Ford Is Developing a Powerful All-Electric F-Series Truck

[cageymaru]

At the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference at the MGM Grand Detroit, Ford's president of global markets, Jim Farley discussed the F-series trucks and future plans to electrify them. Not only did he say, "We're going to be electrifying the F-series -- battery electric and hybrid," he also announced an all-electric version of the Transit van. Ford confirmed it is launching an electric SUV that is inspired by the Mustang. When asked about the SUV, Farley said, "Trust us, it's a rocket ship," Ford also announced a global alliance with Volkswagen AG where the companies would collaborate on future commercial vehicles such as vans and pickups. The collaboration is expected to yield new autonomous vehicles, mobility services and electric vehicles; with the possibility of other vehicle programs being added in the future.

"With the F-150 electric, you don't have to have an expensive generator on site now," he said. "You can just plug your tools into your truck and that electric powertrain will run all the tools on the job site. Customers will pay for that because now they don't have to buy a expensive $10,000 generator."

 

[Brian_B]

I gotta admit I will consider this just for the generator aspect

 

[cageymaru]

I gotta admit I will consider this just for the generator aspect

That came from the CNBC link if you want to read more.

 

[mnewxcv]

Well there are 3 or 4 startup companies claiming their electric pickup will be amazing. Some claiming something like 10,000 lb ft of torque. I'll believe it when I see it, but I think there will be some serious competition in the electric pickup market within 3 years.

 

[Twisted Kidney]

The potential for EVs, especially in work applications is massive.

Just need to lick that storage problem.

 

[exiled350]

I totally get the desire for an electric powertrain pickup, but using it as an on-site battery... The whole point of a generator is to convert an easily portable hydrocarbon fuel to on demand electricity. Driving a big ass battery to the job site and using it to power tools sounds like a terrible idea. What's the likelihood that anyone is going to be watching the charge to make sure there is enough power to get home? Pretty slim. Then what, call out a diesel powered tow truck to drag your 7500lb battery to a charging station.

Sell the damn thing for what it is, an alternative propulsion ass mover in the shape of a pickup. That wouldn't be disruptive though I guess.

 

[steakman1971]

I'm wondering how the guys that drive pickup trucks (truck nut-types) and block charging stations are going to react to an electric vehicle? I can't see this being a hit with them.

 

[ir0nw0lf]

I'm wondering how the guys that drive pickup trucks (truck nut-types) and block charging stations are going to react to an electric vehicle? I can't see this being a hit with them.

Probably not unlike the stink with Harley and their upcoming electric bike.

 

[pcgeekesq]

An electric off-road vehicle would be nice -- quietly and non-pollutingly seeing the wonders of nature along the fire roads that criss-cross our National Parks and Forests would be amazing. Then take it a step further, pack a big solar panel array along with your luggage, and use the vehicle as the core of your extended-stay camp.

Yeah, I'd do that.

 

[Nanogrip]

An electric motor assisted drivetrain for a pickup truck would tickle my pickle. There's tons of space that can be configured to include a system. And if the electric motor goes kaput, it'll still be able to drive (with a bit of a parasitic drain).

 

[Eymar]

I totally get the desire for an electric powertrain pickup, but using it as an on-site battery... The whole point of a generator is to convert an easily portable hydrocarbon fuel to on demand electricity. Driving a big ass battery to the job site and using it to power tools sounds like a terrible idea. What's the likelihood that anyone is going to be watching the charge to make sure there is enough power to get home? Pretty slim. Then what, call out a diesel powered tow truck to drag your 7500lb battery to a charging station.

Sell the damn thing for what it is, an alternative propulsion ass mover in the shape of a pickup. That wouldn't be disruptive though I guess.

Guessing the on-site generator will be for the hybrid model with the gas engine charging the battery if needed. Unless Ford has really bad engineers, pretty sure the software will cutoff the outlets at a certain battery level.

 

[T4rd]

An electric motor assisted drivetrain for a pickup truck would tickle my pickle. There's tons of space that can be configured to include a system. And if the electric motor goes kaput, it'll still be able to drive (with a bit of a parasitic drain).

Dodge has that now with their eTorque system. But the electric motor seems to barely do anything for it and is only good for starting out at low speeds.

 

[Crystoff]

So now our rancher wannabees can shop for groceries at the electrical equivalent of 12 mpg - assuming you can still drive one of these with cowboy boots. Well, that will at least be an improvement over today, with the smog and the boots..

 

[Dead Parrot]

From one of TFAs. "The No. 1 complaint in our data is that vehicles are too expensive," Krebs said.

Until Ford and for that matter Tesla solves this problem, EVs will continue to be a niche product for the well off. Wonder if they will have a real pickup truck or just sedan replacement versions?

 

[Shadowed]

The electric F150 is going to really expensive I bet. It will essentially be a luxury vehicle, but I also consider fully loaded trucks luxury.

 

[[21CW]killerofall]

They should just call it the Model F-Yea truck.

 

[nutzo]

I totally get the desire for an electric powertrain pickup, but using it as an on-site battery... The whole point of a generator is to convert an easily portable hydrocarbon fuel to on demand electricity. Driving a big ass battery to the job site and using it to power tools sounds like a terrible idea. What's the likelihood that anyone is going to be watching the charge to make sure there is enough power to get home? Pretty slim. Then what, call out a diesel powered tow truck to drag your 7500lb battery to a charging station.

This is where a Hybrid shines, you just need a 120 volt inverter connected to the high voltage battery.
When the battery starts getting low, the ICE starts up and charges the battery. Works until you run out of gas.
Even better if this is from the factory, and they have a mode where you can lock the car/truck in generator mode, so someone can't steal it while it's being used as a generator.

 

[jfreund]

I totally get the desire for an electric powertrain pickup, but using it as an on-site battery... The whole point of a generator is to convert an easily portable hydrocarbon fuel to on demand electricity. Driving a big ass battery to the job site and using it to power tools sounds like a terrible idea. What's the likelihood that anyone is going to be watching the charge to make sure there is enough power to get home? Pretty slim. Then what, call out a diesel powered tow truck to drag your 7500lb battery to a charging station.

Sell the damn thing for what it is, an alternative propulsion ass mover in the shape of a pickup. That wouldn't be disruptive though I guess.

One of the attractions for the Model A and the Model T was that a user could remove a wheel and use the drivetrain to power other tasks. Don't discount the value of transporting power.

I recently purchased a diesel pickup because that will be the best tool to perform the task I anticipate performing. If an electric/hybrid vehicle demonstrates the ability to tow several thousand pounds for hundreds of miles until requiring a refuel, and a refuel requiring about 15 minutes, I will be very interested.

Ford producing an electric pickup is part of a progression of electric vehicles. When there is an electric option that performs to desired specifications at a task, at a competitive price, then electric vehicles gain a place in the market.

My daily commute would be serviceable by an electric vehicle, but it is not currently cost effective to purchase an electric vehicle for that task. Tech advancements may change that, but for now an electric vehicle is not a cost effective option for me.

 

[travisty]

From one of TFAs. "The No. 1 complaint in our data is that vehicles are too expensive," Krebs said.

Until Ford and for that matter Tesla solves this problem, EVs will continue to be a niche product for the well off. Wonder if they will have a real pickup truck or just sedan replacement versions?

Batteries are dropping in price per kw exponentially with a doubling (halving) time of roughly 5 years. Affordable electric will be here sooner than most imagine

 

[mkk]

Not sure if the coal people will be impressed, I hear they run their tools with steam.

 

[Vega]

I for one welcome our electric overlords.

 

[exiled350]

Guessing the on-site generator will be for the hybrid model with the gas engine charging the battery if needed. Unless Ford has really bad engineers, pretty sure the software will cutoff the outlets at a certain battery level.

This is where a Hybrid shines, you just need a 120 volt inverter connected to the high voltage battery.
When the battery starts getting low, the ICE starts up and charges the battery. Works until you run out of gas.
Even better if this is from the factory, and they have a mode where you can lock the car/truck in generator mode, so someone can't steal it while it's being used as a generator.

I totally glazed over the hybrid part. If they released a proper hybrid with a 600v battery pack and a three phase generator then they'd have a winner in that aspect. That would allow you to run a welder or 80gal air compressor out of the back of the truck.

 

[dreadcthulhu]

So now our rancher wannabees can shop for groceries at the electrical equivalent of 12 mpg - assuming you can still drive one of these with cowboy boots. Well, that will at least be an improvement over today, with the smog and the boots..

That gets me thinking about some of the secondary effects of wide-spread electric vehicles. Since electricity is so much cheaper than gas, people will have less reason not to get a bigger car, if that is what they want. Checking fueleconomy.gov, a Tesla Model X (a big 3 row SUV) has the same "fuel" cost as a Toyota Prius. I imagine these pickups won't use much more electricity than the Model X, and thus will cost less than conventional compact cars to run. And electricity being both cheaper and more stable in price than gas (no worries about middle eastern shenanigans driving the price up) people will be willing to do longer commutes - and then add self-driving technology on top of that. Even a 150 mile commute would only be $5-$6 a day in a Tesla Model 3 for example; $8 or so for the least efficient Model X flavor. This should have some very interesting effects on urban settlement patterns.

 

[sadsteve]

Couple questions in regards to the all electric version:

1) What's the range on a full charge?
2) How long does it take to recharge (say from 25% or less to 100%).

My biggest concern with an all electric vehicle is the recharge time. I could see having something like the Chevy Bolt as an 'around town' car but it would be terrible for any long trips (which I do frequently). A 2017 Chevy Bolt takes 9 hours on a 240 volt feed at 32 amps to be fully charged (I'm assuming that's from a 0% charge). With these kinds of recharging times, I'll stick with my Honda Civic ICE.

 

[NightReaver]

An electric off-road vehicle would be nice -- quietly and non-pollutingly seeing the wonders of nature along the fire roads that criss-cross our National Parks and Forests would be amazing. Then take it a step further, pack a big solar panel array along with your luggage, and use the vehicle as the core of your extended-stay camp.

Yeah, I'd do that.

Yeah, just ignore the powerplants that the power comes from. Or the massive strip mining required for the minerals to produce solar panels/ batteries. "Green" tech is a farce today, only nuclear power comes anywhere close.

 

[Master_shake_]

I'm wondering how the guys that drive pickup trucks (truck nut-types) and block charging stations are going to react to an electric vehicle? I can't see this being a hit with them.

i have a friend with a hybrid GM truck.

the only reason he has it is because the company he works for pays for the repairs.

take that for what it's worth.

 

[Comixbooks]

How are you suppose to do a Power Stand with an Electric Ford Truck?

 

[Galvin]

Do electric vehicles have less things that can break? Cheaper repairs? Since they don't have all the same parts as gas powered

 

[WorldExclusive]

Looking forward to an all electric truck. My Titan XD is cool, but I know at some point gas prices will go through the roof.

 

[Despotes]

No thanks. Unaffordable. Recharging takes too long. Tech isn't there yet. How's that battery working when it's -20F? What's going to provide enough heat to the cabin when it's really cold outside w/o draining the battery? Slap a windmill on top? I do like the quietness and acceleration if that matters. lol

 

[MikeTrike]

Also ditch Windows XP...

 

[Reimu]

The potential for EVs, especially in work applications is massive.

Just need to lick that storage problem.

We are finally getting to that 300mi on 80kWh battery packs mark, but the energy density issue is still daunting.

Do electric vehicles have less things that can break? Cheaper repairs? Since they don't have all the same parts as gas powered

A lot less. EV have only a handful of moving parts in their drivetrain versus internal combustion. Nissan LEAF for example has around 30 odd moving parts in total, as with Tesla model S.
A typical internal combustion engine drivetrain can add up to 10000 moving parts in all.

No thanks. Unaffordable. Recharging takes too long. Tech isn't there yet. How's that battery working when it's -20F? What's going to provide enough heat to the cabin when it's really cold outside w/o draining the battery? Slap a windmill on top? I do like the quietness and acceleration if that matters. lol

Well yeah, for the time being. Although I gotta tell ya, electric heaters come on way faster than normal heater in a car, and the efficiency is higher.

Couple questions in regards to the all electric version:

1) What's the range on a full charge?
2) How long does it take to recharge (say from 25% or less to 100%).

My biggest concern with an all electric vehicle is the recharge time. I could see having something like the Chevy Bolt as an 'around town' car but it would be terrible for any long trips (which I do frequently). A 2017 Chevy Bolt takes 9 hours on a 240 volt feed at 32 amps to be fully charged (I'm assuming that's from a 0% charge). With these kinds of recharging times, I'll stick with my Honda Civic ICE.

I think expect around 200mi for now on a 85kWh cell pack is reasonable. Your charging time from 20 to 80% would be fairly spiffy on a L3 charger, being less than 1hr. Yes, bolt will take 9hr to go from 0 to 100% on L2 charger 240V 32A, which should be comparable to what you are dealing with when it comes to the Ford EV.

 

[Reimu]

From one of TFAs. "The No. 1 complaint in our data is that vehicles are too expensive," Krebs said.

Until Ford and for that matter Tesla solves this problem, EVs will continue to be a niche product for the well off. Wonder if they will have a real pickup truck or just sedan replacement versions?

It is actually getting cheap (without incentive). Mercedes-Benz is aiming at that $20,000 mark. I doubt you will see sedan from Ford (they are done with that market)

Edit: I wonder just how many of us actually use EV. I got my LEAF (highest trim) at $14k with only 15k miles on it. That car I use as my daily driver and for groceries. Not sensible for people who live in flats and can't install their own charger, even over BC/WA/OR

 

[Joust]

Ok. So, I'm sure some people are thinking it. I'll just say it. An all electric truck has effectively no real use case. Maybe certain commercial application - in the same sense that electric forklifts are a thing. Limited use. If a truck is to be used to tow or move any amount of payload, it'll tax the crap out of any available battery tech. It's not even close.
Hybrid truck - now that has some legs to it, if properly implemented.

 

[Reimu]

Ok. So, I'm sure some people are thinking it. I'll just say it. An all electric truck has effectively no real use case. Maybe certain commercial application - in the same sense that electric forklifts are a thing. Limited use. If a truck is to be used to tow or move any amount of payload, it'll tax the crap out of any available battery tech. It's not even close.
Hybrid truck - now that has some legs to it, if properly implemented.

I wouldn't bother with a truck either. EV for work van is where it's at.

 

[Virtual_Bomber]

A 2017 Chevy Bolt takes 9 hours on a 240 volt feed at 32 amps to be fully charged (I'm assuming that's from a 0% charge).

Fucking hell man, thats like running 2 or 3 5-ton residential AC units at once. Fucking ridiculous.

 

[serpretetsky]

The whole point of a generator is to convert an easily portable hydrocarbon fuel to on demand electricity. Driving a big ass battery to the job site and using it to power tools sounds like a terrible idea. What's the likelihood that anyone is going to be watching the charge to make sure there is enough power to get home? Pretty slim. Then what, call out a diesel powered tow truck to drag your 7500lb battery to a charging station.

Meh, not sure I see the need for electric truck but at the same time I don't see any problem with using an electric vehicle as power source. Have it cut off providing 120v power at 40%, your good to go. Tesla battery is typically 85kWhours, 60% of that is in the same ball bark as most small generators. Shrug. Obviously it still has all the other downsides of electric, but I don't see anything particularly bad about using it as a power source.

Example:
https://www.westinghouseportablepower.com/shop/all-products/wgen7500/#tab-specifications
7.5kw genereator 11 hours runtime @50%load . Thats 7.5kw*11hours*50% ~ 40kwhours
Gas generators also continue to use some fuel while there is no load. An electric system can cut down on power usage dramatically when there is no load.

 

[WorldExclusive]

Ok. So, I'm sure some people are thinking it. I'll just say it. An all electric truck has effectively no real use case. Maybe certain commercial application - in the same sense that electric forklifts are a thing. Limited use. If a truck is to be used to tow or move any amount of payload, it'll tax the crap out of any available battery tech. It's not even close.
Hybrid truck - now that has some legs to it, if properly implemented.

Using current tech, maybe. Using some form of breakthrough tech, possible.
Trucks have more room to house more tech. Engineers will figure it out before anything is released. Ford especially can't deliver a poor performing F-150.

 

[Joust]

Using current tech, maybe. Using some form of breakthrough tech, possible.
Trucks have more room to house more tech. Engineers will figure it out before anything is released. Ford especially can't deliver a poor performing F-150.

Current tech is what's on the table, though. If the tech we're different, then it'd be a different analysis. But it's not, so it's not.

They've delivered poor performing F-250/350's in recent years. Lost gobs of market share after the 7.3L diesel.

 

[[Spectre]]

Mercedes-Benz is aiming at that $20,000 mark.

That would make it the cheapest Mercedes Benz in their lineup.....that seems kind of unlikely....especially in the short term.