New information released from Ford Pro confirms, yes, the F-150 Lightning can tow. In fact, it has even been used to tow cross country. The team created a new brochure to help customers understand the impacts towing has on their electric trucks.
Ford was the first to release a full-size electric pickup truck with the F-150 Lightning in May 2021. The automaker calls it the “smartest, most innovative truck” it has ever built.
With over 105 years of experience building trucks, Ford knows what customers are looking for. One of the most crucial factors is its ability to haul and tow, a big reason people buy a truck in the first place.
Knowing this, Ford included up to 775 lb-ft of instant torque to tow up to 10,000 pounds using the max trailer tow package on the XLT and LARIAT models.
Ford Pro is making it even easier for F-150 Lightning drivers to tow with tools like Trailer Hitch Assist and intelligent towing.
Ford’s AI-based hitch assist tool will automatically align the Lightning pickup’s hitch ball to a trailer with the push of a button, saving you time and from the frustration of trying to match it up perfectly.
In fact, Ford is finding that the Lightning is attracting people who wouldn’t typically buy a truck otherwise. And Lightning drivers are using the bed of their pickup more than traditional gas-powered truck drivers.
The team at Ford Pro has put together some information to help Lightning owners understand how towing can impact the driving experience and how to make the most of it.
Ford F-150 Lightning towing (Source: Ford Pro)
Ford F-150 Lightning pickup towing facts
Ford Pro says over half of F-150 Lightning owners are considering their towing ability by selecting the max trailer tow package, allowing a 10,000-pound capacity.
Despite common misbeliefs, Ford Pro says:
Whether gas or electric, driving distance while towing is similarly impacted by weather, temperature, and geography. Speed and trailer aerodynamics also play a role: the faster you drive and the larger the frontal area of the trailer, the greater impact on range.
By utilizing Ford’s preconditioning feature to warm or cool the battery and cabin prior to leaving, Lightning drivers can help minimize the effects extreme temperatures can have on range.
Ford says if you’ve been towing in a gas-powered truck for several years, towing in the Lightning can feel a bit different with smooth, consistent power and maximum torque available off the line.
With up to 320 EPA miles range, Ford’s Lightning gives you plenty of range to get from point A to point B while public charging infrastructure pops up at a record pace.
Ford Pro’s intelligent range towing feature collects data like speed, temperature, available battery energy, driving habits, and route planning to determine how much energy drivers are using in real time while working with public charging.
Darren Palmer, VP of battery electric vehicle programs at Ford model e said:
Customers don’t need to worry about estimating range with all the different factors in play, because our intuitive Ford technologies do that for them, and suggest the best options for charging along their route.
In short, the Ford F-150 Lightning checks all the boxes and is ready to take on the tasks without emitting any tailpipe emissions in the process.
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The Einride Level 4 autonomous HDEV is being operated under a relatively new Belgian regulatory framework, and showcases how Einride (and Europe) might hope to take the lead in advancing autonomous freight technology. Now in service at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, one of the most complex logistics centers in the world, Einride believes its autonomous trucks can move goods with more efficiency and lower emissions than human-driven, diesel-powered rivals.
“Antwerp is more than a logistical hub,” explains Johan Klaps, an alderman at the port of Antwerp. “(Antwerp) is also a place where the mobility of tomorrow is tested and concretized. Autonomous and sustainable applications such as Einride’s proves that innovation is a driver for competitiveness and economic growth.”
Einride autonomous HDEV
The Einride truck itself is an impressive piece of engineering, fitted with a robust 320 kWh li-ion battery pack that promises more than 650 km (405 miles) of all-electric range, thanks to a combination of slippery aerodynamics, energy-efficient electric drive motors, and (of course) the energy-smart driving tactics employed by its impressive self-driving software.
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Einride says its autonomous driving system (backed by a remote operator, Waymo-style, to help deal with edge cases) processes over 5 million data points per second, using radar and LiDAR to feed AI that generates real-time driving instructions for seamless navigation and freight delivery. And, thanks to its purpose-built, cab-less design and 82,000 lb. GVWR, each electric truck can operate with fewer than one remote operator per vehicle, paving the way for far more cost-efficient and expansive logistics operations without the need for many more operators.
“What we are seeing today in Antwerp perfectly aligns with European ambitions,” says Andrea De Candido, Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) DG RTD – European Commission. “(We’re) developing innovative technologies that are efficient, safe, sustainable and scalable. Through pioneering projects like this, we strengthen Europe’s position in future-oriented automated mobility solutions.”
With driver shortages still hitting the industry and electric semi fleets already running across Europe, the Middle East, and even here in the US, it’s only a matter of time before Einride rolls out its autonomous trucks in more markets.
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Due to Tesla still referring to them as “new, more affordable models”, many people believed that Tesla would still bring to market new, cheaper models.
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In fact, the automaker initially stated that it would arrive in the “first half of 2025.”
The new stripped-down Model Y is codenamed E41 and is expected to feature cheaper materials and fewer features than the normal Model Y, which starts at $45,000 in the US.
It is expected to be similar to what Tesla did with the new base Model 3 in Mexico, which features cloth materials instead of vegan leather, lacks a rear display, has no ambient lighting, and features a less advanced audio system.
However, we now learn that the new affordable Model Y will go further than a cheaper interior.
Green, a well-known Tesla hacker who often reveals new features in vehicles through looking deep in firmware updates, claims to have uncovered new details about the upcoming Model Y E41 through the latest Tesla firmware update.
Simplified model Y “E41” that was sighted live now appears in the firmware too. They will have two audio options: “essential” and “essential with commodity” Backup camera would lose a heater no “airwave” in console E41 fascia (performance will also get a fascia update)
The details are somewhat limited as he has to decode them from the firmware, but here’s the full list of what he has found out about the new cheaper Model Y:
“Essential” and “essential with commodity” audio packages
Backup camera without heater
No “air wave” in the center console, which likely means no air flow control for the second row
A new front fascia
Simplified fiberglass headliner
Simplified cabin lighting (footwell only)
Simplified seat controls (single axis)
No power mirror folding
No puddle lamps
No glass roof
No second row display
No Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Simplified 18″ wheels
Downgraded suspension
Tesla has yet to confirm when the new Model Y version will launch, but we previously reported that Tesla is likely waiting for Q4 as it is enjoying strong demand in Q3 from the end of the federal tax credit in the US.
Electrek’s Take
I like “simplified”. I don’t know if the term comes from Green or Tesla, but it certainly works better than “stripped-down,” even though it is also accurate based on what we are learning about the new version.
This didn’t work with the Cybertruck. Tesla quickly discontinued the “simplified” version, but the Cybertruck was already much less popular than Model Y.
I don’t know. This could work. It depends entirely on pricing. If it brings the base price down to $35,000, I can see some people going for it.
However, it will likely devalue Tesla’s “premium” brand and the Model Y significantly.
Also, most of the demand is likely going to come from Model Y buyers in the first place – cannibalizing Tesla’s own sales.
In short, it’s more of a placeholder to slow down the degradation of Tesla’s EV business amid its shift to autonomous driving and robotics, rather than a solution to return to EV growth. That’s a bummer.
Tesla needs brand-new EV models. It’s plain and simple.
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For decades, Briggs & Stratton has helped keep the lights on after the storm with its gas-powered generators. Now, the company is bringing that legacy into the modern electric era with a home backup battery — and a new partnership with EG4 is making it easier than ever to integrate Briggs’ batteries into your home solar setup.
That dependability makes the EG4 inverters favorites among “preppers” as well. Its 18KPV inverters are EMP-hardened, promising reliable performance even after Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) events that would disable other electronics.
“Our collaboration with Briggs & Stratton combines EG4’s advanced energy storage systems with their proven generator and storage technologies to give customers more ways to achieve reliable, uninterrupted power,” said James Showalter, founder and CEO of EG4. “With this partnership we are making it easier than ever to build the right solution for energy independence.”
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Simplify, SimpliPHI
SimpliPHI battery storage; via Briggs & Stratton.
Briggs & Stratton’s SimpliPHI battery packages start with one, two or three SimpliPHI-branded 6.6 kW batteries, designed as modular components to deliver a range of power options tailored to how much of the home or business the user wants to keep powered power during an outage. Is that 25% of their normal energy usage? 100%? Just add more batteries.
The companies explain that, with a 200A pass-thru for easy integration into most homes’ main service panels, the Briggs & Stratton + EG4 home solar battery system can be scaled up to 18 batteries for 119.7 kWh of energy storage and a maximum continuous power of 84 kW, or up to 90 hours of power at 100% load.
“We are excited to expand our closed-loop integrations with EG4,” explains Sequoya Cross, vice president of energy storage for Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions. “We have been consistently impressed with their approach to the market, innovative design choices and products that reliably serve their customers.”
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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