Shopping for a “new” BEV while waiting for the Scout Traveler BEV.

[SrfnFly227]

Congrats! Honestly didn't see that one coming considering how you've always talked so positively about the Ford.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Congrats! Honestly didn't see that one coming considering how you've always talked so positively about the Ford.

I'm not a loyalist--brand doesn't matter to me. I just look for what works best for us.

The Lightning is a fantastic truck and I'm STILL feeling a bit unsure of this decision.

Ford built a capable truck that just happened to be an EV. They made some poor UX decisions but overall got it right.

Chevrolet built a great EV truck but seems to have fallen for some foolishness related to certain UX decisions that others in the industry are also falling for. At least they have physical controls for the HVAC, have physical controls for mirrors, etc. They did fail to include a Start/Stop button and I may end up too frustrated with that; I don’ t have time to test it on the ranch for another couple of weeks, though.

The allure of longer range is a lot stronger than I expected it to be. Much of the time it's not going to be necessary, but >50% of our driving is road trips, so the calculations led to this being a not-wrong decision. We live in a charging desert. Having more range does feel more comfortable. We’ve taken to calling it our "emotional support battery."

The math maths to replace the Lightning with the Silverado.
But the Silverado UX may take longer to be okay with.

 

[maynard]

Last night I traded the 2023 Lightning Lariat Extended Range with 35,600 miles on it for a 2024 Silverado RST (Max Range) with 10,000 miles on it.

First impressions:
It’s only slightly smaller, but handles city driving much better. It’s more maneuverable with the rear steering, but I’m not sure how often I’ll leave that on since it’s more squirrely on the freeway.
It’s quieter inside on the freeway. And the Lightning was already pretty darn quiet.
The midgate means the rear seat structure takes up more of the rear seat, which means less space for storage.
The frunk is smaller, which means I can’t fit in it. And there’s less space for storage.
The HUD is interesting, but I’d leave it off when driving at night—it’s too distracting at night.
The implementation of Android Automotive is superior to any other Android Automotive implementation I have seen so far. I was able to install Libby without trouble and can listen to my audiobooks direct from the vehicle without the phone playing a part.

The 24” wheels are nonsense. I’ll be replacing those ASAP.
I haven’t had to charge it on DCFC yet. That’ll happen this weekend on a 1500 mile road trip.
The truck was charged to 68% when I picked it up. I put it through its paces on the drive up the mountain, so got home with only 20%. If I was new to EVs, only getting 170 miles on 48% of the 200 kWh battery might worry me. But I was testing things out, so it’s not a surprise.

I hate the lack of a start/stop button. I’m trying to accept it. But within four hours of ownership, I had already run into a stupidity with that while backing up to the tent trailer and getting out to check the hitch alignment. Hoping to find a way to disable the dumb algorithm that shuts the vehicle off whenever I leave my seat. I expected better from an established, experienced vehicle manufacturer.

I expect to hate the rear charge port while towing. But the longer range will reduce the number of charge stops we do on camping trips, so it’ll probably come out in the wash.

View attachment 16265

Congrats on the new truck!
RE: fitting in the frunk.... In the background I heard @JAlynn mutter "I beg to differ"

 

[cyure]

I'm not a loyalist--brand doesn't matter to me. I just look for what works best for us.

The Lightning is a fantastic truck and I'm STILL feeling a bit unsure of this decision.

Ford built a capable truck that just happened to be an EV. They made some poor UX decisions but overall got it right.

Chevrolet built a great EV truck but seems to have fallen for some foolishness related to certain UX decisions that others in the industry are also falling for. At least they have physical controls for the HVAC, have physical controls for mirrors, etc. They did fail to include a Start/Stop button and I may end up too frustrated with that; I don’ t have time to test it on the ranch for another couple of weeks, though.

The allure of longer range is a lot stronger than I expected it to be. Much of the time it's not going to be necessary, but >50% of our driving is road trips, so the calculations led to this being a not-wrong decision. We live in a charging desert. Having more range does feel more comfortable. We’ve taken to calling it our "emotional support battery."

The math maths to replace the Lightning with the Silverado.
But the Silverado UX may take longer to be okay with.

Emotional support battery. I love that.

 

[J Alynn]

Last night I traded the 2023 Lightning Lariat Extended Range with 35,600 miles on it for a 2024 Silverado RST (Max Range) with 10,000 miles on it.

First impressions:
It’s only slightly smaller, but handles city driving much better. It’s more maneuverable with the rear steering, but I’m not sure how often I’ll leave that on since it’s more squirrely on the freeway.
It’s quieter inside on the freeway. And the Lightning was already pretty darn quiet.
The midgate means the rear seat structure takes up more of the rear seat, which means less space for storage.
The frunk is smaller, which means I can’t fit in it. And there’s less space for storage.
The HUD is interesting, but I’d leave it off when driving at night—it’s too distracting at night.
The implementation of Android Automotive is superior to any other Android Automotive implementation I have seen so far. I was able to install Libby without trouble and can listen to my audiobooks direct from the vehicle without the phone playing a part.

The 24” wheels are nonsense. I’ll be replacing those ASAP.
I haven’t had to charge it on DCFC yet. That’ll happen this weekend on a 1500 mile road trip.
The truck was charged to 68% when I picked it up. I put it through its paces on the drive up the mountain, so got home with only 20%. If I was new to EVs, only getting 170 miles on 48% of the 200 kWh battery might worry me. But I was testing things out, so it’s not a surprise.

I hate the lack of a start/stop button. I’m trying to accept it. But within four hours of ownership, I had already run into a stupidity with that while backing up to the tent trailer and getting out to check the hitch alignment. Hoping to find a way to disable the dumb algorithm that shuts the vehicle off whenever I leave my seat. I expected better from an established, experienced vehicle manufacturer.

I expect to hate the rear charge port while towing. But the longer range will reduce the number of charge stops we do on camping trips, so it’ll probably come out in the wash.

View attachment 16265

So happy for you. A new toy to use your science on-anxious to hear your adventures and results

 

[J Alynn]

Congrats on the new truck!
RE: fitting in the frunk.... In the background I heard @JAlynn mutter "I beg to differ"

LMAO. What I was actually thinking was……. With a bone saw and proper motivation you can fit anyone into a frunk- I’m presuming! (He added, just in case there is law enforcement on this forum and they lack the history to understand my poor sense of humor and lack of filter).
The other trick is folding them before rigor mortis sets in otherwise it’s like square peg in a round hole.

 

[Scout_Lookout]

Last night I traded the 2023 Lightning Lariat Extended Range with 35,600 miles on it for a 2024 Silverado RST (Max Range) with 10,000 miles on it.

First impressions:
It’s only slightly smaller, but handles city driving much better. It’s more maneuverable with the rear steering, but I’m not sure how often I’ll leave that on since it’s more squirrely on the freeway.
It’s quieter inside on the freeway. And the Lightning was already pretty darn quiet.
The midgate means the rear seat structure takes up more of the rear seat, which means less space for storage.
The frunk is smaller, which means I can’t fit in it. And there’s less space for storage.
The HUD is interesting, but I’d leave it off when driving at night—it’s too distracting at night.
The implementation of Android Automotive is superior to any other Android Automotive implementation I have seen so far. I was able to install Libby without trouble and can listen to my audiobooks direct from the vehicle without the phone playing a part.

The 24” wheels are nonsense. I’ll be replacing those ASAP.
I haven’t had to charge it on DCFC yet. That’ll happen this weekend on a 1500 mile road trip.
The truck was charged to 68% when I picked it up. I put it through its paces on the drive up the mountain, so got home with only 20%. If I was new to EVs, only getting 170 miles on 48% of the 200 kWh battery might worry me. But I was testing things out, so it’s not a surprise.

I hate the lack of a start/stop button. I’m trying to accept it. But within four hours of ownership, I had already run into a stupidity with that while backing up to the tent trailer and getting out to check the hitch alignment. Hoping to find a way to disable the dumb algorithm that shuts the vehicle off whenever I leave my seat. I expected better from an established, experienced vehicle manufacturer.

I expect to hate the rear charge port while towing. But the longer range will reduce the number of charge stops we do on camping trips, so it’ll probably come out in the wash.

View attachment 16265

Congrats on the new rig, that range monster is going to be a great experience for sure!

Regarding the 24's and RST package did they have a Trail Boss on the lot or a different package with smaller wheels?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Congrats on the new rig, that range monster is going to be a great experience for sure!

Regarding the 24's and RST package did they have a Trail Boss on the lot or a different package with smaller wheels?

There are approximately 8 new and used Silverado EVs in all of Arizona. Most of them have smaller batteries. No Trail Boss in Arizona.

I’ll be researching options to replace the 24s. Probably will go with two sets of wheels: 20s with 32” tires and 18s with 32-33” tires. But we’ll see how much that costs. And I need to research those other wheel/tire combos' impacts on range, ride, etc.

 

[strider]

I hate the lack of a start/stop button. I’m trying to accept it. But within four hours of ownership, I had already run into a stupidity with that while backing up to the tent trailer and getting out to check the hitch alignment. Hoping to find a way to disable the dumb algorithm that shuts the vehicle off whenever I leave my seat. I expected better from an established, experienced vehicle manufacturer.

Congrats on the new rig. If I was buying a full-sized EV truck right now it would be the Silverado, hands-down.

I do want to dig into the above more as I am planning to get my son an Equinox EV later this year and want to understand GM's implementation...

In my Tesla, if I come to a stop and take off my seatbelt, it will put the car in Park. If I open the door and exit the vehicle, as long as I leave the door open, the car stays "on" with screens lit up, audio playing, HVAC on, etc. If I then get back into the car (the trailer-backing scenario you mentioned) I just have to press the brake and put the car in gear to move. Since the screens and everything are still on the selection is instantaneous.

Are you saying that in the Silverado, if you put the car in Park, open the door, and leave the seat, the car will power down, even if the door is still open?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I ordered a set of used 18" Hummer EV wheels.

Then I realized I'll have to re calibrate the speedometer for smaller diameter tires... And GM has gone the way of anti-consumer and locked out these kinds of settings.

It's tough because a scammer can run big tires to reduce the miles measured. But someone looking for better performance running smaller tires could end up with the odometer counting more miles than actually driven.

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

And I have already run into another stupid application of the auto-off programming (no Start/Stop button):

To program the garage door opener, I have to climb a 16 foot ladder to tell the garage door opener to activate its pairing. But I only have 30 seconds to program the transmitter in the truck after initiating the opener’s pairing, so it’s best to set the truck into pair mode first and then go climb the ladder.

And, of course, getting out of the truck to climb up the ladder means the truck shuts off. Yes, yes, there’s a workaround. It’s just really, really stupid that a <0.25-second process to start/stop the truck with a simple button press is removed and replaced with a 10-second process to work around that.

I’m not looking forward to fence-building later this month.