Should Ford look into a Ferring Pioneer-esque update?

Never heard of it but it seems to be able to go about anywhere. Sure looks better than the Cybertruck but the price sure isn't. Pretty cool.

All I see when I read all that

Deano Bronc

Never heard of it but it seems to be able to go about anywhere. Sure looks better than the Cybertruck but the price sure isn't. Pretty cool.

Heh… I was going to say. When the Tesla Cybertruck rumors first started, this Fering truck is a lot closer to what I had pictured in my mind.

Anyway, it’s an interesting idea for sure, curious to see how it turns out. I think for the American market a diesel generator would be a rough sell, so it probably would have to be a gasoline generator instead. And it isn’t fully clear to me what the advantage of a this hybrid setup is over a more traditional hybrid setup, but maybe that’ll become clearer as we get closer to the launch.

If Ford can get that to a more reasonable ~$60,000 - $80,000, I think it could work. But at $180,000 that’s a non-starter for a mass market vehicle manufacturer such as Ford.

RagnarKon

Heh… I was going to say. When the Tesla Cybertruck rumors first started, this Fering truck is a lot closer to what I had pictured in my mind.

Anyway, it’s an interesting idea for sure, curious to see how it turns out. I think for the American market a diesel generator would be a rough sell, so it probably would have to be a gasoline generator instead. And it isn’t fully clear to me what the advantage of a this hybrid setup is over a more traditional hybrid setup, but maybe that’ll become clearer as we get closer to the launch.

If Ford can get that to a more reasonable ~$60,000 - $80,000, I think it could work. But at $180,000 that’s a non-starter for a mass market vehicle manufacturer such as Ford.

Yea, that price tag is definitely a non starter for basically everyone haha. In this guy's case though, he'd be hand crafting so much of that vehicle, labor is probably where things become cost prohibitive. And yea, he's able to get away with using diesel because they don't have the same regulations we do it in Europe, so I was thinking it would need to be gas. Definitely doable though.

Speed Devil

All I see when I read all that

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All I see when I see people turn their nose up at an idea is a nay sayer. But not everyone can be forward thinkers and see a genuine need for a vehicle that can keep itself running with insanely high range and off grid capability. Because the govt isn't becoming increasingly c0Mm(U)n1$t and making it harder for people to fuel their vehicles or anything... but that's a discussion for a different forum.

crashmc2

All I see when I see people turn their nose up at an idea is a nay sayer. But not everyone can be forward thinkers and see a genuine need for a vehicle that can keep itself running with insanely high range and off grid capability. Because the govt isn't becoming increasingly c0Mm(U)n1$t and making it harder for people to fuel their vehicles or anything... but that's a discussion for a different forum.

Our Govt is run by dirty commies and globalists, that we agree on. Didn't see the part about the 800cc Diesel engine, just a bit weary of electric anything as it's touted as the future (That we never asked for).

This will definitely be interesting

The small unit is good for about 50 miles of pure electric driving, but it's kept charged by an 800-cc diesel range-extender engine taken from a Smart. That combo powers two electric motors, one on each axle, that put out a combined 443 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is about 80 miles per hour.

50 miles on the electric and 4,300 miles on the 800cc diesel

Speed Devil

Our Govt is run by dirty commies and globalists, that we agree on. Didn't see the part about the 800cc Diesel engine, just a bit weary of electric anything as it's touted as the future (That we never asked for).

This will definitely be interesting

Yea dude, I get that. Even I'm one of the biggest critics of EVs when people claim it's the future or especially if they claim zero emissions... they clearly keep their head buried in the sand about all the fuels it takes to make those batteries or keep them charged; shipped from mine to refinement to producing to vehicle manufacturer; lack of recycling; reliance on finite resources that are a whole lot less common than crude oil and that's controlled by another country; more expensive to refine than oil; etc etc. Not to mention the grid can't take it, especially when only using renewable like CA. They have to tell people not to plug their cars in during the summer and they still suffer from rolling blackouts. We're on the same page, bro. But I'd rather not derail the subject.

Crack pipe jokes aside, I just feel like it's a pretty interesting combination. If I can get even 1,000 miles on one tank (this guy claims over 4k, but I think that's unloaded), that would be awesome. An outright hybrid is just too complicated for an off grid vehicle. I'd rather take my '69 Bronco with its 302 than a hybrid. So a simple generator with basically a giant, temperature agnostic battery on 35s and a couple brushless motors. It would take some real engineering genius to get the cost down and keep the viability of that platform up, but now I'm not tethered to an electric grid and can pack out a lot of fuel, or keep it stored locally, then it's a win. Successful mass production might hurt feelings though. Lost profits. But a large manufacturer like Ford could do it. If they shrink down their F150 Lightning with dual motors and lockers in both (not just rear) then hook in a generator with the power output to charge up your batteries when you can't plug them in, it's possible. A lot of those issues that I listed up top are reduced or eliminated. Just a thought.

ChuckO

50 miles on the electric and 4,300 miles on the 800cc diesel

Yea, when I first read that I rolled my eyes, but still an extra 3,600 more than the highest range hybrid that Ford puts out. Also, the battery is a lithium titanium, not lithium ion. Doesn't quite have the same ability to hold a charge. But those batteries have a much higher cycle life (something like 20k) than a lithium ion, plus way better temperature range.

Definitely better than the 3 miles on only electric that the Jeep Wrangler 4xe gets off road haha