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

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

#241

Post by Tsiklon »

jessaustin wrote: post #162
sandworm101 wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the pickup isn't a work vehicle. It is a statement, a bit of fashion. That's where the market is. People want to look like they need a pickup. In reality, they would be better served by a minivan. They are why every truck has back seats. A more honest answer is probably to get the smallish SUV and buy a trailer. An 8'x4' metal trailer, with full wheels, will let you haul the wood/stuff those few times a year…

Good grief the bed heights are ridiculous now. Forget about reaching over the side and grabbing something without having to climb in: and I'm 6' tall! I've mastered this maneuver where I jump up and land with my stomach over the edge of the bed. It's uncomfortable but I can actually reach something. My father is three inches taller than I am, but it was still something of a revelation for him a couple of weeks ago wh…

Over here in Europe there's good variety in the van market, which is functionally equivalent to the Pickup market in the US.

There may be an unmet demand in the US for some of the smaller vehicles. Most of the big car manufacturers here in Europe offer vans: Ford, Vauxhall/Opel, Mercedes, Renault

Here's some examples if you're interested in looking at some of them -

Smaller car-vans - like the Ford Fiesta, and Vauxhall/Opel Corsa both have (or used to have) van variants.

Small dedicated vans - like the Ford Transit Connect, Vauxhall/Opel Combo and Volkswagen Caddy

Regular vans - like the Ford Transit Custom, the Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro, VW Transporter

The Larger vans like the Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit you may be more familiar with.

In the UK where I am - Rural postmen, as an example use case, make heavy use of vans like the Transit Connect and Vauxhall Combo as the fleet vehicle of choice.

Regular Tradesmen (plumbers, builders, plasterers) for example tend to use tall panel vans like the Transit or VW Crafter as their weapon of choice.

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

#242

Post by imtringued »

zjaffee wrote: post #20
anewguy9000 wrote: post #11

so after 5 years the battery in my laptop is just toast. can anyone comment on what happens to an electric car after 5 years? 10, 20? i have a truck with 350,000 kms on it. will this still be possible?

Replacing the battery is always possible, I'd imagine if the electric components are built well, it's likely that with battery replacements you could make the truck last even longer than it would with a more mechanical machine.

By the time the battery has fully degraded the cost of a replacement will have gone down too.

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

#243

Post by bryanlarsen »

graycat wrote: post #168
bryanlarsen wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds good. Where can I get one? Even the new Ford Ranger is a massive truck, not one I would consider light, and the half tons are even worse. The truck beds are so high I have trouble reaching inside and I'm over six feet tall. And sure, the base cost of a F150 is theoretically under $30k, but good luck finding one of those on the lot, the real starting cost appears to be about $50k and chock full of those luxury…

Yes the Ford 150 and the Chevy 1500 or some such are called light trucks because there are also much heavier trucks, big Diesel engines, maybe dual wheels on the back, able to tow a small yacht, etc. Typically can get a list of the possible options and dealer's price for each, develop a list of just what want with the dealer's cost, and then take an afternoon and do a search for a dealer who will give you the best pr…

Sorry, anything bigger than the F350 I drove on the farm in the 70s is not a light truck.

And I've never understood the appeal of SUVs. For under half the price you can get a Dodge Caravan that will actually hold a full sheet of plywood.

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

#244

Post by wil421 »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #191
ip26 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... 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…

Gas tools are still pretty popular. Most lawn services use exclusively gas 2 strokes. Leaf blowers, weed eaters, and edgers. Most lawnmowers aren’t 2 stroke.

If you drove a 2 stoke dirt bike around people will call the police and complain about noise. I know from my teenager years.

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

#245

Post by _0w8t »

richjdsmith wrote: post #236
_0w8t wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Norway even in countryside people do not get pickups. It could be that trucks are just not very good in winter with snow and ice on mountain roads. Or people are not going to pay for extra fuel consumption with prices like 7 usd/gal. But trailers are widespread and gardening/furniture shops provide them either for free or for a very low price.

>trucks are just not very good in winter with snow and ice on mountain roads Canadian here who drives a truck in the snowy mountain roads, I'm pretty confused by this. Why do you say they are not good? There is nothing I'd rather be in than an F350 with studded tires and four-wheel drive on the highway when the road conditions go bad.

I meant a typical truck without 4-wheel drive. 4-wheels are much more expensive in Norway due to taxes.

But there is another problem with trucks. It rains a lot in Norway especially on the west coast and in mountains. And it really sucks to load-transport-unload without the roof under the rain. Most trailers here are with the roof for this reason.

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

#246

Post by pjc50 »

_0w8t wrote: post #159
MisterOctober wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disliked pickup trucks for their size and fuel consumption until I owned a house and got heavily into gardening. Home maintenance and significant garden activity are made waaaaay easier by having a truck [or big van, I guess] available. That said, I still don't personally own a truck, borrowing them as needed. An all-electric model of good quality would be pretty tempting to me.

In Norway even in countryside people do not get pickups. It could be that trucks are just not very good in winter with snow and ice on mountain roads. Or people are not going to pay for extra fuel consumption with prices like 7 usd/gal. But trailers are widespread and gardening/furniture shops provide them either for free or for a very low price.

Likewise in the UK pickup trucks are not fashionable; rural people get Landrovers (or similar), urban workers tend to prefer vans. Trailers are not so widespread. Being able to rent one from a store sounds like a great idea; there are a few shops (B&Q, IKEA) which often have a van rental concession in their parking.

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

#247

Post by pjc50 »

zepearl wrote: post #43
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.

>>...the environment will definitely appreciate the electrified... Nobody is concerned about the countries (e.g. Bolivia) involved to extract the materials needed for the batteries => this might kill them (on one hand I agree saying "they should be able to care for themselves", but on the other hand there are gigantic interests at play which will put huge pressure on their governments/politicians) => whoever buys a b…

I think this is more the other way round: Bolivia is desperate for something with world market value to export, so they're seeking investment for lithium mining. https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/others-snub-bolivi...

It's a very poor country.

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

#248

Post by JoeAltmaier »

ghettoimp wrote: post #27
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look forward to it. My F150 gets between 19mpg and 13mpg depending on the gas and the temperature(!) I'd love to spend less than $90 at the pump

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...)

Haul my tractor on an 18-ft trailer. Make regular dump trips. Live on a 200ft driveway 2 miles from the paved road and have harsh winters, so the 4WD is very welcome.

Bought it used, around $20K with 4 years / 80K miles on it. Lined the bed, replaced the transfer case motor and voila a pretty good truck that looks good!

The $90/tank is because its a 36 gallon tank. Range around 600 miles full. With every advantage on the highway I've gotten > 20mpg but that's rare.

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

#249

Post by JoeAltmaier »

darkpuma wrote: post #212
jessaustin wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an advantage of driving tractors as a child. Backing up a trailer is second nature for me. I can back around corners, between obstacles, whatever needs to be done, often without taking a hitch. One time I was driving a U-haul pulling a car on a dolly, so there wasn't one but two pivot points. I stupidly pulled into a gas station that didn't have a way to pull through, but I was still able to back out of it ra…

Every year when I was a kid I got the 'privilege' of driving around a leaf vacuum ( https://woodgears.ca/misc/with_trailer.jpg ) Unloading it always meant backing it up down a path in the woods to the leaf pile. I can back up a regular two-wheel trailer without jack-knifing it, but even with experience it still takes my full concentration. I'm sure it becomes like riding a bike eventually, but it's annoying enough th…

You think that's hard! Try backing up a grain wagon with an articulated hitch! That means the front wheels steer with the direction of the hitch (long rod from the front of the wagon to the tractor's drawbar). Going forward its great - the wagon follows around curves instead of being dragged around, which is important with tons of grain in the wagon.

But backing up! Its like pushing a rope. And I had to get the rear of the wagon within 1ft of the target - an old tire with a grain auger's business end in it, so I could unload.

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

#250

Post by JoeAltmaier »

ericd wrote: post #134
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the grill is significant - the 'whale' shape is supposed to be near ideal. No, its the box in the back that tanks pickup mileage.

Are aerodynamics even that significant an energy bleed at the speeds we’re talking about? I’m guessing engine losses for those large low rev torque tuned engines are a bigger difference. And of course the massive weight of most pickups these days.

Stopping and starting, weight is a problem. But cruising, weight is an advantage! Makes it hard to figure mileage.

Definitely the engine/transmission friction is a big deal.

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