Originally published at: Base model electric Ford F150 apparently handles and accelerates like a sportscar | Boing Boing
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I mean yeah, pretty much anything with an electric motor is going to have way snappier acceleration than you can get with an ICE unless it’s deliberately set up not to.
Not surprising, I remember statistics saying that if the gains in ICE engineering had been applied to fuel efficiency instead of more power, cars today would be doing hundreds of miles to the gallon, not doing Sonic the hedgehog impersonations.
TLDR, goes fast is the bit that will sell more cars most of the time.
I can see this vehicle selling well to folks who work in open pit mines (where massive dump trucks have been electric for many years) or in semi remote areas that don’t have easy access to gas that need a on site landscaping vehicle. But it’s still going to be a tough sell to the average joe who wants a big truck to only use the cab to haul things from a lumberyard or Home Depot less than 4 times a year.
Base model electric Ford F150 apparently handles and accelerates like a sportscar
So that’s why Ford threatened to sue Ferrari over their F1 car’s name
Seriously though, I would like to see Ford take this F150 around the Nürburgring a few times with a professional driver. That could convince some of the average joe drivers who @mr_raccoon talks about.
I think it’s going to have a HUGE impact on the consumer truck market.
I think businesses will initially glom onto them because of the (ostensibly) lower running costs (less maintenance, negligible fuel cost); and a lot of the folks actually driving those trucks for said businesses will see the above benefits themselves. And the ridiculous quickness will win over even more buyers.
It won’t be a wholesale conversion - some folks WANT a bellowing diesel, or have applications that aren’t ideal for EVs. But if it’s well done, I think this will have encourage adoption of EVs faster than any vehicle we’ve seen to date.
Do we have a price point yet, I’m in the market for a truck.
Car ads are so ridiculous and do so much to undermine the message of safe, efficient, utilitarian driving. The ones that show people speeding through completely empty cities should be outright banned just based on heinous misrepresentation of reality.
From what I’ve seen the electric F150 will be in the range of $41k. Personally I think it’s a lot bigger than necessary and would be much more interested in the Maverick hybrid, which gets 40 mpg and is only $20k. For that price you could buy one for your truck needs and still have enough money to buy a nice used electric car for commuting.
Pretty sure the base model starts at ~40k, just like the Tesla truck. It is much less truck for that price than the Tesla but you may have a tribal aversion to the company as many do here.
What’s the tow and, more importantly, stopping power? I need it to handle a two horse slant bumper pull trailer.
That type of weight will reduce the total battery mileage, I did see that extra large batteries will be available at additional cost.
I doubt that’s the average F150 owner. The average one probably just likes to think he needs it to “haul” stuff but uses it for trips to Walmart. And it’s perfectly fine to use electric vehicles for that. Then again if they thought logically about things they wouldn’t buy a “truck” in the first place.
Many of the gains in ICE engineering have been applied to lowering emissions as well. I recall when Honda had a Civic that got 50 miles to the gallon, and not a hybrid. It wouldn’t pass today’s emissions standards, though.
Then there is the whole trend of truck hoods being designed taller every year. The marketing is selling a macho image, so “bigger is better” etc. Drivers are not able to see anyone under 5’. Just becuase it is electric doesn’t mean they are going to magically be safer.
But how does it roll coal?
Had a civic station wagon 1979, it got solid 40 miles to the gallon. Sadly it was stolen in San Francisco. Nice grocery get’er.
That requires the optional trailer-mounted coal-fired furnace pull-behind feature. You have to provide your own stoker.
I wonder what the electric equivalent of Rolling Coal would be. Something involving aftermarket Tesla coils or Jacob’s ladders, maybe?