Ford teases "epic sequel" to the all-electric F-150 Lightning

[Shawn Knight]

Forward-looking: Ford's all-electric F-150 Lightning is still a hot commodity in the EV world but that isn't stopping the Blue Oval from discussing its successor. Project T3, short for "Trust The Truck," is the codename for the automaker's "epic sequel" to the Lightning.

The automaker said its single guiding principle for T3 is to create a truck people can trust in the digital age – that is, one that is fully updatable and is constantly improving. The pickup also needs to be sleek, aerodynamic, quick, resourceful, and flexible, Ford said, adding that it additionally must be fast to charge, have a long range, feature exportable power, and be "tough as hell." Oh, and its towing and hauling capabilities must be up to snuff.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said Project T3 represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize America's truck. "PJ O'Rourke once described American pickups as 'a back porch with an engine attached.' Well, this new truck is going to be like the Millennium Falcon – with a back porch attached," he added.

Ford is developing the truck alongside its all-new assembly plant in Stanton, Tennessee, about 45 minutes northeast of Memphis.

The $5.6 billion campus, dubbed Blue Oval City, was announced in late 2021 and will feature both a vehicle manufacturing facility and a battery production plant. The mega campus is expected to create around 6,000 jobs.

According to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, the project is the single largest investment in the state's history. Once fully operational, the facility will be able to produce half a million EV trucks annually.

Just last week, Ford said it expects its EV division, called Model e, to lose about $3 billion in 2023. In a call with reporters, Ford CFO John Lawler described Model e as an EV startup within Ford. "As everyone knows, EV startups lose money while they invest in capabilities, develop knowledge, build volume, and gain share," the executive added.

The F-150 Lightning was a hit with consumers but production issues have slowed the rollout. Last month, the automaker pressed pause on production and shipments over a potential battery issue that has since been rectified.

Not much else is known about Project T3 at this time, but it's unlikely that name will carry over from the design phase. With any luck, we'll hear more about this new truck ahead of production scheduled for 2025.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/98088-ford-teases-epic-sequel-all-electric-f-150.html

 

[VitalyT]

A sequel to the worst pick-up truck on the market cannot be epic. A truck with real range of 100 miles is the ultimate crap on wheels.

 

[kira setsu]

The goal really was to turn cars into giant mobile cellphones after all.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Oh boy, another 14,000 glorified go karts nobody can afford!

Every rollout ford has done recently has been a disaster. Their current lightning production numbers are only 1/3rd of what they were supposed to be, they cost WAY more then expected, ford is still losing money on them, and given how many are sitting on dealer lots I wouldnt really call it a "hit".

The fact they have to call it an "epic sequel" tells me they have nothing interesting coming so they're banging on that HR drum trying to get people excited, in the middle of a major recession, for another luxury toy.

"The automaker said its single guiding principle for T3 is to create a truck people can trust in the digital age – that is, one that is fully updatable and is constantly improving. "

NO, I do not want an always online truck! That sounds like a total nightmare. In no way will that benefit the consumer.

 

[psycros]

Millennium Falcon, eh?

Constant repairs, banging on it to make it work, random failures..

"What a piece of junk!" - Luke Skywalker and the North American consumer

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Millennium Falcon, eh?

Constant repairs, banging on it to make it work, random failures..

"What a piece of junk!" - Luke Skywalker and the North American consumer

THIS is the image that I want to conjure when talking about the latest electric Ford product /s

 

[p51d007]

A sequel to the worst pick-up truck on the market cannot be epic. A truck with real range of 100 miles is the ultimate crap on wheels.

My father started selling Ford's in the mid 60's and retired in 1999. He passed away in 2020.
I bet he would be just flat out ticked off about the stupidity of these overpriced "luxury" pick up trucks.
99% probably are never driven other than people going to/from work, or to their vacation home.
These huge pick up trucks are the guy version of the mama van/suv

 

[BadThad]

Ford is plain old dumb for putting all their eggs in this basket. All they needed to do was a simple google search to find out that the "working man" hates electric trucks and specifically the (dead battery) Lightning. What is in demand is very cheap, very basic pickup trucks and nobody is making them. Strip out all the fancy luxury crap they "think" the consumer wants, give it a simple radio, manual windows, no electronics, etc. and stick to the basics with an efficient gas engine. If they would have put all their time and effort into making a simple, cheap pickup, they would have had a winner.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Now I see the motive of car companies. Americans love their trucks and big cars but you can only have one if it's an EV and no more ICE for you, sucker.

 

[Kashim]

Now I see the motive of car companies. Americans love their trucks and big cars but you can only have one if it's an EV and no more ICE for you, sucker.

You know at some point we will run out of fossil fuels, right? That is just an inescapable fact. Should car companies focus entirely on ICE vehicles when it has no future? If you think gas prices are high now wait until it's $30/gallon for fuel. Then what are you going to crow about? All the greedy oil companies, right?

 

[Kashim]

My father started selling Ford's in the mid 60's and retired in 1999. He passed away in 2020.
I bet he would be just flat out ticked off about the stupidity of these overpriced "luxury" pick up trucks.
99% probably are never driven other than people going to/from work, or to their vacation home.
These huge pick up trucks are the guy version of the mama van/suv

If you're one of these hard working guys who use their pickups to haul heavy loads of wood, metals, concrete, etc. then hats off to you. Unfortunately most people who buy these gas guzzling monsters almost never use the cargo area. They don't care if it's bad for the environment, they don't care how much money they're wasting on gas, or how stupid they look. Honestly, I've never met a pickup owner who wasn't a complete a-hole.

 

[sorten]

This is excellent news. Ford is definitely outperforming most other legacy automakers in the transition to an all electric future. They know that they'll need to be ready for the 2035 cutoff, and you can't start on that in 2030 - which is apparently the plan at automakers like Toyota and Honda.

If I were a truck guy, I'd be looking at the Rivian and the F-150 Lightning.

 

[Looiplooi]

I like my petrol/diesel power vehicles. When will the elites get themselves electic private jets ?

 

[waclark]

SNIP

Honestly, I've never met a pickup owner who wasn't a complete a-hole.

If you're one of these hard working guys who use their pickups to haul heavy loads of wood, metals, concrete, etc. then hats off to you. Unfortunately most people who buy these gas guzzling monsters almost never use the cargo area. They don't care if it's bad for the environment, they don't care how much money they're wasting on gas, or how stupid they look. Honestly, I've never met a pickup owner who wasn't a complete a-hole.

Your last comment was a bit of a broad-brush, stereotype, wasn't it? You must not know very many pickup owners because I know and see lots of people around here in Arizona, who use their trucks on a daily basis. Some are hauling camping trailers like 5th wheels, some are hauling horse trailers, some are landscapers and construction workers and all of them are using the cargo box.

While EV trucks have a certain appeal, there is definitely an issue when you need to haul or trailer something behind it. Their range goes down quickly and while I don't have the specific numbers, if I lose 2/3rds of my range am I really saving on energy usage when I have to recharge the vehicle every 100 miles? Especially when that energy is still mostly coming from fossil fuels.

I am looking at e-trucks because I like the cabin space and I'm not excited about the gas mileage of current ICE trucks. I don't drive too far and I don't normally tow anything, so range is less of an issue. But I also don't think that EV are the silver bullet that are going to save the planet. They are one part of a very complex solution.