Ford's $3900 electric crate motor and F-100 concept(cnbc.com)
cnbc.com
Ford's $3900 electric crate motor and F-100 concept
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/02/ford-unveils-a-custom-electric-pickup-ahead-of-f-150-lightning-.html
343 comments
Note that this is just the motor, you'll still need a battery, traction inverter and a control system, none of which are cheap. By the time you are done this system for a regular vehicle with a properly engineered battery enclosure will likely cost way upwards of $15K.
Have a look at:
https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40
to see what goes into a typical EV conversion.
Batteries are here:
https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=4
Have a look at:
https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40
to see what goes into a typical EV conversion.
Batteries are here:
https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=4
Tesla's opposition to Right to Repair has chilled the brand to many frugal car buyers who drive their daily beater 20+ years and 300,000+ miles. Being able to buy an affordable electric crate motor will open up the world of electric to those who like to keep their technology for the long haul.
I am in no way a mechanics/chassis expert but I have been involved in EV projects in the past and there is a substantial amount of design that goes into protecting EV batteries from impact or perfuration.
I agree that it would be much more sustainable to convert our old fleet of cars into EV but unless someone brings forward a big leap in battery protection for these conversions, to me it still feels relatively unsafe when compared with a vehicle designed from the ground up as an EV.
I agree that it would be much more sustainable to convert our old fleet of cars into EV but unless someone brings forward a big leap in battery protection for these conversions, to me it still feels relatively unsafe when compared with a vehicle designed from the ground up as an EV.
The first question that comes to mind here is if Ford's going to offer a crate battery pack too. A crate motor in and of itself is huge, but an electric crate powertrain that's equivalent to GM's Connect and Cruise, would be huge for people looking for a mostly drop-in electric conversion.
People talking about converting vehicles are missing the point.
Ford wants to convert people. The people who would buy a pickup from them today, and aren't sure about this electric motor business -- they need to see something cool and reasonably aspirational.
They'll look at the F-100 at big car shows, and a few years later see e-crate conversions at the local car shows, and then when the price of an electric F-150 has dropped enough, that's what they'll be buying.
Ford wants to convert people. The people who would buy a pickup from them today, and aren't sure about this electric motor business -- they need to see something cool and reasonably aspirational.
They'll look at the F-100 at big car shows, and a few years later see e-crate conversions at the local car shows, and then when the price of an electric F-150 has dropped enough, that's what they'll be buying.
Ford has really been hitting the PR circuit while firing on all cylinders. The lead engineer of the F-150 Lightning was on the cover of Time, and now this.
This appears to be the crate motor: https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-9000-MACHE
A gas motor is about the same price. There's no exhaust system for this, and it's smaller than Ford's monstrous modular V8's, so it seems like it'd be an easy retrofit.
But if you were to actually do a conversion: How does the heating/AC work? How does your power steering work? How do the brakes work?
Many things in a standard car work off vacuum. There's no vacuum on an electric engine. Other things run off the serpentine belt.
These things also make running a newer engine in an older car a pain. Sure, the engine from a newer Mustang you find in the junkyard might only be $4,000 but you're going to spend at least another $10-15,000 getting it to run in your older Mustang or F150.
But if you were to actually do a conversion: How does the heating/AC work? How does your power steering work? How do the brakes work?
Many things in a standard car work off vacuum. There's no vacuum on an electric engine. Other things run off the serpentine belt.
These things also make running a newer engine in an older car a pain. Sure, the engine from a newer Mustang you find in the junkyard might only be $4,000 but you're going to spend at least another $10-15,000 getting it to run in your older Mustang or F150.
How much would it cost in total parts/labor to find someone to buy and restore a 1978-1995 F-150 with new paint job and replacement of rusty parts, and then add this motor and a ridiculous amount of batteries? I'd sign up tomorrow if the opportunity fell out of the sky.
Also is the intention here to just leave it in 3rd gear while running, like the Genovation GXE Electric Corvette mod?
Also is the intention here to just leave it in 3rd gear while running, like the Genovation GXE Electric Corvette mod?
The main draw for me is the smaller size of this car. I'm not sure why car companies have slowly inflated the size of all vehicles to be extremely large.
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Looking forward to seeing this in an old Mini or a Fiero
Shame there aren't photos of the inside of the bed or the rear axle - from the shots under the hood it seems like it would be difficult to fit without losing cargo space
I'd assume most engine swappers would be more interested in something that mounts longitudinally
Shame there aren't photos of the inside of the bed or the rear axle - from the shots under the hood it seems like it would be difficult to fit without losing cargo space
I'd assume most engine swappers would be more interested in something that mounts longitudinally
That interior image is gross. It's like they built the cheapest dash / interior they could, then found a big iPad to incongruously glue onto the middle of the dash and called it a day. I hope it's just prototyping for the concept.
They just couldn’t resist putting in a giant tablet screen front and centre could they. What a pity.
Shouldn't it be 'crate e-motor' rather than 'e-crate motor'?
I wish they would just make the F-100 again, without the electric bits. Manual transmission and a carbed straight-six, original interior.
They were very pretty trucks.
They were very pretty trucks.
The one massive caveat I see with the drop-in motor conversions is that it's not just the motor -- you need batteries too. Retrofitting those seems like a much harder challenge. In new designs, they're at the bottom of the chassis, because they're large and heavy. In retro-fits, where would they go? Engine bay? In place of gas tank? It doesn't seem like there is enough room, and the weight distribution considerations are a major concern.
I see this as a niche market at best. The ICE engine at the heart of a vehicle is an old design. Nevermind all the secondary systems that piggy-back off it, these can probably be adapted. But the distribution of drivetrain into the wheels simplifies the construction massively. One huge advantage of the new electric cars is the lower maintenance, especially with the drivetrain. Converted vehicles would inherit many of the legacy problems, plus new issues stemming from kit conversions and interfacing old systems with new powerplants.
I see this as a niche market at best. The ICE engine at the heart of a vehicle is an old design. Nevermind all the secondary systems that piggy-back off it, these can probably be adapted. But the distribution of drivetrain into the wheels simplifies the construction massively. One huge advantage of the new electric cars is the lower maintenance, especially with the drivetrain. Converted vehicles would inherit many of the legacy problems, plus new issues stemming from kit conversions and interfacing old systems with new powerplants.
There's some percentage of cars out there that are vintage vehicles, which owners don't mind spending the money on to keep going, even though they're emitting diesel fumes and are inefficient. There's a love of these machines, a love which is a hobby and a passion for many car-folks. Giving them some electrification options is a great idea, it needs to happen and it'll create some really fun and zippy vintage cars :)
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Price is good, really, people in the market to do swaps are used to paying big bucks for crate motors. This isn't really targeted at everyday consumers. Even so, I do agree that it would be nice to see battery options as well. At least something with a decently modular form factor that is targeted at powering an EV.
Ford trucks from 1950 are beautiful. Would be awesome to see more of these rescued and kept around.
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/422001427562869039/
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/422001427562869039/
Dare we say it but this is by far a more sustainable/sensible option vs buying a new car. Also liked Toyota's idea to simply convert ICE's to hydrogen powered ones.
So cool! Now I can convert my 86 Lazy Daze RV to electric…
That looks like a good price, but I'm guessing it doesnt include the battery. The real question is what does the battery cost to power the motor.
Something I've never considered: electric motors give car companies an excuse to "re-release" their most popular designs from the past
Too bad they don't have such a truck on the market, I'd love to be able to buy something electric and of reasonable size.
Been waiting for this for decades.
The time is almost upon us where I can finally convert my '81 Jeep Scrambler!
Partly why I like my older truck--it's got no modem, no screens other than a little clock, and nobody in any large corporation knows exactly where I drive it every moment of the day.