Lordy...
I'm one of the active folks from the Ford forums. I dropped in to see if anything new was to be found. Nope, but there sure has been a lot of misinformation scattered here. Some very good information too of course! I don't want to call anybody out, so in no order here is a little information:
Battery cost/longevity, etc
Mostly a non-issue raised by those that don't own an EV and/or have done little to no fact finding. One oft sees an occasional over-reaction/FUD tossed in too of course, but nothing in this forum. Two macro answers:
1) Cost: I stopped re-writing this from place to place. Check out post #4 and on:
This Link As you'll see, cost concern shouldn't be an issue.
2) One should/could learn how to manage battery degradation, but many don't. Aside from that, a LION pack, properly cared for, has a life-expectancy of 1500 cycles. In my MY-LR that's over 300,000 miles. And since Tesla certainly knows how to architect a BMS (Battery Management System), and I went and learned how to manage battery aging, I've absolutely no concerns. And won't on an RC either.
Those two things said, it would be very very nice if they moved to LFP batteries. Off the shelf available, nearly unlimited recharge cycles, etc.. I really don't know why they aren't. As you likely know Tesla is already using LFP in several cases.
Using One W/O Home Charging:
You certainly could but it would make for a mildly poor financial decision. Be fun to drive though! There is going to be somewhat more conversion loss in the RC than a standard ICE drivetrain. Not tons, less then 5% more, but it will be there. As has been stated, you can't make power. Now for many/most folks you'll have several days of range available, and that free range easily, even overwhelming, offets the ~5% loss. Assuming you charge at home!
The wise man doesn't charge to more than about 55% capacity though, and advertized ranges are never realistic, so more than a few days might be harder, but still.
NCAS vs CCS:
Yea, terrible decision. As a reservation holder I've already requested that be improved/reconsidered. That said, so long as Stellantis continues their own DC fast charge build-out based on CCS (not a good idea) I don't expect them to get wise quickly. Enter the solution:
NCAS to CCS Adapter
Similarities:
The locomotice is close but of course has no battery. Serial power delivery though. You might think "Honda CRV I-MMD" That's a largely serial hybrid with a very part-time parallel shim. It's more efficient around town, less on the interstate. As we would expect.
Really Nice Payload:
Agreed. I've predicted more like 1800lbs in what I would expect in mine, but that's plenty and amen.
Battery Capacity:
I can't cofirm it (Iv'e tried), but various press are kicking aroung 70.8KW for "available". That doesn't make any sense, but that's the number. I would expect a 92KW pack to see much more like 80KW available, but...
How far can it tow:
Pretty far. I'm happy to model a few things for you. Please tell me what you are towing, what with, how far, and what average MPG you get and I'll model it a bit for you. I'll take a (crude) crack at the first two interesting examples.
Weight:
One of those "in the eye of the beholder" kind of things, but relative to an EV half-ton it will be at or below. My crude layman math put the RC at nearly identical weight to the REV with the entry level battery pack.
Not Putting Out Enough Amps To Not Go Dead
Of course not. Sure, there are limits, but they are way way out there. As one example, it could deliver 300HP continuously for something like 30 minutes. Short of pulling a logging truck up a mountain...
Some folks aren't modeling or thinking this through. Even accepting this truck is clearly aimed at those of us that tow, it will meet 95% of need without ever needing to stop or slow down. Those 5% that are pulling exceptionally heavy up extremely long mountains? You need more truck than this anyway. Like a 1 ton diesel!
Hysteria - The battery is going to explode! You'll be found dead with no more fuel or battery left!
I got nothing that can fix this kind of thinking, and long experience tells me not to even try.
Home Generator:
Oh yea! Although RC owners will have to deal with the same issues the PowerBoost guys have had to deal with (this can be it's own topic if interest develops).
Emissions:
Yes, Ram engineers have already stated the Pentastar engine must meet emissions.
Engine Running All The Time:
Rarely. Most folks will not see the engine run in day to day use. At all. Now this is, to some degree, dependent on how smart they are about heating the thing, but I'm assuming they're using a heat pump on the REV and the RC. I grant you for long trips and/or towing the ICE will run, but otherwise you charge it up at home, drive it for a hundred miles and charge it again. (ABC<55% of course).
Hopefully I've helped, it was certainly my intent.
Best wishes gentlemen!
-d