For those thinking an F150 instead of 3rd gen...

I'd Rather have a nice '48 F-1 myself...

 

I'll shoot you a PM...

 

Why can't we all just get along. There is room in my driveway for both. The Taco has served me well for 9 years and 173,000 miles, but at times it is just too small and and not powerful enough. I seriously considered trading for a new F-150 and the aluminum body doesn't scare me at all. But the old Tacoma was worth more to me to keep it than I could sell or trade for. I decided that for the same money I'd buy a 2014 F-150 and just keep the Tacoma too.

No regrets, the Tacoma still gets used, but the Ford with a 5.0L V8 gets better fuel mileage, runs much faster, tows a lot more, hauls a lot more, and is far more comfortable. The newer aluminum bodies are even better.

 

As much as I'm a loud v8 kind of guy. I can agree that electric is the future. The torque of an electric is amazing.

Just look where RC cars have gone in 20 years. Electric sucked compared to the fuel powered cars. Slower, no battery life, heavier, etc. Now almost every major sanctioning body is primarily electric. Much faster, extreme run times, lighter.

 

I don't know, would you really trust a hybrid engine when you are hitting the trails hard out in the middle of nowhere? And towing, hybrids have proved to be decent in vehicles with small load, but lets see them tow heavy loads for as many miles as our gas/diesel engines do. Someday we will be there reliably, but I'm not sure it will be as fast as the EPA is mandating.

 

I work as a commercial/industrial electrician so I see electric motors all the time. The possibilities are endless with them.
I'm currently taking a course to learn even more of what you can do with them when using a DC or AC drive system. My instructor even said "the possibilities of what you can do with a proper drive and motor set up are about as limitless as you can think up between your ears."

I've worked in some impressive factory settings as well (Wriglys gum, Irving Tissue, Maple Leaf meats) The things you can do with a proper automation set up and some DC drives is amazing for the conveyor systems, and the raw power of them is incredible.
Even worked in Pearson International Airport for a while on the baggage conveyor system there. Its amazing what you can do with them. Especially with DC motors when you get into dynamic braking and regenerative braking. The applications for off road would be great.

The torque would be amazing for hill climbs.
the dynamic braking and torque control of them would greatly help hill descents.

Imagine a proper set up of electric motors assisting each wheel, one per wheel? No need for a locker at that point as you can have the motors controlled to operate to work like a locked diff. Or even better just a traction control system where it senses wheel slip and controls torque to stop that wheel slippage.

 

Well I did say when batteries get there.
Right now the only problem with electric vehicles is the limitations on them from battery power.

You think our big rigs are stronger than an electric motor? You need to go into an industry and just see what a 50hp or 100hp motor is capable of. Think of it this way a diesel engine has a torque range between certain RPM, where as an electric motor has a constant even torque (when set up properly)
It all comes down to how its hooked up whether you have the armature or field windings be a permanent or electromagnet.
Different wirings can yield different capabilities whether you want a consistent HP or a consistent torque.
You can get into incredible speed control as well.

What we see now is all because of the limitations of batteries. If you see what a proper DC or AC motor can do when connected to a stable power source its amazing.

 

I think we need more efficient/power absorbing solar panels, this will change the game. Right now it's bigger and more batteries. I think it's the combination of these bring electric motors to the main stream.

 

Uh, they do. I have an aluminum front bumper and aluminum skids and they can't handle heavy-duty abuse like steel can. I keep them because of the weight savings they bring.

 

People seem to focus on the f150 being aluminum and how horrible it is but auto makers have been using aluminum panels for years. A lot of hoods, fenders, trunks and doors have been made of aluminum.

im sure Ford did crash tests with them and have put it through a lot of testing before releasing it. I would think it would be just as safe as their competitors.

I have owned a lot of fords in the past (mostly mustangs) and they were the best vehicles I have owned.

I was looking at the f150 5.0 before getting the tacoma but only decided against the f150 because I got more features in the Tacoma vs the Ford of the same price point.

 

our solar technology is shit right now.
We only harvest about 70-80% of our power from it. No clue why we can't harness up to 95% of the total power.
I've installed a fair share of solar at the Pan Am places here in toronto when the pan am games were happening. Even there with the massive solar systems they have and the millions they spent on it, was working with the supplier of the solar and he said those are only about 90%, sounds good but when you consider how large they were and how expensive I'd hope they do.

But when it comes to smaller solar panels they can't harness as much as they should.
Give it time thought, Elon Musk sounds promising at what he's accomplishing with Tesla Motors and what not.

 

Lmao at people comparing strength of a truck by its outer skin.



Still that f150 looks a whole lot better than a 3rd gen.

 

Aluminum vs Steel:

 

The aluminum does what it's supposed to do, why do you care if you're car needs more repair or is totaled? I'd much rather that be the case then killing somebody else or not being able to walk because of cabin intrusion. I guess you take your pick

 

Only reason Tundra didn't beat it was because of crash prevention technology.
If you don't know how to drive get the Ford, for strength the Tundra.

 

Holy crap ! Watch at 0:57, it opens like a sardine can !!!

 

Sheet metal has nothing to do with impact protection. That's in the design of the structure and how it reacts to the forces placed on it during an accident.

 

Ford is making more and more features to put anyone in a truck and towing lol.

Trailer reverse assist? Seriously these are things we should not have assist for. If you can't back up a trailer or hook up a hitch on your own you shouldn't be driving with a trailer.

 

The ford has a steel frame like any other truck. People need to calm down

The overlap that the ford beat all the other trucks in (including the tundra) had nothing to do with features

 

Watch the video posted earlier starting at time 0:57 for 30 seconds !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjQo9jnCew