You can get a used Lightning for under $50k. I have one and it is also larger than I really wanted, but I've been running solo jobs on and off with it and it's a pretty solid work truck. If you want a bed over 5 feet, it's either that or the Silverado EV, which is even larger.
this post was submitted on 06 May 2026
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Funny you posted this the same day as all the journalists published about going to see the Ford Skunkworks. Can you wait a year?
Yeah, it’s looking like I’ll wait another year and take a look another look at production vehicles. I’m probably in way over my head thinking about conversion.
The Slate has a 5 foot bed.
The Telo can hold a 4x8 sheet tailgate up. But I doubt it will appear.
You mean the keivalanche? I don't know how many Americans are really interested in using their knees for crumple zones.
as opposed to being impaled by an engine?
as opposed to being impaled by an engine?
Don't...make shit up.
Anyone aware of conversion kits for old off-roads including pickups, which would ship out of US? This not just to look for better prices, but also avoid the modern always connected vehicles and kind of saas deals. Any sturdy chassis those kits are made for? Before Tesla, and then BYD and so on, there were kits for enthusiastic people, but they were kind of expensive, and I guess now prices for such kits might have dropped considerably.
There's a company in Canada called Edison Electric that's making semis and conversion kits.
Thanks a lot for the reference !
Is the range of the Slate fine for you? Slate has way more financial backing than Telo, so I'm expecting them to be easier to deal with for the next few years. If Slate actually ships vehicles this year AND they aren't lemons, I'm still considering one next year.
If Slate actually ships vehicles this year AND they aren’t lemons
Huge IF. Name one new model Detroit vehicle that isn't garbage.
Slate's got nothing to do with Detroit. Startup company, factory is in Indiana.
From your wishlist, I still think the ev conversion is the way to go.
A conversion will let you keep all of the non-smart features on your vehicle that you appreciate and will get you an electric F-150 while saving at least ~10000, maybe more. It used to be a lot more, although I'm not familiar with the rates these days.
Some garages are model-specific too, so you might get a much better quote with the conversion from one that specializes in Ford pickups than one that specializes in VW bugs.
Have you received many quotes or just the one 40k price?
Conversions are expensive and a nightmare if things go wrong, no one can fix it.
Conversions are often cheaper than a new vehicle, sometimes things go wrong on any type of vehicle, and often those things can be fixed.
Not on a long trip at a random garage. No one will touch a conversion.
Oh, i see. If you have a sick horse and ride 3 hours to a random Porsche dealership for veterinary care, then you're correct, you probably are out of luck.
Now, you take your sick horse to an animal hospital...it'll have a better chance at receiving proper care.
I also like the idea of converting, but the quotes I got are from a few years ago. I should probably check again and see if there are new kit options. On top of the kit cost is finding a local shop that can handle the conversion. I'll keep exploring that route.
So VW conversions use a plate that just deletes the engine, acts as a mount for your new electric motor and meshes the new motor with the flywheel. You might look into replacing just your motor and AC, and tying everything else into a pack in the back for your battery paired with a contollrer for the new engines gas control
A wide net is your best bet, 10 years ago sedan and VW conversions were 10 to 15,000 us, and there were probably less than 10 garages around the country offering EV conversion service. Now there are dozens, so except for the current trade route EV materials problems for the states right now, rates should be more competitive.
I am seeing many options for F-150 EV conversion kits too, in a casual search.
Completely anecdotal, but back then when I was looking it up to convert my SUV, the best quotes I got were from the drier, warmer States down in Arizona and New Mexico area.
Best of luck, I hope to hear a positive update!
the problem with F150 conversions is that stupid truck has the aero of a barn, and the road noise drone will drive you crazy.
Constant controlled explosions of a maintenance-heavy gasoline engine vs. low-maintenance AC hum is certainly a choice.
If you don't need the bed the full time you might think about a different ev with a trailer, either way towing reduces your range a ton from what I was reading with the ford lightning, which is why they are adding a gas generator to the newer models to charge as you go. Depending how much you carry in the bed and the weight
I think you're chasing a unicorn. You don't want a new, untested brand, so among the list you presented the Ford is the reliable option. You say you need a full size bed. What's the use case? What about the Ford's size do you not like? If you live in America, is the size really a problem for you? There could be groupthink in this community about what size is acceptable. Are you letting that dictate what will work best for you?
Why do you want manual windows etc? If it's a price of repair concern, is upgrading right now really within your budget at all? You can find a used Lightning for $50k. How could a 1998 conversion for $40k ever compare?
I personally would go for one of the newer brands for price reasons, but that would be driven by financial necessity and I doubt they come with as good a warranty. That's the risk I would have to take to go electric. It doesn't sound like you have that same restriction.
You can find a used Lightning for $50k.
Maybe last month, not this month, or next month. But that makes more sense than a bodged conversion of an old Tesla motor.
I didn't read the comm name at first and I thought this post was about guitars
Ford ranchero is real but will be more like a UTE. It’s been teased but not shown off to the public yet.
Body-on-frame pickups are getting rarer and rarer; the Maverick is a unibody.
Apparently the "ranchero" is going to be a 4 door short bed thing, because actual pickups are extinct.
I've seen a Rivian truck driving around my area. Looks really nice. Decided to look up the price, and yeah that's a crazy price! Almost $150k Canadian.
They also cost a fortune to insure.
Absurdly high repair costs and limited parts availability combined with the massive unbroken panels that are expensive to remove and replace.
If you can wait a while, the BYD Shark will be coming to 'Murica
Saw the headline and came to say the same: BYD Shark also JAC Hunter, ~~Kia Tasman~~, Ioniq T7 and T10
https://business.carsales.com.au/news-room/news/every-new-ute-coming-to-australia/
Edit could have sworn Tasman was available in EV, it isnt. Also T7 & T10 not due in the US until late 2026
Edit 2 - EV Kia Tasman in 2026/27 https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/which-electric-utes-are-coming-to-australia-and-when-146969/
https://www.gearpatrol.com/cars/hyundai-electric-truck-future/
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm US based. Sorry for making y'all assume.
It's practically implied
In any case, BYD will be coming to 'Murica eventually
I own a Dolphin essential, and I fucking love it
I appreciate that the Shark is hybrid, but they're proving very popular and I haven't heard complaints about them
1.5L turbo from a company that never made those motors? Good luck in 5 years.
Even forgetting it's coming from a country that unabashedly copies popular well known designs, when it's combined with a 30kwh phev system I'd give it 10 easily, maybe even 20.
Hybrid with a big battery, so if the daily usage is low, it could be functionally a full EV most of the time. I have heard second hand from a tradie that they haven't bought fuel in 6 months since owning one.
I can't wait for BYD to start selling in Canada, I am tired of my escape's insistence on burning fuel for the hell of it, and all affordable hybrids/EV's in Canada having shit all for range.
A 150km battery + generator would be amazing for my use case, basically only road trips and camping would cost me fuel money.
all affordable hybrids/EV’s in Canada having shit all for range.
Nissan leaf range: 460km. Chevy Bolt range: 420km
My hybrid range is 660km.
Ford Maverick hybrid: 800km.
BYDs will not cost less than any of these.
Using the fuel range while discussing electric vehicles is pretty dishonest and/or misses my point completely.
The leaf and the bolt are smaller than my needs, what I am hoping for is something the size of my escape (or maybe slightly larger) thats either a phev with a generator with ~150km full electric range, or a full electric with a 500+km range.
It also can't be a Japanese make because i have such a long torso that my head rests against the ceiling, and I dont want another american made vehicle until they figure their shit out. This doesn't leave me with much options for my next vehicle, so i am quite hopeful for what's coming.
I don't think you're going to find a phev with 150+km range, even the shark only gets 100 with a 30kwh battery. Other than the lower 60km range why not the escape phev?
Hah, 60km in an escape is a great joke, I am lucky if i get 40km in my 2021. I know my wants/needs are probably a pipe dream, but my daily round trip is ~120km, and being able to do that without an engine would be great.
Being able to do that, and do a 650km round trip in a day would be amazing.
But as to 'why not the escape', I want the other type of PHEV - a vehicle designed to be full electric, but with an efficient generator to increase the range, not a vehicle designed for gas usage with batteries shoved in it - I find even on a shorter average commute (when I bought the vehicle it was ~10km a day), I was going through quite a bit more fuel than one would expect considering I at most needed 25% of my battery capacity.
The smaller BYDs do have issues with head space. The dolphins sun roof rolls up into a lump above the rear seats, so if I sit there my head hits the lump. I'm not super tall either. Atto 3 is much better, but the open boot is still a head hazard as it doesn't go high enough for me.
Neither of those are an issue for me - I dont open the sunroof on vehicles that have it, and my escape has nearly given me a concussion on more than one occasion, so i am used to ducking the hatch at this point.
The bump is there regardless of whether the sunroof is open or not. And i dont think you can get the car without the sunroof?
Ah,,thats less fun. Still not a big deal, since I would never be sitting in my back seat, but good to know.
I really want to convert a crewcab f150 with tesla parts. Im on the lookout for donor vehicles.