EV Trucks Can't Replace Gas Trucks Yet. Hybrids Can

[turbopilot]

A painful lesson that Lightning owners have come to realize. X2 if you tow. This was just published in an EV magazine. Ford really bet on the wrong horse in 2021. What an expensive mistake.

https://insideevs.com/reviews/758617/ev-vs-hybrid-trucks/

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[Sojourner]

The author gets it. He's ? correct.

 

[turbopilot]

The author gets it. He's ? correct.

And even more significant that the story is in an EV magazine. Most of the folks who understand EV's knew the technology and infrastructure was not ready for EV trucks 10 years ago. The only logical path to a fully capable EV truck was a transition period using HEV, PHEV and extended range HEV trucks. Not much has changed.

We now have really big batteries for some EV trucks but the high speed charging infrastructure is not there to support them, so they are not yet practical. Extended range HEV's are now practical but only the Chinese have them and they are essentially banned in the US because of tariffs.

 

[Sojourner]

And even more significant that the story is in an EV magazine.

^^^ This ^^^

That was a really interesting article. Thank you for finding it and posting it.

 

[JExpedition07]

The discussion below the post in comments are hilarious “people should buy a more practical vehicle like us, we use and EV and 4X8 utility trailer.”

I bet you also waft your farts in your face and smell them, I didn’t ask. My next truck will be an even bigger V8…because I can afford it and the fuel expense is a write-off. Many of us need not worry about $65 per week in fuel savings, as the ex ram guy mentioned. That’s dust in the wind, and not even a consideration for me.

My opinion is EV’s are great and getting better, but it’s none of your business whether I drive a PeterBuilt or a Smart Car.

 

[Sojourner]

I need to go back and read the comments!

 

[ryk]

I agree with the author that hybrids are a good choice, but probably not the hybrid F-150. Consumer Reports gave it some of the lowest scores I’ve ever seen for a full size truck.

 

[v8440]

Oh boy, here we go...

 

[Sojourner]

Oh boy, here we go...

You ain't wrong!

 

[Eighthtry]

I agree. He is correct. He just did not go far enough. I responded to him with the following:

Thank you for your piece. Your point on Hybrids is a point well taken. I am an old guy who appreciates what regs and technology have done for us. I would not have a 650hp/650tq car without 1961. We need to clean up our atmosphere, but, we cannot do it by ourselves. Regs will continue to push us forward, but us stupid consumers must be better informed and learn how to say "Wait a minute".

As Joe Friday (Dragnet) always said, "Nothing but the facts".

1. Battery Safety is an issue that must be fixed. A Tesla S Plaid has 7,920 individual cells in their battery pack. A malfunction of a single cell in that battery pack can produce some entertaining results that, for the most part, our public safety struggles to handle. This assumes, of course, that the rest of the sheep have followed that same technology. It renders my garage for an electric car unusable unless I want to risk my family's lives.
2. Car manufacturers are the most mismanaged companies in America, and likely the world. GM, Ford, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera (to quote Yul Brynner in The King and I) going all electric by 2035? It has cost them billions and has failed so far. Everyone in the electric car business is struggling with all the problems you identified, plus the ones that I am identifying. They are all absolutely incapable of coming up with a business plan to gather competitors together and go beat up Congress, EPA, or whoever is controlled by Congress. No, wait. I am a consumer. Let me handle it.
3. OK, so the government issues mandates. If I am a consumer, and, if batteries don't work for me, then they are not working for most. Solution? Get the requirements changed. If that is not possible, then simply quit making cars. I can guarantee the consumer will step in at that point and make those decisions for Congress, even over Christmas recess.
4. Manufacturers expect us, the end consumer, to identify their problems for them. It is, and has been obvious for decades, that their manufacturing and testing capabilities are, at best, cursory.
5. Charging cables? Tesla set the standard with cables and chargers. What were the others thinking?!?!?!?!? Sheer stupidity. Plugs don't need to match.
6. Amount of time to charge? Ridiculous.
7. Grid. If we continue to pursue batteries, then we must pursue grid. Oh boy, now we have doubled down, likely more, on the cost of technology. Solar/wind is not compatible with current electric delivery. In an emergency, traditional grid-tied solar/wind systems are generally incompatible with the electrical grid because they are designed to shut down during power outages to prevent backfeeding. Backfeeding could endanger utility workers and, guess what? Us sheep consumers. Ask Spain and Portugal how that has worked out for them.
8. Then there is the Third World. They will be of no, as in zero, help in this. Those guys are just trying to survive.

Some additional thoughts.

We cannot save the world, but at the least we can do our part more efficiently. Battery technology will change for the better. Maybe even to the point that I could park a battery powered car in my garage.

Or even better run batteries on CO2. If run unchecked this could cool down the sun, which probably leads to another problem we can both imagine. (This was in jest.)

I'm not sure how the grid is fixed. More grid and more safety will be tough to marry with batteries/wind farms. But that probably ultimately gets fixed.

The third world will be impossible to fix.

As long as we have Congress, billionaire environmentalists, and inefficient Federal departments in charge of "making" our lives better this is what we end up with. I bet both of us would be staggered by the direct/indirect costs of this effort to date.

So I can be green, no, I want to be green as long as it is logical, makes sense, and doesn't break me. My need for 200 mph has long vanished.

Do your next article on wire looms. One day we may figure out connectors. They are downsizing all of that to save weight. Then a problem pops up and we can't find the correct loom or correct connector. The shielding on the wire is made of a corn-based product. Guess who loves corn. That be rats.

 

[Tigmd99]

Tesla (super)charging network is impressive…basically, all you need is a 300 mile range Tesla and you can travel almost anywhere. Yes, you take more time to charge (than gasoline) but most stations have restaurants and other entertainment that makes it not so much of a chore. But yeah, if you’re in a hurry, EV may not be best bet yet. Level 4 charging is around the corner for Tesla, which should make charging significantly faster. (I think that Cybertruck 48V architecture should benefit most from Level 4.)

And Tesla just updated their navigation logic to account for those who want to go as fast as possible to destination vs. more relaxed routing.

For me, Tesla FSD is the future. Ford is so far behind. My 2023 has not had any update to Blue Cruise. None. It was promised but zippo for almost 2 years now. During that time, Tesla FSD has improved leaps and bounds! My father’s new Model Y (2026) practically drives everywhere without a single intervention!

So, now, do i want longer range b/w stops (Ford) vs. more relax feeling when getting to destination due to self-driving (Tesla)??

 

[Antimatter22]

Let's be honest, the Lightning is probably more than enough for a majority of all 1/2 ton truck owners. Not everyone is taking 2000 mile weekly road trips while towing 10,000 pounds.

The Lightning ER may not reach EPA numbers of 320 miles on the highway (I know it's a 45/55 split), but my Power boost has a lifetime mpg of 20.5 so it's not hitting its estimates either.

 

[turbopilot]

Let's be honest, the Lightning is probably more than enough for a majority of all 1/2 ton truck owners. Not everyone is taking 2000 mile weekly road trips while towing 10,000 pounds.

The Lightning ER may not reach EPA numbers of 320 miles on the highway (I know it's a 45/55 split), but my Power boost has a lifetime mpg of 20.5 so it's not hitting its estimates either.

The same can be said for a typical PowerBoost owner. The difference is that the PowerBoost owner retains the option for the extended road trip while the Lightning owner can count on many hours sitting in a charging station, if they can find one.

The problem is primarily the rural charging infrastructure. It is not ready yet to support EV pickups. Just adding bigger batteries to a pickup is not the complete solution because the bigger the battery just takes longer to charge. The dream is for level 4 DC chargers at least every 50 miles on major highways with pull through parking. We are a long way from that dream. Even longer in the more sparsely populated Western US.

 

[Snakebitten]

Let's be honest, the Lightning is probably more than enough for a majority of all 1/2 ton truck owners. Not everyone is taking 2000 mile weekly road trips while towing 10,000 pounds.

The Lightning ER may not reach EPA numbers of 320 miles on the highway (I know it's a 45/55 split), but my Power boost has a lifetime mpg of 20.5 so it's not hitting its estimates either.

Didn't read the article yet, but will risk my response based on nothing more than your post AND the title of the article itself: "EV Trucks Can't Replace Gas Trucks Yet. Hybrids Can"

The Lightning can't REPLACE my F150 Powerboost if/when I am using it for obvious things that the Lightning can't do. Which is ONLY towing the RV's long distance.

But I could make a similar claim that my F150 Powerboost can't REPLACE my F350 if/when I'm using it for things the Powerboost can't do. ???

I completely understand that if someone has to address every single possible use-case-scenario and are limited to ONE vehicle, an EV pickup truck is very unlikely to be the right choice. But in my opinion, if I were limited to only one vehicle at my disposal, a Ford Lightning ER is more than capable for everything I ever need to do other than long runs towing one of the RV's.

Still, having said all that, I have a Powerboost instead of a Lightning. And if I had to choose again tomorrow, I'd grab another Powerboost. But ONLY because of towing.

Full disclosure......
I drive an EV the majority of time. Almost every single day. They have won this old goat over, in spite of the ridiculous and disgusting politics and outright false claims. I like them for all the things they do so well. None being more than how they make me grin during my daily commute. It's a surgical weapon of maneuverability, if you know what I mean. ?

 

[turbopilot]

Full disclosure......
I drive an EV the majority of time. Almost every single day. They have won this old goat over, in spite of the ridiculous and disgusting politics and outright false claims. I like them for all the things they do so well. None being more than how they make me grin during my daily commute. It's a surgical weapon of maneuverability, if you know what I mean. ?

I completely agree. Like you I have a EV Tesla Model Y and a PowerBoost. Tesla for local city driving, PowerBoost for all other use cases. While the Lightning has PPoB let's not forget part of the focus on the PowerBoost is the easily renewable abundance of electrons available for so many use cases with an HEV based PPoB system. Icing on the cake.

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