40 MPG City Maverick Pickup

[Travelin' Texans]

Originally Posted by ducksface

Some folks might not know what an isetta is, so here's a picture.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...ign=2021-06-10

The spousal unit wants an isetta 300 as a toad.
Probably not going to happen.

(I'm holding out for a Pinto Pangra truck)

In the hold western movies they drag someone behind their horse & they're rolling side to side in the wagon rut, that's the vision that immediately popped into my head when towing an Isletta was mentioned.
At 60-65 mph that thing would look like a balloon on a string flying behind the motorhome.

[Bob Denman]

Ducky,
I always thought they looked better in Red...

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1623341789

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Travelin' Texans

In the hold western movies they drag someone behind their horse & they're rolling side to side in the wagon rut, that's the vision that immediately popped into my head when towing an Isletta was mentioned.
At 60-65 mph that thing would look like a balloon on a string flying behind the motorhome.

I got to test drive an Isetta 300 when I was a teenager; and it was memorable to say the least. It took a few minutes to get used to shifting with my left hand, plus the 4-speed pattern was upside down. Fortunately a teenage brain adapts faster than today.

The one thing that was unforgettable is how slow a car with one cylinder and 13 HP accelerates. It was almost like driving a lawnmower on busy streets. Fortunately the area was as flat as a pancake, and I stayed on residential streets. Was really fun though.

By the way, they were so light that I’d bet you could haul one off the rear of larger motorhomes just like they do large motorcycles. I know it only took 4 guys to lift one onto a park bench. For real.

[Bob Denman]

...But for around Town: you really couldn't bet them!
You just had to get used to that whole "slower than the Spring thaw" thing...

[Chance]

The FWD hybrid Maverick appears to be flat towable (4 wheels down), but the EcoBoost version with 8 speed automatic is not flat towable, per Ford.

At under 4,000 pounds, the hybrid should tow easily behind many motorhomes, even with “stuff” loaded in bed. Speed is limited to 70 MPH, and requires starting engine every 6 hours, which doesn’t sound too bad to me.
.

[Bob Denman]

This is good news for the interested folks among us.

[wrapped]

Called ford information line today the representative said the maverick hybrid can be towed 4 down

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by ducksface

Some folks might not know what an isetta is, so here's a picture.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...ign=2021-06-10

The spousal unit wants an isetta 300 as a toad.
Probably not going to happen.

(I'm holding out for a Pinto Pangra truck)

The old joke was that the engineers at BMW called Isetta ; looking for a beer refrigerator...
The translators got their lines crossed, and the result was what,we now see...

[Chance]

The modern electric version of the Isetta we discussed a couple of years ago may actually be getting close to production. It’s basically an enclosed 4-wheel scooter in my opinion.

A Low Speed Vehicle versión (after revisions) may make it to US, and could be an interesting city toad that is hauled in a motorhome garage rather than towed. Reported weight is under 1,200 pounds, and is only 8-feet long and just under 5-ft wide or tall; so could fit across an RV.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/green-...-electric-car/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlino

[JamieGeek]

Here is an electric competitor for the Maverick:

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/wolf
or the Wolf Plus:
https://www.alphamotorinc.com/wolf-plus

Looks like these aren't supposed to hit the streets until 2023.

Honestly there are so many of these EV startups its hard to keep track. We'll see how many of them are still around.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Chance

The modern electric version of the Isetta we discussed a couple of years ago may actually be getting close to production. It’s basically an enclosed 4-wheel scooter in my opinion.

A Low Speed Vehicle versión (after revisions) may make it to US, and could be an interesting city toad that is hauled in a motorhome garage rather than towed. Reported weight is under 1,200 pounds, and is only 8-feet long and just under 5-ft wide or tall; so could fit across an RV.

https://www.autoweek.com/news/green-...-electric-car/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microlino

Is this the Microlino?
Cute as a button: sin't it?
I thought they were originally designing this little bug with full-on street capabilities...

[Bob Denman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n-pzXefQW8

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Here is an electric competitor for the Maverick:

https://www.alphamotorinc.com/wolf
or the Wolf Plus:
https://www.alphamotorinc.com/wolf-plus

Looks like these aren't supposed to hit the streets until 2023.

Honestly there are so many of these EV startups its hard to keep track. We'll see how many of them are still around.

The shorter regular-cab pickup for off-road use has great proportions. And not to mention that electric drive makes 4X4 relatively simpler. I like it.

Yeah, I wouldn’t bet (or invest) in many of these start-up electric-vehicle companies. The electrification itself has become so common in my opinion that the real challenge is designing the “rest” of the vehicle, and small start-ups probably don’t have the resources or can obtain the funding to compete with the big boys. If anything, what I’m observing is the opposite where major auto companies are merging to share R&D costs.

An all-electric small pickup makes a lot more sense to me than the huge pickups being proposed that are even larger than F-150. An electric Maverick mainly operated in urban areas is not that different than a car, but electric pickups with obscene battery capacity so they can tow a limited distance does not make technical sense yet to me. If the goal is to be environmentally conservative, they seem to defeat the purpose.

Jamie, I know you remain up to date on electric topics, and I’m wondering if there has been any push back expressed (concerns) due to the grid being overloaded during the recent heat wave in the southwest. We are being asked to conserve electricity by running air conditioners a bit higher, yet the power requirements of air conditioners is a fraction of electric cars; particularly the large ones with 100 kWh of batteries or more.

It’s one thing to charge an electric Smart or Isetta-clone with 25 kWh of battery capacity or less, but when charging with 50A or 80A chargers at home to support 200 kWh (or greater) vehicles, something just seems wrong, and also out of control. It’s like saying that being electric makes it OK, and therefore acceptable to be wasteful.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Chance

The shorter regular-cab pickup for off-road use has great proportions. And not to mention that electric drive makes 4X4 relatively simpler. I like it.



Yeah, I wouldn’t bet (or invest) in many of these start-up electric-vehicle companies. The electrification itself has become so common in my opinion that the real challenge is designing the “rest” of the vehicle, and small start-ups probably don’t have the resources or can obtain the funding to compete with the big boys. If anything, what I’m observing is the opposite where major auto companies are merging to share R&D costs.



An all-electric small pickup makes a lot more sense to me than the huge pickups being proposed that are even larger than F-150. An electric Maverick mainly operated in urban areas is not that different than a car, but electric pickups with obscene battery capacity so they can tow a limited distance does not make technical sense yet to me. If the goal is to be environmentally conservative, they seem to defeat the purpose.



Jamie, I know you remain up to date on electric topics, and I’m wondering if there has been any push back expressed (concerns) due to the grid being overloaded during the recent heat wave in the southwest. We are being asked to conserve electricity by running air conditioners a bit higher, yet the power requirements of air conditioners is a fraction of electric cars; particularly the large ones with 100 kWh of batteries or more.



It’s one thing to charge an electric Smart or Isetta-clone with 25 kWh of battery capacity or less, but when charging with 50A or 80A chargers at home to support 200 kWh (or greater) vehicles, something just seems wrong, and also out of control. It’s like saying that being electric makes it OK, and therefore acceptable to be wasteful.

I share that wondering….the electric grid is overtaxed now in many places and I don’t see any breakthrough changes for at least a decade or more. Electric vehicles may indeed be the wave of the future but without supporting infrastructure the early adopters may have “issues”. And, based on my older experience with both a Prius and a Volt, the advertised range is under ideal conditions while real world - especially in very cold or very hot weather - may be….disappointing. I’d get an electric vehicle again but only as a second car and with full understanding of its limitations.

[Bob Denman]

We need infrastructure improvements: not daycare...

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Chance

The shorter regular-cab pickup for off-road use has great proportions. And not to mention that electric drive makes 4X4 relatively simpler. I like it.

Yeah, I wouldn’t bet (or invest) in many of these start-up electric-vehicle companies. The electrification itself has become so common in my opinion that the real challenge is designing the “rest” of the vehicle, and small start-ups probably don’t have the resources or can obtain the funding to compete with the big boys. If anything, what I’m observing is the opposite where major auto companies are merging to share R&D costs.

An all-electric small pickup makes a lot more sense to me than the huge pickups being proposed that are even larger than F-150. An electric Maverick mainly operated in urban areas is not that different than a car, but electric pickups with obscene battery capacity so they can tow a limited distance does not make technical sense yet to me. If the goal is to be environmentally conservative, they seem to defeat the purpose.

Jamie, I know you remain up to date on electric topics, and I’m wondering if there has been any push back expressed (concerns) due to the grid being overloaded during the recent heat wave in the southwest. We are being asked to conserve electricity by running air conditioners a bit higher, yet the power requirements of air conditioners is a fraction of electric cars; particularly the large ones with 100 kWh of batteries or more.

It’s one thing to charge an electric Smart or Isetta-clone with 25 kWh of battery capacity or less, but when charging with 50A or 80A chargers at home to support 200 kWh (or greater) vehicles, something just seems wrong, and also out of control. It’s like saying that being electric makes it OK, and therefore acceptable to be wasteful.

Very true.

Many, if not all, EVs today include a charge schedule so that you can set it up to charge overnight when the grid isn't being used as much. The electric companies encourage overnight charging by setting the EV plug up on its own meter with time-of-use billing (I charge ours from 11pm - 9am over night for a fraction of what it costs during the day).

Currently this is how EVs are being managed on the grid (it actually helps out the suppliers bringing the overnight use up alowing them to put more into the base load).

Now as more EVs enter the market you would think that there would be a point where even overnight charging would still overload the grid (said 200 kWh batteries charging at 80 amps). The hope would be that the grid improves with the addition of the EVs (this isn't going to happen overnight: it takes time to build all these EVs as it does take time to improve the grid). We would just hope that the grid improvements can keep up...

Myself: I typically charge around 30amps (~7kW) so I'm not loading down the grid that much (in fact I when I charge at campground I only charge at 20 amps so I'm not loading down the campground's grid). Of course with the 88kWh useable in the Mach-E a 0-100% charge would take me about 10 hours at those rates.

[Lt Keefer]

Lots of good thoughts in this thread. I read about the Maverick a while back on the web. Interesting idea from Ford. The market is in need of another pickup that can haul a couple of bags of kitty litter from the big box back to the tiny home. Up until last week I have always had a little truck on the ranch for running errands but with today's modern full size trucks that no longer makes sense. This Maverick hybrid might fit the bill as an errand truck but like all small trucks it will not be a tow vehicle of any consequence.

[abjbrtd]

We had a 98 ranger and a 2013 CMax so we know what we're getting

We started actively researching the hybrid Maverick a few weeks ago to replace our Cherokee which replaced the CMax.

The switch from the CMax to the jeep was a real experience
The Cherokee is fine as a jeep, pos as a toad !

Looking forward to getting back to easy towing setup with the ford and hauling stuff without a half hr clean up for the jeep

[Chance]

Official EPA fuel economy for base hybrid Maverick is even better than the 40 MPG City originally estimated by Ford. Final rating is 42 MPG City.

I’m curious to know how long it will take, if ever, for this low-cost technology to work its way to larger pickups, trucks, and motorhome chassis.


“The 2.5-liter hybrid has an EPA-estimated rating of 37 mpg combined, 33 mpg highway and an EPA-estimated range of more than 500 miles on a single tank of gas.”


https://media.ford.com/content/fordm...ck-hybrid.html

.

[taylorbob1]

I didn’t realize that it’s a Hybrid.
I’m now more interested as I love my Prius hybrid.

Hybrid technology IMHO still has a future as it allows for great range.