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from the It's-electric.-Boogie-woogie-woogie! dept.
Ford Motor Co. confirmed plans to build a fully electric F-Series pickup, which industry observers called an unexpected move that protects the truck franchise against Tesla and other competitors.
“We’re going to be electrifying the F-Series — battery electric and hybrid,” Jim Farley, Ford president of global markets, said Wednesday during a presentation at the Deutsche Bank Global Automotive Conference in the MGM Grand in Detroit.
In framing the company’s redesign, Farley said a move toward all-electric and hybrid would “futureproof” the billion-dollar F-Series franchise, which he called a “global juggernaut.”
[...] Creating an alternative to the combustion engine is crucial if Ford plans to protect its pickup franchise.
“Tesla is talking about coming out with an electric pickup. And look what Tesla has done in the luxury segment. They’ve clobbered just about everybody,” McElroy said. “You can’t pooh-pooh that people won't be interested in an electric pickup. Rivian Automotive is coming out with an all-electric pickup. These are the crown jewels for Ford Motor Co., the F-Series. Ford has got to react to competitive threats.”
Ford recently announced it would exit the market for cars to focus on its pickups. This announcement is another sign of the shockwaves Tesla has sent throughout the automotive industry.
[Ford is likely also keeping a watchful eye on Workhorse. --Ed.]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Farkus888 on Friday January 18 2019, @12:49AM (15 children)
Agreed, as a truck owner I want a hybrid, but real utility. Electric motive power at all times for the torque, plug in to charge the batteries and a generator for range extension. The generator needs to keep up while fully loaded towing, including the wind drag. I currently have full size cab and mid size bed f150 and that suits my needs so the equivalent space and payload there.
The day I bought my current truck I knew the plan was to keep it until that fantasy truck is available, and to upgrade as soon as possible. I'm a repeat customer so you know I'm good for it, come get my money Ford.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Appalbarry on Friday January 18 2019, @12:57AM (6 children)
I've been watching for something to replace our 2008 Ford Ranger - the "small" pickup that's the size of an F150 thirty years ago. What I'm looking for a truck designed for people who actually need a truck, not some super hi-tech Tesla wannabe flashy rig. Around here there are hundreds of pickups that regularly do less than 100km per day. THIS is the real market for e-trucks.
Sadly I expect we'll see a bunch of electric F350s first.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday January 18 2019, @01:12AM (2 children)
Hell yeah, there's a market for the Ranger Edge model, the small-pickup equivalent of a mullet: business in the front, party in the back. Unlike the larger mall-crawler models, it's unpretentious, and 'dat mat allows you to simply spray the interior the fuck down after a dirty day.
As for the larger trucks, Fords (except maybe the Raptors) and Nissans are now what the daddy's girls buy. Smart men secure in their manhood buy Toyotas, the rest buy GMC.
(Score: 4, Informative) by dry on Friday January 18 2019, @02:36AM (1 child)
The thing with a Toyota truck is you can prove your manliness when you disassemble the engine to replace the starter.
At least Ford has finally figured out what to do about their crappy trannies and sparkplugs that need a $500 tool to remove, unless they blew out first.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @06:23AM
Yes you could prove your manhood that way, or you could just install an Anti-Aircraft gun on the truck-bed, and go do some Jihad.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday January 18 2019, @01:17AM (2 children)
If you are looking for something not like a tesla then your best bet is hybrid/electric F250s and F350s. The construction industry is going to want the truck to stay cheap and clean with vinyl floors/seats, limited electric crap that would distract their employees, and repair-ability that won't require a stealership.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday January 18 2019, @01:32AM (1 child)
Now this is true, and why Fords are the girliest trucks of all the American brands. Their dash info is simple and isn't trying to be a 747 cockpit.
False. "American" brands all have access to cheaper and more quickly available parts, and simplicity isn't always a bad thing when you gotta fix it. Nobody wants to drop the engine just to be able to replace spark plugs.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by toddestan on Friday January 18 2019, @03:42AM
Actually I wouldn't mind a dash like a 747 cockpit. The cockpit of a 747 is all business, it's just that you've got a lot controls, dials, gauges, displays, etc. to operate a 747.
What I don't want is some cheesy dashboard that looks like a 1990's Aiwa mini-system or a 1337 gamerz laptop, but sadly that seems to be the in thing now.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday January 18 2019, @01:10AM (3 children)
It seems to me that what we really need to make electric vehicles take off is a cheap, compact, high-efficiency gas or diesel generator. That, a gas tank , and enough batteries for 20-40 miles would let most people do 90+% of their driving on batteries alone, without any range anxiety for longer trips.
Personally I'd like to see some EVs without all the complex "high tech" electronics and screens - just give me a nice simple cheap vehicle with a battery gauge alongside the gas gauge, and maybe a switch that lets me toggle between "daily driving" and "road trip" modes so that the charging circuit knows if it should only kick in when the batteries are almost drained, or be maintaining a charge. The simplification inherent in electric should reasonably allow such a thing to be made even more cheaply than a traditional vehicle, while eliminating most of the emissions and dramatically increasing the low-end torque for the same top speed.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday January 18 2019, @01:19AM
The future of trucks is trains
Wiki on diesel-electric transmission
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday January 18 2019, @01:28AM (1 child)
If you want electric/hybrid vehicles to succeed, you need good marketing. And that marketing should be directed towards demographics other than venture capitalists, San Francisco programmers, hipsters, all other hollow virtual-signalers and upper middle-class bandwagoners, fags, and generally people who experience no labor or danger in driving whatsoever. If you want your electric or hybrid vehicle to succeed, you want to see at least one per day on the road that doesn't have Hillary 2016 or Apple stickers on it.
The problem with electric vehicles and hybrids is that they are still markers of privilege rather than utility. Put data and parts out there so that average Joe Shit the Ragman can buy the parts and fix it himself, and you're off to a good start.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Immerman on Friday January 18 2019, @02:38AM
Agreed - except that the wealthy and upper-middle class are actually a really good introductory target market for a product. It's a lot harder to convince someone to buy unproven technology that doesn't yet benefit from mass production when they can't afford it. In fact, big ticket impulse buys/virtue signalling, is probably one of the biggest contributions most wealthy people make to society. Building a customer base large enough to get economies of scale to start kicking in so that the prices can fall to the point that the rest of us can afford it.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday January 18 2019, @01:10AM
Agreed. My '16 supercab longbed with the v8 can get up to 28 highway, when towing 11k from Alaska to Oregon I averaged 23. In stop and go town traffic I can't break 13. I would love a hybrid to handle the stop and go. Ford has said previously that the 2020 should be a hybrid, but we will see.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @10:06AM (2 children)
I mean the biggest gripe I've heard is the new aluminum framed F150s are shit for what a truck is used for. And since that was done to meet emission and fuel economy requirements, it should be completely possible for them to backtrack on it now that those requirements are being mooted by a switch to hybrid or fully electric drivetrains, which while reducing 'empty' fuel economy capacity a bit will actually improve towing capacity as the frame will be able to withstand the abuse common to most F150 owners (which I imagine are mostly farmers/contractors needing a heavy duty work truck, just based on those I have spoken to. Yuppie truck owners obviously can own whatever, since it is perception not practicality they care about.)
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 18 2019, @06:58PM
> I mean the biggest gripe I've heard is the new aluminum framed F150s are shit for what a truck is used for.
I would be glad to learn about actual practical examples of the Al frame being the problem in a truck.
The guys at Ford are much better material engineers than me, and I already know that the right Al grade will have strength similar to steel, at a lot less weight. Since i don't believe Ford would risk their cash cow with such a radical change without doing, redoing, and triple-checking their homework, I'd really like you to show me actual examples of the shittitude of the Al frame.
(disclaimer: I pretty much hate all of those pickups, steel or Al, unless I see them loaded to the brim with construction stuff, which is a tiny portion in my suburbs. Don't mistake me for a Ford fan)
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Saturday January 19 2019, @04:55AM
The body on the new trucks are aluminum, the frame is still the same steel it always was. They did increase the sixe of the frame, on my 2013 it appeared to be 2"x4" and on my 2016 it is closer to 4" x4", makes jacking it up to work on it much easier.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam