Galpin Motors, which owns one of the top Ford dealerships in the world, will add the first Ford electric pickup truck to its lineup next year.The Ford F-150 Lightning will become available in the second quarter of 2022 with a starting price of $39,000.
Beau Boeckmann, president of the North Hills dealership, said in an email to the Business Journal that the challenge of selling electric vehicles versus gas powered ones is one of perception.
“Some people have preconceived notions of what it’s like to drive one,” Boeckmann wrote, adding that he has driven electric vehicles for years and the fears that people have are advantages when it comes to electric vehicles.“For example, people worry about having to charge at home,” he wrote. “But the benefit is truly that every day you have a full ‘tank’ without going to the gas station.”According to figures from the California New Car Dealers Association, the Ford F-Series was the top selling full-size pickup truck in the state last year, with 50,751 registrations, or a market share of 31.2 percent. The Chevrolet Silverado was the next best-selling full-size pickup with 44,141 registrations, or 27.1 percent of the market.The Galpin Ford dealership ranked as the No. 1 Ford dealership by vehicle volume for 29 straight years. Boeckmann said that there was no typical pickup truck buyer who comes to Galpin or lives in the San Fernando Valley.“We see customers from all ends of spectrums,” he said. “Customers needing trucks for work to customers that just love how the trucks look and drive.”According to a study released in April by the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies titled “Driving California’s Transportation Emissions to Zero,” a major roadblock to adoption of electric vehicles is the cost.But a market for used plug-in electric vehicles, or PEVs, with a lower purchase price can play an important role in the adoption of the vehicles, the study said. The study defined PEVs as a combination of electric battery vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.In the California used vehicle market, between 2016 and 2017, the number of PEVs that were sold increased by 15 percent, the study said, citing California Department of Motor Vehicles registration data.“One can hypothesize that the recent increase in the number of PEV transactions in the secondary market is influenced by leased vehicles that have been returned after the lease period,” the study concluded.
Power for businessFord Chief Executive Jim Farley said the Lightning represents all the U.S. can do when it pushes for progress.
“The F-150 Lightning is a massive moment for our Ford team,” Farley said in a statement. “America’s No. 1 auto brand is going zero emissions with America’s favorite vehicle. It’s quicker than a Raptor, with standard 4×4 and independent rear suspension; a power frunk, enough juice to run your house for three days or power an awesome tailgate; and it will forever improve with over-the-air updates.” The Lightning comes equipped with a standard battery capable of charging for 230 miles. An extended battery is also available that can go for 300 miles. The extended battery also allows for faster acceleration. With it, the truck can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 4 seconds.
The Lightning Pro version is meant for commercial businesses. It comes with a front trunk, or frunk, with four 120-volt outlets, two USB outlets and a 240-volt outlet in the bed. The frunk can carry up to 400 pounds of work equipment.
The design enables the truck to power tools or lights used in construction or other industries. According to the Ford website, when used with extended battery the Lightning Pro can support a worksite for three days without charging, including the drive back and forth each day.
Also, there are potential cost savings when going electric.For one, there is less maintenance for an electric motor. In the Lightning’s case the scheduled maintenance cost is 40 percent less than a comparable gas-powered F-150 during eight years or 100,000, whichever comes first, according to the truck’s website.Another way to see financial savings is through a $7,500 federal tax credit.But according to the F-150 Lightning website, the new truck has not yet been certified by the IRS to receive the credit.According to the Institute of Transportation Studies report, past research has shown that every $1,000 offered as a rebate or tax credit can increase average sales of PEVs by 2.6 percent.
“Incentive programs designed to encourage the adoption of PEVs have also been revised over the years to ensure equity through programs like the Clean Cars 4 All in California,” the study said.
The Clean Cars 4 All program helps lower-income California residents replace old, polluting cars with cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles, according to the state Air Resources Board website.The program has helped more than 10,000 residents switch out their vehicles.
Constrained supplyAlong with the Lightning, Galpin also sells or is taking orders on the Ford Mustang Mach E, the Volkswagen ID 4, the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Porsche Taycan. The company is also an exclusive Polestar dealer and will also be selling the 2022 Ford E-Transit van.
Boeckmann said that so far it has not been challenging to sell electric vehicles as demand has outweighed the supply.
“However, I think overall, some customers only want gasoline-powered vehicles as that is all they know and will be slower to adopt,” he wrote in his email. “But I think once they have a chance to drive one, they will come around.” The U of C study found that in addition to the monetary and non-monetary incentives (for example, access to carpool lanes) available to PEV adopters, other factors important in the decision to adopt a PEV include household socio-demographics, access to charging infrastructure and vehicle-buyer characteristics (e.g., environmental attitudes and social networks).“The impact of incentives is also heavily impacted by the public awareness of the PEV and incentives availability and by the supply of those vehicles,” the study found.
Galpin is also investing in turning its service bays into those that can accommodate electric vehicles, Boeckmann said in his email.In any new dealership it builds, the company is running the proper conduits so that it can turn every service bay into an electric bay as well as putting electric charging stations into each customer parking spot, he said.“For all of our existing dealerships, we are retrofitting them so that we can also turn every bay into an electric charging bay by making sure we run the sufficient conduits and power to the area so we can turn them into electric bays as we need to,” Boeckmann added in his email.