Tony
New member
I’m think a Corsa straight pipe cat back exhaust with X pipe and dual SS tips. Anyone have an idea of the probable cost?
F-150 Lightning First Mod?
- Thread starter wired
- Start date
Don't worry about the cost i'm sure you will get your money back on the gas mileage. But I would use synthetic oil. LOL
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FOOLSTER
New member
To get an 8000 watt DeWalt generator from Home Depot and wire it into a charge port controller. Then wire the controller into the back side of the charge port on the truck so I have a range extender.
So what I am doing is adding a second charge port. The second charge port is mounted in the frunk. Then I place the DeWalt generator in the frunk with a charge port controller plugged into the second charge port. Thus as long as the generator is running I am adding 8000 watts of power continuously to the truck.
It will take some planning to do this safely. Like the generator has to be rigidly mounted in the frunk so that everything hot on the generator is at a safe distance from any frunk surface. Then the generator needs a supply of fresh air and the exhaust has to have a safe exit point from the frunk.
I am sure someone will, at some point, be selling range extenders for the Lightning that mount in the frunk. There are some problems that will have to be overcome. The charge port on the truck has a signal that does not let you put the truck in drive with the charge port plugged into a wall outlet. This is a safety feature so you do not drive off in the truck with it plugged into a wall outlet. So the charge port in the frunk has to be modified to not use this signal. Then there is the question about is the Lightning battery charger capable of charging the batteries when the truck is moving? Or is it switched in the truck so if the truck is moving it is looking for the electric motors to supply it power for charging as in regeneration. Then when the truck is stopped it switches from the motors to the charge port to look for power. If this is true then anytime the truck is moving the range extender is disconnected from charging the batteries.
Once I get access to the service documentation of the actual truck then the planning can begin.
So what I am doing is adding a second charge port. The second charge port is mounted in the frunk. Then I place the DeWalt generator in the frunk with a charge port controller plugged into the second charge port. Thus as long as the generator is running I am adding 8000 watts of power continuously to the truck.
It will take some planning to do this safely. Like the generator has to be rigidly mounted in the frunk so that everything hot on the generator is at a safe distance from any frunk surface. Then the generator needs a supply of fresh air and the exhaust has to have a safe exit point from the frunk.
I am sure someone will, at some point, be selling range extenders for the Lightning that mount in the frunk. There are some problems that will have to be overcome. The charge port on the truck has a signal that does not let you put the truck in drive with the charge port plugged into a wall outlet. This is a safety feature so you do not drive off in the truck with it plugged into a wall outlet. So the charge port in the frunk has to be modified to not use this signal. Then there is the question about is the Lightning battery charger capable of charging the batteries when the truck is moving? Or is it switched in the truck so if the truck is moving it is looking for the electric motors to supply it power for charging as in regeneration. Then when the truck is stopped it switches from the motors to the charge port to look for power. If this is true then anytime the truck is moving the range extender is disconnected from charging the batteries.
Once I get access to the service documentation of the actual truck then the planning can begin.
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This sound like a lot of trouble, just stop and eat or shop and be charging. But I would tie the generator in to the 2 chargers that are buildt into the truck. That way the charger are putting DC voltage to the battery and the battery will send its DC voltage to the inverter and it will send 3 phase to the motors. That signal wire is just adding a 32 ohm resister i believe was in the video i posted
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corradoborg
Member
They already make this. It's called the Ford Powerboost Hybrid f-150. The "generator" is already in the "frunk," straight from the factory. It's not a plug-in hybrid, which is, I guess, what you're getting at. But it's close enough without having to do all the low-reward work you're talking about.
I don't understand why some people are so obsessed with adding a gas generator to a Lightning. If you want to burn gas, get a gas-burning vehicle - not an EV. If you want an EV, but you have such extreme range anxiety that you think lugging around a gas generator and gasoline is necessary, then you're not ready for an EV. Wait a few years for battery tech to improve, range to increase, and charging stations to increase in number.
Mine first planned are the typical tint, spray in liner, and some front and rear light bars.
Probably some additional bed lights depending on good the stock bed lights work.
I’m also probably getting the XLT trim and will be swapping the cloth out and adding full leather. Either Katzkin or similar company.
I am also interested in some sort of range extenders that may be released in the months to come.
That said, the 230 and 300 range targets are based on an expected 1000 pound interior load.
So, when it’s just a single driver of maybe 200 is pounds that range will be more.
A news blogger had a platinum trim and with 80% charge the range on the screen showed something like 362 remaining
Doing the math, that blogger calc the other 20ish% would have the total range around 467.
I sure hope that ends up being true.
ya think a level kit is all it will take to squeeze 35s under there? I hope you're right.
kericks1991
Member
Exactly. 35s, lifts and maybe even level kits are gonna kill the range. I suspects FoMoCo already did a decent job of wheel selection to maximize range so probably not low hanging fruit there to find additional range. With such a heavy truck, options are gonna be limited there I think.Typically, when I think about truck mods my mind immediately goes to lift, tires, shocks, etc. However, I think when it comes to modifying the Lightning, I might have to change my thought process and think about it in terms of improving the range. So lightweight mods such as lighter wheels and tires and possibly some aerodynamic improvements. It would be cool to gain efficiency instead of losing range. Interesting Lightning thoughts for the day
I'm hoping they make it easy to put the new battery in it. most battery makers are working on a solid state battery. it is like a chip and with the lighter weight they say you can get 700 mpe. They have a problem with it caching on fire.
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So I didn't even think about window tint as a mod, but I did have the 3M UV tint added to all windows the first weekend we had the truck. Made a huge difference.
The first actual mod I did was replace the antenna. It's not 1985 anymore, no need for a 3 foot stick on a truck, shorties work pretty good, and in my mind it'll increase range. Tonneau cover is next on the list, but mine also came with the spray in bed liner. I'm also thinking of having the brakes powder coated to match the blue in the emblems. I will probably get a set of more aggressive winter tires. I don't know if it's the tires or the weight of the batteries, but the stock tires do really good on gravel for me so far.
The first actual mod I did was replace the antenna. It's not 1985 anymore, no need for a 3 foot stick on a truck, shorties work pretty good, and in my mind it'll increase range. Tonneau cover is next on the list, but mine also came with the spray in bed liner. I'm also thinking of having the brakes powder coated to match the blue in the emblems. I will probably get a set of more aggressive winter tires. I don't know if it's the tires or the weight of the batteries, but the stock tires do really good on gravel for me so far.
What did you replace the antenna with how did you cover the hole do you have a pic of this.
On my current F-150, I use a Stubby antenna (<5" tall). I rarely use the radio, rather I use Pandora through my phone. But, when I do, reception has been fine. No longer scrape the ceiling in parking garages. Original antenna just screws off and stubby screws on in its place.
