NFR Electric Truck

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I‘m also intrigued with the thought of an electric truck, but it’s not going to be for me in the foreseeable future. As already pointed out, an electric truck is just not practical for me at this point since I’ve had this longstanding habit (for 22 years running so far) of driving from my home in PA to MT every year, and often only stopping for an hour or 2 at a time while driving over 2,000 miles in about 2 days, more or less.

As a trade off between a gas and a electric truck, I have a new Ford F-150 hybrid truck on order now. (It’s been on order since Christmas, and the way things look right now it might be next Christmas before I see that truck at my local dealership.

Although I’m not presently towing anything, I did order that truck with all of the towing options, including the max trailer tow and towing mirror options, and the hybrid has an amazing amount of horsepower and torque, along with a somewhat higher mpg rating compared to the gas engine truck.

There were really 2 features on the new Ford hybrid that I wanted compared to my present F150 - the built in generator (I went with the standard 2.4 KW one) and the fold flat front seats (I often stop for an hour or 2 nap while driving to MT every summer). My local deal also gave me a very attractive trade in price on my present truck, and has agreed to keep that same trade in price until my new truck arrives.

John
 
At this time, a hybrid truck makes the most sense. We actually have very few new vehicles in stock at the dealership. It's more like catalog sales for the sales folk. Every truck that comes in is was ordered, none are for stock. We're not exactly sure how long this will go on. The salesmen are still making money but the vehicles they are selling are yet to be built.
 
GAT said:
At this time, a hybrid truck makes the most sense. We actually have very few new vehicles in stock at the dealership. It's more like catalog sales for the sales folk. Every truck that comes in is was ordered, none are for stock. We're not exactly sure how long this will go on. The salesmen are still making money but the vehicles they are selling are yet to be built.
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This I agree with. I'd love to have a 100% EV truck, but for most folks, a hybrid is way, way more practical.
 
iveofione said:
I'm wondering about where the hell all of the lithium is going to come from for the batteries. With only 2% of the world's lithium production the US seems like an unlikely location to go all-in on electric vehicles. It sounds like we will be trying to feed a family of 4 on a single chicken leg.

PS. By the way, I am the kid who said at age 13 in 1951 that world population would be one of the world's greatest problems in my lifetime. The laughter was uproarious! Seventy years later it is not so funny is it?
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We'll have to recycle it. The same issue exists (with far more serious implications) for phosphorus (critical fertilizer ingredient)...there's very limited natural deposits world-wide left to mine (and we don't have them). 'Peak Phosphorus' is a big deal. By the time recycling becomes economical for a great many things...it's too late.
 
Evan B said:
The situations you bring up are the ones where "we're not there yet." Most of us with EVs know full well we're not at a place where they work for everyone everywhere. But they're a lot better and more capable than most realize.

For most of us that live in and around cities, they make a hell of a lot of sense. If you spend more time in rural and wilderness areas, life would be tougher with an EV.
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500 mile range, tri-motor AWD has me interested. I put a deposit down during the Cybertruck announcement with the realistic expectation of a 2025 production date if ever. Figured the market would have many more competitors and options by then and the $100 deposit would still secure a build slot if desired. I too have heard from others that Teslas refinement and interior build quality is not on par with their competitors. TBD if "we're not there yet” or vaporware with their fully refundable preorder.
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mooseknuckles said:
500 mile range, tri-motor AWD has me interested. I put a deposit down during the Cybertruck announcement with the realistic expectation of a 2025 production date if ever. Figured the market would have many more competitors and options by then and the $100 deposit would still secure a build slot if desired. TBD if "we're not there yet” or vaporware on this ticket.
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Same. I did the Silverado as well. We'll see how it goes.
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Evan B said:
We're literally at generation 1 of electric trucks.
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This is exactly why I bought a 2010 Silverado last summer after considering a brand new very expensive Tundra or electric truck. Price wasn’t sky rocketing because it was old enough; I spent less than half of what I planned. It was well maintained and reliable at 100K miles. It will give me at least 5 years and then hopefully there will be electric trucks that are dialed in.
 
HauntedByWaters said:
This is exactly why I bought a 2010 Silverado last summer after considering a brand new very expensive Tundra or electric truck. Price wasn’t sky rocketing because it was old enough; I spent less than half of what I planned. It was well maintained and reliable at 100K miles. It will give me at least 5 years and then hopefully there will be electric trucks that are dialed in.
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I bought a 2005 F250 from a forum member just yesterday to replace my towing-challenged Expedition. I suspect that thing will last me a good long while before I commit to an EV truck.
 
longputt said:
The average person drives their vehicle about 25 minutes each time...so on average the EV is pretty amazing. What I've always wondered is in big cities how do you charge when you don't know exactly where you are going to park everyday?

The issue is the long trip, there is a push to rentals for long trips. I drive about 15,000 miles per year, I'll bet only 7,000 need an 8' bed and even less really need diesel. Maybe a rental could work if it is really convenient like an Uber app?

Not for me I'm too old for that but maybe the younger generations can work it out.
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What I've seen in cities regarding charging and parking is that many pay for the day, and a few open to public, free to park , parking garages have installed 240 v chargers on certain decks but in limited numbers.

My employer just did a company wide survey asking how many drive PHEV and BEV to and from work. Which means the main offices in DC and Detroit will probably have charging stations installed within the next year, but our field offices will end up being left out as usual
 
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A side note: For those in the Seattle area there are 2 shops that repair/replace/and exchange the battery packs for Toyota's and Nissan Leafs.
You'll have to talk to them as its a case by case after diagnosis, but they are far cheaper than the extortionist rates charged by the OEMs .
There are also YouTube videos showing how to replace the battery pack on Prius on your own, with links to vendors if you're mechanically inclined .
 
Can anyone comment on operating/charging an EV in a winter climate like Montana?

If the Rivian is 110k. I’d rather buy a Tundra and a hybrid suv..
 
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Capt Insano Emeritis said:
In the past that would have set me off
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Well, people work more & more to buy stuff they don’t need, that’s just how most folks operate these days, my employer has the right to mandate weekend overtime as a condition of employment. The lack of workers has brought on the need for overtime To keep airplane rolling out the factory doors. We went from a crew of ten to now just three of us doing maintenance on second shift , that’s the reality of the panademic.
 
Evan B said:
Probably going to be a long time before a bed of that length hits this segment.
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You can get an 8 foot bed, but it will be a special order item and in single cab, work truck format.
I think we as users drove the need for a long bed back in the 70's. As a kid from the 60's, i seem to recall 6 1/2 beds being normal. As well as straight 6 engines and 3-4 speed manuals on the column.

Oooppss, sorry, I think you meant the EV pickups.
 
bennysbuddy said:
Well, people work more & more to buy stuff they don’t need, that’s just how most folks operate these days, my employer has the right to mandate weekend overtime as a condition of employment. The lack of workers has brought on the need for overtime To keep airplane rolling out the factory doors. We went from a crew of ten to now just three of us doing maintenance on second shift , that’s the reality of the panademic.
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Well, in most folks cases, especially younger people who didn't buy in to the housing market 10+yrs ago, working overtime is often required just to afford living and having the hope of purchasing a home at some point.
 
Wife and I have owned an EV car with 240 mile range for 2.5 years, zero complaints. However, when I unexpectedly had to replace my tow rig last year, I got a new gas guzzler for the long haul. I expect it’ll be 10 years before batteries and charging networks makes EV trucks practical for routine, real truck use.
 
bennysbuddy said:
Well, people work more & more to buy stuff they don’t need, that’s just how most folks operate these days, my employer has the right to mandate weekend overtime as a condition of employment. The lack of workers has brought on the need for overtime To keep airplane rolling out the factory doors. We went from a crew of ten to now just three of us doing maintenance on second shift , that’s the reality of the panademic.
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For clarity I was referring to the context of what you said.
 
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