Well boys and girls, mark your calendars! We all knew it was coming, but Ford finally made it official today as they announced that they will unveil the new, all-electric F-150 Lightning on May 19, 2021. This is a HUGE deal. Ford's F-series has been the best selling nameplate in the United States for the past 40 years or so. I don't have the time or willpower to do the math, but if you parked all the F-150s ever sold nose-to-tail along Earth's equator, I'm willing to bet they'd circle the globe at least once or twice. Someone prove me wrong! Let's start with the name. Ford was met with some, well let's call it resistance, when it named their new electric crossover a Mustang, despite the Mach-E subtitle. I can understand a little bit of that sentiment, say from a Mustang aficionado's point of view. But the machine that now wears the badge got immediate brand recognition, an association with excitement and performance, and the debate around the name itself garnered the EV so much free press that one could argue it was a brilliant move simply because it got people to notice and start talking about the car. That's a Mustang?! Well, it is now. In the case of the new Lightning, however, there will be no mistaking the form factor. This electric truck will look like an F-150. Rest assured. And the Lightning part? Well, ain't that just a match made in heaven. Lightning is electricity. And this truck is all-electric. I mean, just whoa. I kind of like the new Lightning logo too. Maybe the font is a little too Tron-like for some, at least in the image above, but I think it works - especially with that adorable little T-bolt sandwiched in there. Anyhow, the current F-150 already has an astounding number of powertrain options, including a very well rounded hybrid option, whose drivetrain is referred to as Powerboost. (Ecoboost was already taken apparently.) So adding an all-electric version of Ford's bread-n-butter- making, money-printing F-150 makes perfect sense. The truck wars these days have grown astonishingly fierce and for good reason. These modern body-on-frame behemoths clear high profit margins with each unit sold. And right now, it's Ford's game to lose. If they don't adapt their best-seller to meet consumer expectations (not to mention the demands of preventing an irreversible climate disaster), they risk losing their competitive advantage. That would be a costly mistake for the automaker, especially as it faces an onslaught of electrified competition in the pickup truck arena. Just to name a few upcoming competitors off the top of my head, we have the GMC Hummer, the Tesla Cybertruck, and the Rivian R1T - the latter of which Ford has already invested in heavily. The Hummer, Cybertruck, and R1T are just the ones that are most likely to make it to market. On top of those three contenders, you also have possible entries from little startups like the Alpha Wolf, the Canoo Pickup Truck, the Bollinger B2, and the Lordstown Endurance. Out of that bunch, I think that Lordstown Motors is the least likely to actually mass produce a pickup truck that you could one day buy. I kind of get the impression that Lordstown may or may not be just a huge money-laundering scam of some kind. And the truck is hideous. But Alpha, Canoo, and Bollinger can bring it on! Those look to be some genuinely compelling pickup trucks at first blush. But except for GMC, none of these competitors have the market presence, dealer network, or manufacturing capabilities of Ford Motor Company - not to mention the legion of die-hard brand loyalists who love them some trucks. Ford's hybrid F-150 Powerboost already impressed a bunch of Texans in last winter's historic ice storm. If they can manage to get some butts in the driver's seat of the electric F-150 Lightning, I don't think demand will be a problem. I think supply will. Obviously, Ford has not yet released any details like the ever important performance metrics or how much this monster will cost. But I do hope Ford manages to keep the Lightning's price tag within the budget of the average working guy or gal. The upcoming Hummer and R1T seem pretty cool 'n all, but how's about a little thrifty to go along with all that nifty, eh? They're expensive! The R1T starts at $67,500, and Hummer Pickup starts at a butt-puckering $79,995! The Cybertruck, meanwhile, will supposedly start around $39,900 for the single-motor, rear-wheel drive version. If Ford wants a hit on par with the rest of the F-150 lineup, then I think they'll need to target the Cybertruck's price range. But that's just an average Joe talking smack. In any case, we'll be back with all of the electrifying details (sorry) on May 19th. So please check the homepage for updates, and tell us below what you hope to see on May 19!

Everything costs too much money these days. The price of lumber has skyrocketed. You can barely feed two hungry people at a fast food joint for less than fifteen bucks. And it's grown exceedingly difficult to find a new car or truck for less than $20,000. Forget finding a new one with some off-road chops at that price point. They simply don't exist anymore. What you do have a vast selection from which to choose for less than $20,000, however, are lawn mowers. Shoot, $20k gets you a an entire lawn care business or a good 4WD tractor, so let's lower our sites a little bit... or a lot. How about $5,000? That's still plenty of cash for a darn fine riding mower and then some. But we're looking for electric riding lawn mowers, so our options are somewhat limited. Not only are we looking at off-the-shelf electric riding mowers, but we're also looking to take these hogs... off road. That, mis amigos, will require some ingenuity (free) and some modifications (not free) - meaning more money. Anyhow, here's the goal: a doggone decent, trail-conquering, all-terrain, electric, riding lawn mower for less than $5,000 all-in. The machine has to be able to still function as a mower at the end of the day; but for off-roading purposes, the mower deck may be removed. I know what some of you are thinking. I can hear it right now. "Man, that's stupid! Five thousand dollarydoos could buy you one heck of a mud-slinging, hill-climbing quad!" Well, maybe in you're universe, PAL! But this is MY domain, got it?! My fantasy land. My rules. My irrational desire to off-road the hell out of some electric lawn mowers. So... what do you say? Challenge accepted? Let us know how you'd build yours. Choose your make. Choose your model. Choose your mods. Even if you never build it, let us know how you would if you could. My plan is a simple one. I'd start with the little 38-inch wide Ryobi electric riding mower with the 100 Ah battery. Its tiny footprint could be great for tight trails. Another nice thing about these little guys is that the mower deck is very easily removed and re-installed, so it could maintain its intended purpose as, ya know, a mower. Anyhow, I'd throw on some big, super lug tires, remove the mower deck, and see how far that would take me. Eventually, I'd love to add a small bed or cargo rack over the rear and a utility basket up front too. If I get to feeling frisky, I might add a full suspension set up and a roll-over protection system to the little rig too. Maybe even 4WD. In any case, it shall be known as... Ryobi Wan Kenobi.

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Hello! We're glad you could join us! The forum is the beating heart and soul of the Electric Off-Roaders community. Yes, we publish news articles and product reviews; but really this place - the forum - is what gets us excited. This is the breeding ground for creativity and feedback. This is where you'll show off your custom builds, your newly made trails, your new toys, your new work horses, and your brains. We are going to do our best to keep these threads organized so that people can find that which they seek - whether that's a good trail to hit next weekend, owner insights on an electric UTV, or a step-by-step walkthrough on how to convert an old Huffy into an electric beast of a mountain bike. We're not saying that a Huffy is the best starting point, but sillier things have been done. You can help us keep things organized by taking a quick look around before you post to make sure you're posting in the most appropriate category, of which we have created many. We'll also create a suggestion box of sorts so that when you guys and gals have a great idea on how to improve your online experience here, we can review it and hopefully put it to good use. Also, we're new! Be patient while things around here pick up steam. We need to reach a critical mass to keep the movement going, but we need your help to do it! Please, tell your friends and family! Talk about Electric Off-Roaders on Twitter! Throw us a shout-out on Instagram! Follow us on both! Heck, put our logo and web address on a bill board if you want! Remember: our goal is to create a mass migration in the off-road world towards electrification by way of catalyzing interest in electric off-roaders. We want to be your one-stop shop for the all of the electric off-roading news, reviews, research, and camaraderie you didn't know you needed. If you think you'd feel comfortable in our humble little corner of the internet, please sign up, sign in, and start a discussion. We can't do this without you. Again, we're glad you're here. Thank you for taking a step with us toward the future of outdoor motoring. It's going to be a wild ride.