I think you’re drastically underestimating how immensely popular the Ford F-150 is. Every single person who wants a truck knows about the F-150 and I’d wager the vast majority who may purchase an EV know about the F-150 Lightning or will find out as they start hitting the streets and they see them in parking lots and at stoplights.

Having 220v out the rear to say and looking like a normal truck will help a lot. There are a lot of contractors who buy a lot of trucks and not needing fuel or the trucks or generators(no longer needed0 is a huge win. Plus they check off every single checkbox for a truck, minus the perceieved distance anxiety.

They will sell very well

Not disputing that these will sell really well, but you can get the same 220v out the tailgate of an ICE F-150 today, without waiting 2+ years for the privilege.

Sure, but it's not exactly the same. For example, you can't get your 220v out of the tailgate if you're parked in a garage(or generally indoors).

But what percentage of those F-150 owners know there is an EV version? Or put another way, how many of them can you convert to an EV version with effective advertising?

Does it matter when they’re sold out for two+ years? If you can’t make more why bother trying to get more buyers right now?

More demand now leads to more confident investment which leads to more actual growth in the end. Brand awareness advertising isn't only about orders today. It's about implanting the idea "Maybe I'll buy in EV in a couple of years when my truck wears out" in a consumer's head.

It's only when demand is completely out of hand, or when you don't want to Osborne yourself, that you want to stop advertising.

At some point the f150 may be only electric? So maybe advertising isn't so important if people just want the model regardless of the engine.

They probably would appreciate a boost in sales if advertising can attract new customers (non truck & non Ford people). Ford might be trying to copy Tesla's strategy with marketing. However, the two companies target different populations and I feel Ford would benefit from advertising.

This article shows us how many new customers Ford is attracting: https://www.motor1.com/news/552814/ford-lighting-customer-ne...

That's a great point, but I haven't heard when that is going to happen. Until then, IMHO ads shouldn't be discounted by Ford (this of course assumes that Ford actually wants to convert people from ICE to EV).

The Lightning seems to be designed to convert F-150 buyers. It looks just like a regular F-150 and comes with features rural customers would love, like powering your house during blackouts and your tools away from an outlet.

It's not designed to convert existing F150 buyers.

It's designed to get the guy who has a Tesla and a Tacoma in his driveway and who sees fullsize domestic trucks as a penis extension for backwards hicks to trade both those in.

This isn't about converting existing owners. It's about growing the potential market.

This is definitely false ! I can't speak to the motivation of buyers but Ford commissioned a lot of consulting in advance of developing the Lightning and they are obsessed with trying to convert existing customers to become EV buyers.

I wouldn’t be surprised if over 50% were aware, but whether they’re strongly favorable enough to buy one at the moment is up in the air.

There are a lot of F150s though, and the Lightning’s design is distinct enough that it advertises itself even with a tiny fraction of owners actually converting.

Also, the ridiculous things people are going to try towing with that much torque will win some over as well.

Every single fleet sale in the country[0]. Tack on the transit electric and you’ve got enough work for the entire factory for years.

[0]obviously hyperbolic but fleet electric makes so much sense because many are already centrally parked and the rest can be trivially recharged at home much easier than dealing with gas.

The 2022 F-150 Lightning preorders filled up very quickly and far exceeded Ford's initial production plans. They will be supply limited for several years. Why spend a bunch of money on advertising when you already have more customers than product?

From what I've seen of the coverage, that doesn't quite seem true for the F150. It has decades of name recognition built up and lots of buzz going on for it already. The F150 may be the first real ICE>EV mega crossover thst happens.

I believe the Mustang is going all EV soon too, right?

yep: https://carbuzz.com/news/ford-mustang-will-go-all-electric-i...

No, not even close.

The first electric fullsize pickup to market is going to be a f-ing goldmine.

There are a lot of people who commute in a sedan and have a Tacoma or Odyssey that gets driven when needed and would replace both with a fullsize crew cab truck if it weren't for a little voice in the back of their head telling them that such a vehicle does not project an image that is appropriate for the kind of person who lives in a million dollar home with solar on the roof in a neighborhood dotted with black lives matter signs.

An EV variant drops that stigma and will attract a bunch moneyed buyers who previously would never have considered a fullsize truck. That's huge.

F-150 is the second best selling vehicle in the WORLD. Not just the US. Think about that for a moment. Even if Ford simply replaces 1/2 of them with EV, that’s more than 15x what Tesla delivered in 2021.

There was an article here on HN about the Ford Lightning a few days ago, and now this one. I think their free marketing strategy must be working if it's even reaching the HN crowd, which is not really a traditional market for Ford pickups.

Astroturfing is an incredibly common advertising strategy these days. They're targeting silicon valley and the silicon valley wannabes. HN in a nutshell.

Fuck yeah!

Ford is already ahead of Tesla in EV Trucks

Well tesla has seemed to trying shooting themselves in the foot with their truck rollout. Naming it "cyber truck" then making it look like a bad hot wheels, giving it a small bed with angled sided making it badly shaped for carrying many loads (like a pickups bed is meant for), using new manufacturing technique for its body which results in problems that slow production, bragging about it being indestructible then breaking it window trying to demonstrate how indestructible it is.

> giving it a small bed with angled sided making it badly shaped for carrying many loads

I genuinely doubt the average Cybertruck customer is planning on using for hauling anything more than kids and groceries.

then why not get another form factor better suited to hauling kids and groceries.

Because people buy based on what they like and enjoy, not what's optimal.

They can't build their EVs fast enough. The dealerships are marking them up 20k. Why continue advertising when it will bring them $0 more revenue?