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Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

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Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#391

Post by 35mm »

Is it just me that wants an EV with just ‘dumb’ switches on the dash?

I find car companies overstretch with trying to make fancy touchscreens etc.

Plus in car computers go out of date much quicker than motors and batteries.

Just give me some robust physical switches for the important stuff, and an empty space to put my phone / tablet.

That also has the benefit of being able to keep looking out the windscreen while driving, if I need to turn the air on on, rather than opening a ‘climate control’ menu on some creatively designed touch screen.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#392

Post by sneak »

milkthefat wrote: post #373

Reading this article and the comments is frustrating given everything about these infotainment systems has been the same for 10+ years with very little improvements. Its embarrassing an iPad from 2012 can out perform these multi-thousand dollar car systems in both UX and speed. I was hoping the tesla experience would light a fire in traditional car companies making it more a priority but here we are basically just us…

It's not getting better because people keep buying them.

Shitty UX for the infotainment console doesn't stop people buying something that starts and drives from A to B (so long as it has bluetooth audio reception).

The screen people use while driving is the one that lets them scroll Instagram.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#393

Post by dillondoyle »

ninefathom wrote: post #323

I'm struggling to reconcile these two: https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/ford-f150-lightning-elect... -- "the towing range of the electric F-150 is dismal." (~100 miles) https://www.theverge.com/23307298/ford-f-150-lightning-revie... -- "Happily, the F-150 Lightning is a terrific F-150 — and a terrific truck. If you can find one to buy for a reasonable price and you’ve got a handle on charging for how you’ll use it,…

It's so frustrating. The new f150s are GIANT.

They look comical to me; like a monster truck, so freaking tall the proportions just look insane.

And most of the ones in Denver (which has a lot more people who actually go outdoors) don't look like they are used for anything except commuting.

I started driving again to get into the mountains more, and got an old tacoma.

The new ones are too big AND the dealer only had 4 doors with a mini bed!!! Just get an SUV....

And even my 2010 one looks big next to the generation before it. The old ones tow stuff just fine and it fills what I need: a ton of storage for climbing gear.

Searched around for electric tacoma info last night.

Looks like one might be coming 2024 (which i guess is sold 23?).

But it looks huge. One youtube reviewer of the render image said it looks more like a Tundra which are just insanely big.

I looked into the e f150. it would barely fit into my parking spot - not enough room to get bags in and out of door. Not even considering how to get an electric charger in there... In the near term I think I would have to use the whole foods.

I really really want an electric pickup, full bed, 2 doors - at a small size, light weight.

Sadly the range looks like a problem too.

Which would be better if they weren't so giant and heavy.

Hybrid sounds like only option unless they start to offer 400/450+ mile batteries.

At least until we build a ton of rapid chargers pretty far out.

Maybe someone can invent a jerry can of electricity!

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#394

Post by AlotOfReading »

assttoasstmgr wrote: post #355
jfim wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do they have the margins that allows them to pay equivalent salaries? From what I recall, Meta and Google have gross revenues on the order of one million in revenue per employee, while SAP AG has revenue per employee around 200k.

This. The OP wrote: > They tried to lowball him badly. Like 1/2 the rate he asked for (contract) and probably 1/3rd or 1/4 what we made at Google FAANG arrogance never ceases to amaze me. It's like these guys live in a different universe blissfully unaware of the world around them. Did it ever occur to him maybe Ford is paying normal average human salaries and not grossly inflated Google wages? Remember Ford (and thi…

So for context, I'm in automotive on the FAANG side and work closely with people at traditional companies.

There's some misunderstandings here. For one thing, there are obviously skilled people working at every salary level. What you're missing is that this is largely irrelevant. Relative compensation (in software) is a shockingly good proxy for all the associated support and people investments to support them. Employees that cost less are less supported and thus less enabled to produce high quality work than their better-paid counterparts, as a very rough rule of thumb.

It's my experience that OEMs are significantly less invested in their developers and the quality of the software they produce than any FAANG. They don't consider software to be a core competence and they rarely invest in the technical expertise to understand quality or push it internally.

The scale of dev costs is also pretty minor for vehicles as a whole. Amortized labor costs are typically on the order of 10-20% per vehicle. Devs are a small portion (~100s-1000s) of the tens of thousands of engineers that work at major OEMs and their suppliers. An extreme 2-3x wage increase would end up as a few percent increase, but the truth is there are cheaper ways to do that than salary. "All" they have to do is care about the software components the way many do about the mechanical components. It's a cultural problem rather than a strictly monetary one.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#395

Post by fy20 »

LAC-Tech wrote: post #221
alephxyz wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sucks and it's more vulnerable to rollovers : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIN8CyhYREM

I'm very jealous of the US car market where there's a lot of AWD sedan options. Here in NZ we have the Camary, Mazda 6, Lexus IS etc but none of them are available in AWD. Only crossovers, SUVs and Utes (small pick up trucks). I've actually been toying with the idea of getting a Subaru WRX. I'm not a a boyracer or anything, but it's about the only japanese, AWD sedan available here. Feels like a weirdly practical cho…

Do you have Volvo there? They still make the V60 and V90 in 'cross country' versions in Europe, which is a 4x4 sedan.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#396

Post by hef19898 »

AlotOfReading wrote: post #316
Kon-Peki wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My brother-in-law is pretty high up at a traditional manufacturing OEM. To be clear, they don't manufacture anything that has electronics or software in it (but there is a pretty decent chance your car has something they made). They have a Bay Area software office that does general tech stuff - manufacturing software, business software, etc. Internal things plus some B2C stuff for people buying/installing replacement…

I know they're not stupid, but it's still very frustrating when you have to go and use anything such offices produce. So many unnecessarily cut corners and penny wise, pound foolish decisions.

That's quite the statement considering how many corners, to pick one examole, Tesla is cutting constantly.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#397

Post by weq »

boc wrote: post #218
sleepydog wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any professions in European countries that are paid as well as US tech workers, for similar levels of skill and/or education? Moreover, if EU tech companies are not willing to pay the best software/hardware engineers what they're worth, where do they all go? Not everyone wants to live in the US or work remotely.

Despite the general online sentiment, it's important to realize that the average American makes an absurd amount of money compared to their global peers. Even adjusting for PPP and other factors, average disposable household income for the US - a nation of 340M people - blows the doors off Luxembourg, Switzerland, Norway, etc. [1]. What's more though, median disposable income per capita ALSO places the US at the very…

Top of the developed world in infant mortality and school shootings too! Us outside the US, who had the option to come and joining a FAANG; call it danger money.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#398

Post by rasz »

bergenty wrote: post #280
Dig1t wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I completely agree with your conclusion, this is why I feel that European tech companies can't compete with US ones at all. They just refuse to pay enough to attract the best engineers.

How does Europe make it work? Lower salaries, higher cost of living. Is it just that so many essentials are handled by the government? Or are they still coasting on the colonial wealth (this doesn’t seem likely)

Europeans use weird tricks like charging two digit margin on medication, socialized education, and taxing fuel to pay for road maintenance.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#399

Post by sjfidsfkds »

cbozeman wrote: post #384
Kon-Peki wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My brother-in-law is pretty high up at a traditional manufacturing OEM. To be clear, they don't manufacture anything that has electronics or software in it (but there is a pretty decent chance your car has something they made). They have a Bay Area software office that does general tech stuff - manufacturing software, business software, etc. Internal things plus some B2C stuff for people buying/installing replacement…

> Oh, we don't do it for the software. We can hire 100 people out of Ohio State or Michigan and pay them midwest wages and get the same quality. No they can't... or they would. Deeds. Not words.

I’ve encountered a bunch of people with that sort of background working that kind of job, it’s a real thing.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning: Fast Truck, Slow Computer

#400

Post by fy20 »

7952 wrote: post #63
lotsofpulp wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People like sitting higher up, or do not like being seated lower, or so much lower, than others. It might also be safer to be in a higher up car in the event of a collision. Pretty much all the families I know with young kids and toddlers has a full size SUV. Every time I ask why they did not get a minivan such as Odyssey or Sienna, every response is they like SUVs and do not want to sit lower in the minivan. Even th…

I know two couples who both started out with small efficient cars. And then had to upgrade because they could not fit a stroller in the back. It feels like car companies just want to have skews that are intentionally compromised to push people into the next tier. When most people just need a compact sedan.

My Prius can fit a large stroller and still have room for shopping in the trunk. As much hate as it gets, it's actually surprisingly roomy inside. Under the trunk floor there's a removable compartment that I use to store a 100pc tool kit, first aid kit, fire extinguisher and spare washer fluid. And under there is even more space. People who do LPG conversions store the tank there, so no loss of trunk space.

On road trips, my wife and I would fold down the rear seats and sleep in the back. I'm 183cm (6ft) and there is plenty of space. You can fit 2.4m lengths of wood if you need trips to the hardware store. I guess full plywood sheets would need the hatch open, but there wouldn't be much overhang.

A year or so ago I tried a RAV4 and it felt much smaller inside. In the rear seats I felt much more squashed.

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