip26 wrote: post #181

sky_rw wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pickup truck isn't a work vehicle? Wow do we live in different worlds.

He's exaggerating, but there are countless pickups on the road that have never towed a trailer, driven off pavement, or hauled a load of dirt.

And there are countless pickups that have.

Broad generalizations like that are just silly. You don’t even have to prove them wrong, they’re just a flawed premise.

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#195

Post by toomanybeersies » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:43 AM UTC

fyfy18 wrote: post #189

4thaccount wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also live in the South and most people in my Suburb have zero use for a truck, but will gladly spend $90 to fill up their gas guzzler. Why? Because it is a symbol of masculinity in the South and many men would never ever drive a car. Their grandfather had a truck, father had a truck, and they were given a truck as their first vehicle. It would have made sense for the grandparent on the farm, but if you sit in front…

How heavy is the boat? A Toyota Corolla can tow up to 1500lb.

A 20 ft trailer sailer will generally weigh around 1000 kg, plus trailer and rigging.

And just because a Corolla can technically tow 1500 lb doesn't mean it does it well. In my experience Corollas do not tow well. The combination of small engine and relatively high gearing means that it's not really suitable. You really need at least a 2 L engine for towing.

That's not to mention all the other stuff you end up carrying around for the boat, such as fuel, tools, life jackets, etc.

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#196

Post by Marsymars » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:49 AM UTC

strait wrote: post #83

xxpor wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no reason why pickup trucks need to have the MASSIVE flat grills they do today, other than aesthetic preferences. They're a disaster aerodynamically as well as for pedestrian safety. Obviously there's a lot more to it (like the bed) but it's a start.

I think you're referring to the massive grill guards on the front of many pickups. Are you saying "no reason other than aesthetic preferences" because you feel like it? Deer at night are a major hazard in much of the land. I hit a small one at night a few weeks ago in central Texas and the dead center impact managed to destroy the chintzy plastic grill in my car and buckle the radiator. I was lucky at that. I was on…

Unfortunately, vehicles that are more resistant to damage from wild animals also tend to be more fatal to human pedestrians.

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#197

Post by strait » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:53 AM UTC

jessaustin wrote: post #187

strait wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're referring to the massive grill guards on the front of many pickups. Are you saying "no reason other than aesthetic preferences" because you feel like it? Deer at night are a major hazard in much of the land. I hit a small one at night a few weeks ago in central Texas and the dead center impact managed to destroy the chintzy plastic grill in my car and buckle the radiator. I was lucky at that. I was on…

Try communicating that to the deer PSA: the way to communicate with any roadside animal is to lay on the horn. They rarely experience horn-honking, and it often shocks them right out of whatever mental rut led them to run onto the road in the first place. While car lights have a dazzling effect, car horns are scary to animals.

Yeah, the horn usually gets to them, when you can see them up ahead, but one should always brake first. I used to hear 'Never swerve, use the brake instead!', and I couldn't imagine anyone with any driving experience thinking that swerving was a good idea in the first place. I never had a serious collision with a deer that was 'caught in the lights', standing on the road. Always able to slow down enough to avoid or slow bump. It's the interceptor deer on a full run that did the most damage, which happens more often than one might think.

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#198

Post by Marsymars » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:53 AM UTC

jws wrote: post #39

There is plenty of demand for short range commercial pickup trucks. Think of "on campus" maintenance vehicles. You need to tow equipment trailers, haul tools and bulk items, but you don't put many miles on them. A trip to the gas station is a pure waste of employee time, just charge them up at night. Marketing may prevent Ford from leading with a short range truck, but a less than eye wateringly expensive vehicle wit…

What would be really perfect for "on campus" maintenance vehicles where you're not driving them on the highway or towing heavy loads would be electric Kei trucks.

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#199

Post by toomanybeersies » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:54 AM UTC

make3 wrote: post #28

ProfessorLayton wrote: post #14

This is a big deal. The F-Series is the single most popular vehicle in the US, and nearly 900K of them are sold every year! In fact, the top 3 models in the US are F-Series, Silverado, and Ram, so the environment will definitely appreciate the electrified competition the F-Series will force.

I can't believe that pickups are the three most sold models in the US. That's really insane. https://www.businessinsider.com/best-selling-cars-and-trucks...

It's the same in New Zealand, where the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux are the two best selling vehicles.

There are far more compact cars sold than pickup trucks, it's just that most manufacturers only offer one model of pickup truck, and often offer several similar models of compact cars, hatchbacks, sedans, and SUVs.

In NZ, Ford offers 3 different small passenger cars and 4 different SUVs, but only one pickup [1]. Toyota is much the same.

[1] https://www.ford.co.nz/all/

Re: 'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

#200

Post by farmerjoe_eatat » Thu, Jan 17, 2019, 5:55 AM UTC

azhenley wrote: post #38

ghettoimp wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you need a truck? (If so that's just fine. But I'm in Texas, and I'm pretty sure most of these folks could get by on something smaller...)

Not the OP, but I've recently had several similar discussions with friends/family about trucks when I bought my Tesla. I live in Tennessee, a popular truck area. They claimed to like trucks for the convenience. Being able to throw stuff in the back and not have to think about whether it will fit in a car. While I do understand this advantage, it would only help me 2-3 times a year, and I aim to optimize for the 95% o…

As someone who grew up on a farm I always looked at rich people in a city that drove a truck kind of funny. I don't get it, but around where I grew up there is a middle class of people who go to church, listen to country music, and drive $50k trucks everywhere even though they get terrible mileage.

As a tangent, if you go far enough out in the wilderness, having a truck makes some sense. You might have to drive a couple hours to the nearest store in some remote parts of the US that I've visited, and I can't imagine making the trip more than a couple times a month at most- and you may have to haul a load up and down several (potentially icy) mountains. However, I don't think that's why most people own trucks. It's a fashion thing, the same reason people drive most other $50k cars around.