Questions for Lightning Event?

[BottledLightning]

Hey all, headed to a Ford commercial electric vehicle event this Friday. Any Qs you want me to drill down on and see what they spill?

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[F150ROD]

Is the instrument cluster trim final or will there be a chrome piece around the trim?

 

[sotek2345]

I know it has been asked, but keep pushing on them on when the order banks will open and the production numbers.

And this is more for the drive vs. a question, but how is the acceleration at higher speeds (say above 50). The Mach-e GT is seeing some issues here (more than expected power falloff with speed.

 

[Kiggulak]

• I'd like to know the all the add on costs a la carte for a fully loaded Pro, running boards?, 360 camera, and the other options (9.6Kw Pro on board power), max towing pkg(what if any increase in towing does this get), cloth seats?.
• Confirm the cost of the 80A EVSE and that you can use the Vehicle to grid with the standard battery pack.
  • Is the 80A AC only (with the DC pins for Vehicle to Grid) or is it full CCS AC and DC?

 

[BottledLightning]

• I'd like to know the all the add on costs a la carte for a fully loaded Pro, running boards?, 360 camera, and the other options (9.6Kw Pro on board power), max towing pkg(what if any increase in towing does this get), cloth seats?.
• Confirm the cost of the 80A EVSE and that you can use the Vehicle to grid with the standard battery pack.
  • Is the 80A AC only (with the DC pins for Vehicle to Grid) or is it full CCS AC and DC?

Are you referring to a Pro standard battery pack or large pack which is exclusive to fleet?

Per the current available technical specs I can answer at least two items for you. The Standard battery pack can have the intelligent back up power. Cloth seats are not available on the Pro.

 

[Kiggulak]

Are you referring to a Pro standard battery pack or large pack which is exclusive to fleet?

Per the current available technical specs I can answer at least two items for you. The Standard battery pack can have the intelligent back up power. Cloth seats are not available on the Pro.

Previous tour Q&A said both running boards and cloth seats should/could be an available option for the Pro Model. Current spec/tech sheets do not include these details, also not listed on this site's pricing excel sheet.

I was talking about the F150 Pro model with a standard battery pack using the 80A EVSE for vehicle to grid, and the pro-power 9.6Kw package upgrade (240 outlet) from the 4.2Kw standard bed power rail. Silly naming overlap.

Pricing for each option, since the 80A charger also requires a smart inverter/transfer switch from Sunrun with pricing to be determined.

I just returned from the Lightning Tour. Here are the questions and the answers I received:

1. Two charging ports? (Different location on the Pro?) No. Only one charging port and it is the same on all trims. The other is only cosmetic.
2. Are the rear lights different between the trims? No, the same on all trims. (This is not the tailgate light.)
3. Does the Pro have running boards as an option? If no, Would aftermarket running board be feasible? He wasn't sure.
4. What is the target production of lightning in 2022? Confirm 15,000 will be built in 2022. He isn't sure. I asked about the 15,000 amount and he says he hasn't seen that from Ford.
5. Can you do all the financing and purchasing online? He isn't sure. He believes that is a dealer question.
6. Why no ER on the Pro trim? Is the "no ER on Pro for consumers" only for 2022 or is this permanent? He says it is very possible that the Pro will have ER in future years, just not on the 2022 due to demand.
7. Is Fleet and Commercial one and the same for the Pro? (Fleet only) Yes.
8. Sid Ford mention a Plug In Hybrid F150 (PHEV) like Chevy Volt's and Toyota RAV4 Prime's? This seems like it would be a more logical extension of the Hybrid Power Boost F150, which by the way I have and love? Nothing has been announced.
9. Will the Pro Trim have the fold down work surface? He says all models will have the fold down work surface. (As a side note, I asked about the bench seat and he thinks it will be an option in future years.)
10. More information on the inverter for the intelligent power back up. He says they don't know as they are waiting on SunRun. I asked if any electrician can install it and he says believes it is proprietary to SunRun. But he isn't positive.
11. Will leases be available on the Lightning at launch? He isn't sure but doesn't know why it wouldn't be.
12. How will the ordering be done for reservation holders? He has no idea. (More about this below.)
13. Gooseneck hitch? Told no. He claims none of their half-ton F150's have this and the Lightning won't either. I don't know if this is true or not.
14. 4 bolts holding the battery pack in place? He laughed and said the Town and Country guy really had his own agenda script. What he said was there are 4 bolts on each side.
15. Can Individually replace specific cells in battery pack? Yes!
16. Is there a bedliner included with the truck? Is Pro bed come sprayed standard? Or it is bare with a liner as option? He believes it is an option and comes standard on certain trim levels.
17. What is the clearance from the ground to the lowest point at the rear bumper/hitch on the Pro? 9"
18. Also will the Ford Options Balloon Payment be available for the lightning like the Mach-E? He doesn't know why not, but he isn't sure.
19. will people who already have home charging stations have the option of buying the Lightning without the ford charging station for a discount? I already have a charger in my driveway and one in my garage… No. It comes with the charger. He says it will work better with their charger.
20. Will the 80A EVSE connect with a J1772 connector or CCS connector? HE says both. I don't know enough about the charges yet to challenge him.
21. Will equipment needed for intelligent home back-up, apart from the 80A EVSE, be proprietary to Ford or Sunrun? He believes SunRun has proprietary equipment. However, he also said SunRun hasn't told them anything yet so he could be wrong.
22. Can the vehicle be charged while operating in the off grid mode? yes
23. Can the intelligent home back-up and pro power onboard output operate at the same time for up to the total of 17.6kW indicated on tech spec pages for "onboard charger power output"? He believes yes, but isn't sure.
24. I would love to know how much 12V power the DC/DC converter can supply to aftermarket accessories (e.g. winch, audio amplifiers, etc) and if there is space for a full size 12v battery anywhere. He pointed out there is already a 12v battery behind the door compartment in the frunk.
25. What's the cost of the 80A pro charger available for purchase separately with STD battery? He believes $1,500.
26. Will non Ford EVs be able to use the pro charger at the 80A rate some time in the future, or is it proprietary enough to preclude that? Non Ford EVs can use it no problem.
27. How to open frunk when 12V battery dies? He says they are looking into that question themselves. He doesn't know yet.
28. Would there be an issue if I replace 12V battery with Lithium Ion? No issue, but he doesn't know why you would.
29. Will there be a cloth interior option on the Pro model? He believes there will be but they haven't seen the guide yet. He said whatever options currently exist on the equivalent F150 trim levels will be available on the Lightning.
30. Will there be a leather option on the XLT? See answer above.
31. Will there be an option for the 15.5” on the XLT? He doesn't know as they haven't seen the guide yet.
32. Will there be tether anchors in backseat of Pro model for forward facing car seats (3 at once)? There are only 2. There isn't one in the middle seat.
33. When Ford provided the number of reservations (currently over 120k), is that just retail or does that include commercial as well? He says Ford has not told them.
34. Is the battery design / manufacturing from SKI for the lightning sufficiently different from the LG pouch cells to avoid the fire problems the Bolt is having? I worry this guy, although he seemed to be the main guy there (Mo for those of you who attend in the future) may not know what he is talking about. He says they are LG batteries. I said everything I have read is that they are SKI batteries. He was surprised by that.
35. Can they provide any more details about how home power backup will work? (what equipment is needed beside the truck and charge station pro, does it use the inverter on truck, etc). It will not use the inverter on the truck. It requires the SunRun inverter he says.
36. When will the build and price tool be released and will that be in advance of orders opening up? He said that a person there received an email and it told him the build and pricing tool would be made available to him soon. He pointed him out to me and I spoke with the guy. He says he is confused by the email. It says his place in line has been reserved. He says he has no idea what that is supposed to mean. It was sent on August 5th. He is interpreting the language, "your place in line has been reserved" means he is part of the 15,000. He says he reserved within 10 minutes of the reveal. The photo of this portion is below. I am not sure what to think. But he is under the impression he will be able to price and build his lightning this month.
    

 

[Rando]

And this is more for the drive vs. a question, but how is the acceleration at higher speeds (say above 50). The Mach-e GT is seeing some issues here (more than expected power falloff with speed.

I’m curious how the 40-60 and 60-80 acceleration is in the F150 as well. The Mach-E GT and GTPE are falling on their face after 40-60mph and coming in with some pretty pathetic 1/4 mile times for how much power they are rated for.

 

[astricklin]

I’m curious how the 40-60 and 60-80 acceleration is in the F150 as well. The Mach-E GT and GTPE are falling on their face after 40-60mph and coming in with some pretty pathetic 1/4 mile times for how much power they are rated for.

It'll be faster then my smart fortwo or my Prius so I'm sure I won't even notice.

 

[F150ROD]

I’m curious how the 40-60 and 60-80 acceleration is in the F150 as well. The Mach-E GT and GTPE are falling on their face after 40-60mph and coming in with some pretty pathetic 1/4 mile times for how much power they are rated for.

Don't expect anything different, the same thing use to happen to my Model 3, it also depends on charge. EV's at highway speeds have enough power to get out of their way, but if you are looking to outrun an ICE..... it's not going to happen

Can you ask about software updates to increase range in the future?

 

[sotek2345]

Don't expect anything different, the same thing use to happen to my Model 3, it also depends on charge. EV's at highway speeds have enough power to get out of their way, but if you are looking to outrun an ICE..... it's not going to happen

Can you ask about software updates to increase range in the future?

Yeah, bit the issue is that the Mach-e GTs and GTPEs are performing significantly worse than even the Model Y long range at those speeds (bit faster before 50 or 60) the GTs are actually trapping shower than the regular 4x models in a quarter mile.

 

[Fordskeptic]

Ford has described the Lighning as 4 WD and lists "off road" as a drive mode. What is happening mechanically in off road mode?

4 WD is required for beach permits in my neck of the woods, meaning AWD need not apply. Is the Lightning going to qualify as 4 WD?

 

[astricklin]

Ford has described the Lighning as 4 WD and lists "off road" as a drive mode. What is happening mechanically in off road mode?

4 WD is required for beach permits in my neck of the woods, meaning AWD need not apply. Is the Lightning going to qualify as 4 WD?

Why does it have to be 4wd and not awd? How do they define this? Does it have to have a low range transfer case? Does it have to be capable of a 2wd mode? Doest it have to have a locking differential (many 4wd vehicles don't)? Technically a range Rover has awd, I'm pretty sure it can handle the beach and would they deny it a permit?
They are going to have to rethink how they define awd vs 4wd when it comes to electric vehicles. Awd electric vehicles will for the most part have two or more electric motors powering each axel independently. The lightning will not have a 2wd mode, it will not have a low range transfer case(it has a fixed gear ratio). It does however have a locking rear differential.

 

[greenne]

Why does it have to be 4wd and not awd? How do they define this? Does it have to have a low range transfer case? Does it have to be capable of a 2wd mode? Doest it have to have a locking differential (many 4wd vehicles don't)? Technically a range Rover has awd, I'm pretty sure it can handle the beach and would they deny it a permit?
They are going to have to rethink how they define awd vs 4wd when it comes to electric vehicles. Awd electric vehicles will for the most part have two or more electric motors powering each axel independently. The lightning will not have a 2wd mode, it will not have a low range transfer case(it has a fixed gear ratio). It does however have a locking rear differential.

My guess is they are trying to avoid what I saw several years ago...an awd Ford Aerostar stuck on the beach. I think with the Lightning you're going to be safe as I look at it as full time 4wd vs awd. (I know the technical purists are going to roast me for that comment).

I would say a locking differential qualifies for the beach. I would probably take a Subie to the beach with no problem, but would hesitate with most fwd based (awd on demand) CUVs.

(My experience is from NC where we don't routinely drive/park on beach, strictly off road vehicles as sand is soft)

 

[Fordskeptic]

My guess is they are trying to avoid what I saw several years ago...an awd Ford Aerostar stuck on the beach. I think with the Lightning you're going to be safe as I look at it as full time 4wd vs awd. (I know the technical purists are going to roast me for that comment).

I would say a locking differential qualifies for the beach. I would probably take a Subie to the beach with no problem, but would hesitate with most fwd based (awd on demand) CUVs.

(My experience is from NC where we don't routinely drive/park on beach, strictly off road vehicles as sand is soft)

 

[Fordskeptic]

I will have to make more inquiries, but from what I've seen only 4×4s are allowed. It is called a 4x4 beach permit. The sand is soft and ruts are deep. If the 150L has a locking rear diff, it will probably be alright...fingers crossed. I assume the F150L ground clearance will be similar to the average ICE F150. Hoping it can handle the ruts despite the added weight and not land me on the wall of shame.?

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