My thoughts on the Lightning. Definitely not for everyone, but neither is any F150 or F250,etc...
For me, I do not tow ( sometimes haul things 200-1000lbs ) if I ever need a trailer it will be lighter and 80-240 mile round trip.
Work - Mild Off-Roading and some rough winters. from the looks of the Lightning there will be room for better tires ( and it has removable crash bars, like the bronco ) possibly a level or lift kits for sure at some point.
I drive 60-340 round trip, average 80-240 daily driver. What I really want(not need) but it isn't available anyway is an F150-Tremor(powerboost)
I reserved a Lightning so I can at least have a choice in the next few months and I am sure the local dealer will take it off my hands if I decide against it. (sometime next summer when its finally built )
Also, suspect it will be inline with the other F150 choices I built $65k-$72K range. Which also is crazy, compared to my 2014 F150 FX4.
After recently seeing it in person and riding in one, I can see myself owning it ( leveling it & slightly more aggressive tire ) and probably be just fine.

I figured if I don't hold onto my F150 I will end up with a Lightning or;
F150-Tremor ( just leave it alone and drive it )
F150-Lariat ( Powerboost ) & level it
F250-Lariat Tremor & leave it alone and drive it ( probably the least expensive of the choices and most capable )
Only way I wont get a Lightning for sure is if it ends up not being A/Z eligible.

For most though, EV's are not for everyone, but a Hybrid could likely fit the bill for a lot.

 

Yeah, I'd agree a '22 will be hard to score, without paying "dearly" for it.

I think tho, by the '23 model year, anyone who wants one will have a solid chance without overpaying. Hopefully by then, the Bronco will be more attainable, the new Maverick & Ranger will be out, so some new choices to balance the field a bit.

At least that's my plan.... those will all be on my A-list for my next vehicle in late '22 or early '23.......Lightning, Bronco, Ranger, Maverick (or, regular 'ol ICE F150.....remember those? )

I've still got that $9k profit from my '18 burning a hole in my pocket!

 

Every vehicle is a compromise. I happen to be one of the use cases that seems quite ideal for the lightning:

• I own a construction company, I visit and work on several jobs a day. Big stuff gets delivered at no cost, employees haul most other material, but I pick up and haul random smaller stuff all the time.
• Have not driven over 150 miles a day on the job, ever
• 2-3 times a year short distance towing of rental equipment
• Quiet vehicle a plus for driving while on the phone constantly
• In 10 years will save $15,000 or so based on my calculations
• In 10 years will replace 350 gas station visits totaling 40 hours or $4000 of my time with plugging in to top off most nights, totaling 15 hours of my time.

 

For sure. I really don't understand these folks who whine about the Lightning not being the THEE perfect fit for ALL mankind. No vehicle is, as you suggest.

It's another *potential* great option on a list of many.... for *SOME*.

But yeah, I'm really bummed it can't go 1K miles between charges, have a 3k# payload, hit 60 mph in 1 second, and cost $30K. Stupid Ford!

 

I have the 011 in my sig. It's to big (8 ft bed) for most and is not a SC but I love it. The 8 ft bed comes in handy as I pick up food for the food bank every Friday. Sometimes it's almost full and I have been known to put some items in the cab when it's really full. I have a boat and I have pulled the odd trailer for family and friends. The 36gal tank is nice for cross country trips. And we have slept in the bed. So I'd prefer a Lightning with a longer bed but the V2H capability has me really excited. I was out of power for 48 hours last Feb. Not rolling but just out. When power came back on, it was 42 degF in the house. With V2H we could have been comfy because I have gas heat and there was gas. I have the Cybertruck reserved mainly because of Tesla's knowledge of building EVs and the stainless and their charge network. But since Tesla is opening their network, I'm considering the lightning.

 

The petroleum industries spend millions if not billions over time to ensure that the mentality against EVs goes on as long as possible. They buy commercial time on the right news stations so that maybe a news story gets in there or one of their pundits talks about long charge times or a Tesla catching fire (removing from that conversation that 100k internal combustion engine vehicles that catch fire annually).

They know the writing is on the wall, but if they can just get a few more quarters of people thinking EVs are just incapable junk, they will more than make it up in profit. So when someone talks Lightning or a Tesla or whatever, doesn't matter what they are actually capable of, you will see the investment pay off. Even if the Lightning isn't meant to be for them, they feel strongly that they need to explain to everyone else why it isn't right for anyone.

The biggest thing going against them is that with very few exceptions, anyone that has actually owned an EV, loves it, and says they won't go back. Tesla has the highest customer loyalty in the industry despite having huge failings in initial quality control, repair part wait time, not having a strong dealership/ network which sometimes causes issues (I have an 80 year old neighbor that I feel got screwed by Tesla on that front), and so on. Things that largely aren't a factor for the large OEMs. That means the big thing resulting in that customer loyalty is the EV lifestyle that many claim to be unsustainable.

Bringing it back to Lightning as I don't want us falling into off-topic tangents, it won't be for everyone like Tesla still isn't for everyone. They will be eventually, filling all needs except V8 sound (at least, naturally created), but it's good for us to get them on the road and keep expanding the charger network and improving electrical infrastructure slowly. So the Lightning is a great step towards that. It will get more vehicles in customer hands, put more pressure on governments and private companies to offer better services to EVs (like pull through EVSEs which we have discussed, to support the Lightning and a trailer), and more EV chargers in apartment complexes which will only help everyone.

Anyway, the Lightning is a stepping stone, and it seems like Ford has done a good job of it. They didn't make it wild looking, aside from the DRLs which at least in pictures I am having a hard time liking, and the range is still fine for a lot of what people use light duty pickups for. If they launched the Lightning as an F-250 and up, I would agree with those that try to list a hundred ways the truck wouldn't bethe best fit.

 

I've never owned an EV. PHEV is as close as I've come, and it opened my eyes to the possibilities.

I think the Mach-e has been a solid EV gateway vehicle so far, and the Lightning will only add to it, offering up decent truck capabilities for those in that market, which we all know is huge.

With that market expansion, so will the support structure. Which will in turn present more product opportunities for all the mfgr's.

Some day not too far away, there may be an EV to meet any demand, who knows... But the Lightning appears to be a good early step with broad appeal.

Will be fun to start reading/watching the reviews (drives) when they become available.

 

Yeah, excited for the future. Charging times have already dropped by a lot compared to what we were dealing with even a few years ago and they will continue to drop. But ICE vehicles have about hit the limit, we are to the point of turbocharging them and adding hybrid, not because it's the new big thing, but because the market demands power and efficiency, and engines like the 5.0 Coyote are maybe the gold standard of how far we can take that, getting more out of it is requiring cylinder deactivation and whatever else. But for EVs, they are already in a good place in terms of HP/TQ figures and motor efficiency, we just need to improve of battery storage tech, and there is already a lot there in the pipeline.

We are adding solar to our house, and the salesman actually said to hold off on battery storage because the options now are expensive and low overall capacity, but he said their entire industry is ramping up thanks to, oddly enough, Ford and GM. Their battery suppliers for home storage are generally Tesla or LG, which funny enough LG supplies a lot of the batteries for the major OEMs. So they are already seeing positive impact from the influx of R&D money and people on driving down costs and improving battery tech. What Tesla did for the market and EV tech in 10 years, we could see those same leaps in 3 years with Ford, GM, and VW pushing as hard as they are. I think the gen 2 Lightning is going to be really interesting.

 

I’m seriously thinking of buying one. I don’t ever do anything but run around town and haul little stuff. Haven’t towed anything in 20 years and if I did it would be a small ski or fishing boat out to the lake and back, which might be 75 to 100 miles round trip max. I might even consider buying an older model beater truck to do that kind of stuff with and just use the electric as my daily around town vehicle.

Is it necessary to reserve one? I would think if they’re available in a major city with multiple dealers around town they would sell one to whom ever is ready to buy. I don’t know what model I would want to purchase just yet. I typically buy a middle of the road XLT truck and change a few things to my liking but the new base “PRO” model might be all I need. I just don’t want to put money down if I haven’t made up my mind which truck is right for me.

 

Currently the number of reservations appear to have all of 2022 and much of 2023 spoken for, at least

They aren't just going to be sitting around in packs on lots waiting for buyers anytime soon

A reservation is a refundable $100