Posted on 06/22/2021 8:02:07 AM PDT by Red Badger
When President Joe Biden took Ford’s electric F-150 Lightning pickup for a test drive in Dearborn, Mich., in May, the event was more than a White House photo op. It marked a new phase in an accelerating shift from gas-powered cars and trucks to electric vehicles, or EVs.
In recent months, global auto manufacturers have released plans to electrify their vehicle fleets by 2030 or 2035, setting up a race to see who can most quickly shift entirely away from producing vehicles powered by gasoline.
, I see this moment as pivotal because unlike EVs from manufacturers such as Toyota or Tesla, the electric F-150 does not entirely rely on green consumer choice. It places the electric vehicle transition squarely in the hands of mass-market consumers who don’t choose vehicles based on environmental considerations. Like Biden, former President Donald Trump promised to create jobs in the auto industry. But Trump sought to do it by perpetuating a fossil-fueled system that is the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Auto makers benefited from some Trump policies in the short term, including the rollback of fuel economy standards. Now, however, they seem to be embracing the challenge of competing globally in a climate-constrained future.
As an environmental historian, I see this moment as pivotal because unlike EVs from manufacturers such as Toyota or Tesla the electric F-150 does not entirely rely on green consumer choice. It places the electric vehicle transition squarely in the hands of mass-market consumers who don’t choose vehicles based on environmental considerations, and who are buying far more light trucks—pickups, sport-utility vehicles and minivans—than cars today.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Ford has also submitted patents for a removable range extender motor disguised as one of those aftermarket, bed-mounted tool boxes. The motor would kick in to recharge the battery in the event there’s no charging station nearby.
If the government and the utility providers really believed electric car sales were going to grow strongly they’d be working on the grid to provide the massive power that will be needed to charge them.
They aren’t, the power grid is creaky, barely getting by (watch the coming brownouts this summer) and nothing is being done about it.
Good idea if you tow one with your electric car all you have to stop for is diesel fuel stops.
I live in the Big Valley here in California, albeit in an exurb nestled against the Altamont Hills (which means most of the residents are more likely to work for Silicon Valley than agricultural businesses). I see a lot of pickups here but the vast majority are what I call “boutique pickups” which are shiny and festooned with chrome. I suspect the owner would curl up in a fetal position if a speck of dust got in the bed, let alone some hay or manure. I can see the “boutique pickup” crowd going for the Lightning. Serious working stuffs? Nah.
“What’s the towing capacity....especially in 4WD?”
You want that in miles or feet?
Replacing the batteries is an all-day job, and just the labor alone will be near $1000. Somewhere in this...will be a disposal fee for the old batteries (my guess is around $300). Then comes the plain cost of the new batteries. And I seriously doubt any warranty continues on the vehicle if you tried to do the battery stuff yourself.
LOL... We will see how long people like this.
Anyone notice that they never address the fact that these electric vehicle are pretty useless in the cold.
😂
Electric car manufacturers are missing the boat. You can buy a battery for a ice car anywhere, they are quite interchangeable.
EV manufacturers should standardize an array of battery sizes so you can pull into an exchange station and have a charged battery installed in 10 minutes and be on your way, leaving your depleted battery to be charged and put into another car.
No more worry about battery replacements, batteries would be like gasoline, get a charged one and be one your way in a few minutes.
EV manufacturers are Dumbbells.
RUns on diesel?.................
Who actually wrote this article? Ford or the Biden people?
> if you tow one with your electric car all you have to stop for is diesel fuel stops <
But you can’t call it a diesel generator. That would upset the Greenies. Instead call it an “electrical assist device”. Yep, that’s the ticket.
MSN...................
Agree. Btw, several years ago as the transit people were christening a train to run from Stockton to San Jose, one pr person, apparently serious, proposed a slogan of “From cow chips to silicon chips.” Didn’t fly, of course.
starts at $10K over the F150. Worth it? Not to me.
How much do new batteries cost? Or do they last forever?
Now build it with four wheel drive, a bed big enough for 4 bales of hay and a 4x8 sheet of plywood and tranny assist for pulling at least a 2 horse trailer up a moderate grade. Then i’ll raise one eyebrow.
Or a mobile inverter sound more green.
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