Thinking about a Tesla truck

[Fermion]

We have a 2017 Ford F150 4x4 with ecoboost 2.7L engine.

It is a decently good truck, running at about 20 to 21mpg and performing pretty well in snow.

But an electric truck? How cool would that be?

 

[Sunset]

Show us a picture.

 

[Fermion]

I think the reveal is tonight near SpaceX California.

 

[Chuckanut]

I would wait until they actually start making one, then wait at least one more year.

I noticed that Consumer Reports have now put the Tesla Model S and 3 back on their recommended lists. They seem to have fixed some of the quality control problems they were having late last year and earlier this year. The Model X is still not recommended.

FWIW, I have yet to meet a Tesla owner who regrets buying the vehicle. Virtually all love them.

 

[Spock]

Depends on the truck. If you actually use it to haul or tow something, the battery is going to give you more range anxiety than is currently felt with smaller/lighter cars... not a good thing if you are in a location where you actually need the 4x4 capabilities.

 

[REWahoo]

But an electric truck? How cool would that be?

I'm really curious to see how well those things sell in Texas.

 

[aja8888]

I think it would be cool.

I have a 1998 F150 Lariat 4.6 Liter that gets 15 MPG tops. It has 50,600 miles on it. I'm keeping it.

 

[Spock]

I'm really curious to see how well those things sell in Texas.

"All hat and no cattle"
becomes "all batteries and no cargo"

 

[Omalley]

If I could bring myself to spend upwards of $70k on any vehicle I would consider this https://rivian.com/r1t/ However, it has a Honda Ridgeline vibe and fails the 'ability to haul a sheet of plywood' test.

 

[MRG]

Cool? Yes. Fast? Yes. Something I'll buy? Maybe, depending on quality, range, towing. I'd give it a couple years.

 

[NW-Bound]

"All hat and no cattle"
becomes "all batteries and no cargo"

Many buy pickup trucks to go grocery shopping.

I am sure Tesla pickups will work well for that purpose too.

 

[aja8888]

Many buy pickup trucks to go grocery shopping.

I am sure Tesla pickups will work well for that purpose too.

Even my old pickup just sits around most of the time, although I did use it to haul my friend's 1965 Corvair to a shop last week.

 

[NW-Bound]

I recall reading that the Rivian pickup has a huge battery compared to the Tesla cars.

Look again on the Web, and saw that the largest Rivian battery option is 180 kWh, compared to 100 kWh for the largest Tesla sedan battery. I am sure Tesla trucks will need oversized batteries too.

And Rivian still offers an auxiliary battery as a range extender on top of that 180kWh battery. No problem. Still leaves plenty of room for grocery bags. The nice thing about an EV pickup is that the cargo can be its own battery. All right!

Of course when space gets tight, you can take the grocery home inside the passenger compartment. Works better in the SW or Texas anyway to keep the produce from wilting by the heat.

 

[REWahoo]

Many buy pickup trucks to go grocery shopping.

I am sure Tesla pickups will work well for that purpose [-]too[/-].

FIFY

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

Tesla, Rivian, and Ford will all have an electric truck in a year or two. Rivian will have one that has a 400 mile range but it is pricier. Ford will have an electrified 150.

The Tesla event is in Los Angeles.

I have a Tesla Model X, and haven't had an issue with it in 20 months.

The head of electrification (I believe thats what he was called) for Ford recently said that their survey showed 40% of the population still believe all electric cars require gasoline to operate.

 

[NW-Bound]

FIFY

I know a few pickup owners actually use theirs for the intended purpose, such as pulling a 5th wheel. But those are a minority.

Ford of course knows that many of its pickups are bought as toys. Ford will do whatever that is needed to sell, no surprise there.

It will not be long before someone tries to pull a trailer or a 5th wheel with an EV truck, and puts a video of it on Youtube. I will be watching.

 

[brewer12345]

No bid. Towing, 4X4, driving in the cold will all kill the battery too quickly for it to be if use to me. Would not want to be miles down a forest service "road" with a dead battery.

 

[Fermion]

I think the battery has a heater...maybe?

If it comes with something like 200kWh battery then it would work for us since most trips "down the forestry roads" end up being under 150 miles total.

I'd probably carry a 10kW generator or something in the back of the truck if I were doing some really remote stuff though and was worried about getting stranded.

 

[brewer12345]

Different strokes.

 

[Fermion]

Honestly though I am more interested if I can use the truck battery as a power source for our mountain cabin. I think it is supposed to come with a built in inverter. If this allows one to tap directly into the 100kWh+ battery it would be awesome. I would ditch any plans to keep batteries at our cabin and just use the truck as a mobile power source for running our stuff while we are up there.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm a hybrid owner. But Tesla products come at such a premium price that I would have no desire to own one.

Pickup trucks come with high demands--good ride, good weight carrying abilities, good handling, stopping in short distances carrying heavy weights and fair fuel mileage. They're all a compromise of compromises, simply put. And it's all got to come at a fair price which I assume is going to be impossible with a Tesla.

The upcoming F150 is going to be sold in high volumes, and the motors and batteries are also going to be used in other Ford vehicles--like the Mach E SUV. And much of their costs will be spread out with gas F150's. Look for it to be the best overall value in all electric trucks. After all, a work truck must pay for itself if it's going to be used in businesses.

 

[NW-Bound]

... After all, a work truck must pay for itself if it's going to be used in businesses.

Very true.

However, the Rivian and Tesla EV pickups are not going to be used as a work truck.

Even my son-in-law's loaded Tacoma truck is never intended to haul anything that would scratch it. Nothing but grocery bags.

 

[aja8888]

Here's my old truck in action:

 

[NW-Bound]

A quick look on the Web shows GM also announced an electric PU, available in 2012. And Toyota has planned for one.

I find nothing about pricing on the Ford electric PU. One site says it will be sub-100K. Does not look like that is going to be a work truck either, at that price range.

PS. On the other hand, perhaps there are carpenters, masons, gardeners who like an electric truck enough to pay that money, thinking they will be able to write it off on business expenses. The law does not say you can only write off beat-up trucks, right?

 

[Sunset]

...

PS. On the other hand, perhaps there are carpenters, masons, gardeners who like an electric truck enough to pay that money, thinking they will be able to write it off on business expenses. The law does not say you can only write off beat-up trucks, right?

Right, Otherwise HUMMER's would not have been sold to so many businesses...