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The chip shortage is still front and center in automotive news as Ford announces more delays and plant idling for some of their most profitable lines, F-150 trucks and Escapes. Ford has said it will lose at least 1.1 million vehicles in production in 2021 due to the ongoing parts issues.
UAW is reviewing CDC social distancing and mask mandates but continuing their current rules until OSHA comes out with regulations. This coming after a joint committee of members from the UAW, Ford, GM and Stellantis met earlier this week.
Ford announced a new joint venture with company SK innovation. This venture will be for battery production in the US and the plan is to produce about 60 gigawatt hours of battery cells and supporting modules. The target will require at least 2 facilities be built and the companies expect to start production in the next 4-6 years. Ford claims future EV volume will more than justify the joint venture.
Stellantis also announced a new joint venture with Foxconn to develop in-vehicle technology. They are going to focus on over the air connectivity and infotainment. The idea is to bring more services into the vehicles and to create more e commerce opportunities. This technology will be not only used in vehicles produced by Stellantis but also sold to other auto manufacturers.
Wednesday was Ford’s big release of their F-150 Lighting all electric truck. Ford has taken over 20k reservations for the new vehicle. Ford CEO, Jim Farley, spared no expense at the new vehicle roll out. I for one am very interested to see how the future of electric vehicles turn out, particularly in Fleet and Commercial applications. This truck could have a lot of potential for upgrading the way some people do business. Let’s break down my thoughts on the new electric truck from a business perspective.
The statistics are really impressive. The powertrain is producing 775 lb ft of torque and 563 HP. This is giving the truck a 0-60 time of around 4 and a half seconds, a towing capacity of 10,000 lbs and a payload capacity of 2000 lbs.
The truck is available with 2 different battery opinions. The standard battery will get around 230 miles if the truck is not loaded and the upgraded battery will be closer to the 300 mark. These numbers sound great but I am concerned how the range will be affected when these trucks are loaded up with 3 big oil field boys and 1000 lbs of tools or pulling an 8500 lb trailer. Electric vehicles range can be cut down to a fraction of what they are normally when towing or hauling and I am curious how Ford plans to combat this. Ford has announced many features for towing including, Pro Trailer hitch assist, Onboard scales, a smart hitch, and trailer backup assist reverse guidance. Although these all sound like great options, if you can only tow 10,000 lbs for 60 miles it doesn’t seem too useful.
With 9.6Kw of onboard power, I think this is where this truck has a real chance to shine. The truck has 11 power outlets and can run multiple power hungry pieces of equipment at the same time. This could revolutionize some industries that require onsite power tools and equipment and usually require large generators. This might also open up mobile services that were not available before because of power restrictions.
Ford did announce one thing that sent chills down my spine. The new F-150 Lightning will have over the air updates. They pitch this as a really good thing and a way for engineers to bring you new features even after you purchase the vehicle. As an IT guy I see software updates a little differently. This is by far the easiest to introduce problems into a system. Have you ever had your computer set up perfectly and had all the programs and websites you needed to use working properly only to wake up to see that windows had an update and now you are getting error messages or compatibility problems.
Our phones are probably the best example of forced updates. I don;t know about you but I hate when I have to do one of these. I always end up having to redo settings, passwords and repair bluetooth devices. Not to mention that this is how cell phone manufacturers practice “planned obsolescence”. Ever notice that when a new phone comes out the old phones usually get a big software update and are never the same after. Phone manufacturers have admitted to throttling performance on older phones with updates. With this being said I am not all that excited for the connectivity coming in future vehicles.
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