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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

#251

Post by beatgammit »

baddox wrote: post #228
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…

Why do you want a smaller truck? Is it just to make parking easier? My impression is that the reason the compact truck mostly died off (or got larger) is that the fuel economy of the larger vehicles improved to the point that the smaller trucks had little advantage.

I heard it was because US regulations were more lax for larger trucks, and the smaller trucks couldn't keep up with the regulations.

I'm hopeful that electric trucks can bring back the smaller options.

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

#252

Post by HeadsUpHigh »

geggam wrote: post #180
cure wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. If you actually want to pull something heavy - or just want to accelerate fast - that flat torque curve you get from an electric motor will leave ICE trucks in the dust.

Agreed. However your battery will die very quickly and leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. I had to take a couple home who were on the side of the mountain coming home from half moon bay to the pennisula. The gauge told them they had 40 miles left on the battery but that mountain climb killed it. If they had a gas car I could have poured them a bit from a can. As it was they had to get a tow and I drove the…

Yea that could happen but I would also expect a pickup truck to have significantly more juice in it than a sedan. This might also be one of the selling points for Ford( "we have the longest range"). Range anxiety is mostly a solved problem at least for Teslas but it still looms in some peoples' heads.

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

#253

Post by beatgammit »

geggam wrote: post #178
artificialidiot wrote: post #53

Rivian is the much needed kick in the nuts. When it turn out to be a viable truck and not just vaporware with lofty promises, people took note. I am by no means a truck or suv type guy but the idea of full electric one is very intriguing, if only I had the space. I can imagine the allure of great low end torque, improved storage capacity and the fuel savings for the more leisurely drivers, who don't need to tow 10 to…

Its not viable for most of the country truck uses. Charging stations would have to be immediate and portable. Being 3 miles out in the fields and having battery go dead because you were pulling something would be damned inconvenient

I thought the majority of the pickup uses were pretty short range, such as:

- farmers driving around their property - construction workers bringing supplies to the work site - landscapers hitting a few customers in the same city

Since trucks have a large frame, there should be quite a bit of space for the batteries.

I'm thinking that many of the places trucks are used will have electricity available at the destination (construction site, farm, etc), or the total miles per day will be within the range of the vehicle (150 miles is probably more than enough).

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

#254

Post by Youden »

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…

I'm curious, would Australian "trucks" (we call them "utes") satisfy your needs if they were sold in the US?

Examples:

- Holden (GM) Colorado: https://www.holden.com.au/cars/colorado/ls-single-cab-chassi...

- Toyota Hilux: https://www.toyota.com.au/main/hilux or Landcruiser 70: https://www.toyota.com.au/main/landcruiser-70

- Ford Ranger: https://www.ford.com.au/commercial/ranger/compare-models/?in...

- Nissan Navara: http://www.nissan.com.au/cars-vehicles/np300-navara/range-an...

All of these have a single cab option and small beds (relative to American trucks).

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

#255

Post by 1123581321 »

rypskar wrote: post #218
1123581321 wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand your point but the pickup does have utility over the minivan because the bed is walled and outside the cabin. I own a minivan, though, and agree it’s extremely useful, and similarly to the earlier comment asking for a more utilitarian pickup, I wouldn’t mind more utilitarian vans instead of the parent-friendly trends towards safety and nice back seats at a higher price point.

>the bed is walled and outside the cabin That is the times where a trailer come in handy. Driving a big pickup every day because you need the bed once a month is only a fashion statement telling the world "I don't care about the environment". Even most hatchback can town a decent sized trailer

A pickup has additional utility over a trailer because it’s more maneuverable, can fit into a parking space, etc. I also think once a month isn’t necessarily too infrequent depending on the work done, but pickup owners seem to use their beds more often during seasonal weather.

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

#256

Post by StillBored »

Infernal wrote: post #207
perl4ever wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like large people requiring large cars is a relatively recent phenomenon. I had an early 90s Honda Civic as my first car which was ridiculously small by modern standards, and it had plenty of room for me at over 6 feet.

I don’t know why this is exactly, but it seems useful interior space is decreasing across all vehicles as dashes get bigger and curvier and more surrounding. I’ve driven my 2008 Honda Fit for 10 years, but the second and third gen models, while bigger and heavier, have less driver legroom due to big curvy dashboards and controls bulging in towards the driver. I can’t drive the ‘09 or later Fits, it’s physically impos…

I'm tall too, and noticed the same thing. I drove a fox body mustang in the early 90's, but every styling change since has reduced the amount of interior head/leg room. A couple years back I had a hard time even as a passenger in one. I couldn't even get my legs under the dash due to the angle it was positioned at relative to the seat.

I suspect at least part of it has to do with fuel economy standards which are partially being met by reducing the frontal area of the car. The easiest way to do that is to take a couple inches off the height of the vehicle.

Safety standards similarly are affecting the driver position and the crash test dummies aren't 7' tall. I noticed this a few years ago when the headrest standards changed and I now have a piece of headrest that doesn't raise high enough but sticks forward 8" pressing into the middle of my back in cars that would otherwise be ok to sit in. (I have the same problem on airplanes).

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

#257

Post by _archon_ »

Youden wrote: post #254
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…

I'm curious, would Australian "trucks" (we call them "utes") satisfy your needs if they were sold in the US? Examples: - Holden (GM) Colorado: https://www.holden.com.au/cars/colorado/ls-single-cab-chassi... - Toyota Hilux: https://www.toyota.com.au/main/hilux or Landcruiser 70: https://www.toyota.com.au/main/landcruiser-70 - Ford Ranger: https://www.ford.com.au/commercial/ranger/compare-models/?in... - Nissan Navara:…

I want a V8 Falcon. A car-based pickup would suit 99.99% of my use cases. They don't exist in the US market unless you buy something >30 yr. old.

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

#258

Post by bluedino »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #19
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 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

My 2015 with the 3.5 EcoBoost V6 got 22-24mpg on the highway

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

#259

Post by bluedino »

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.

4x4 trucks don't get stuck but they aren't good at stopping/turning, compared to say a Subaru or even a FWD or RWD car with proper tires. They still suffer from terrible weight distribution and wide tire contact patch.

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

#260

Post by bluedino »

_0w8t wrote: post #245
richjdsmith wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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.

In Canada you would be silly if you only bought a 2WD truck. You can also get a 'topper' for the bed to enclose the area. Vans are also popular for transport as well.
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