- Ford has canceled its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup.
- The name will return on an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) with battery power and a gasoline-powered generator.
Ford announced this week that it has ended production of its F-150 Lightning electric truck. The Lightning name will return, however, on an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). More on what that means in a moment.
The F-150 Lightning debuted to great fanfare in 2021, the first all-electric truck from a major manufacturer. While other automakers made their electric trucks look wildly different from gas-powered models, Ford took a more conservative approach: the Lightning looked more or less like a gas-powered F-150 with a unique grille and headlights.
The approach worked. It was the best-selling electric truck for most of its existence. It lost that title briefly to the Tesla Cybertruck when Tesla’s unusual-looking pickup debuted, but won it back when the Cybertruck fervor died down.
But it never came close to reaching the sales numbers of more conventional gas-powered trucks.
Electric Trucks Have Proven a Tough Sell
- Charging infrastructure is worst where trucks are most popular.
- All trucks lose range when they tow, but that’s a bigger problem for EVs, which require long charging stops.
Truck shoppers proved mostly unwilling to switch to electric vehicles (EVs). EV infrastructure is not mature in many states where trucks are popular. EV prices remain higher than those for gas-powered vehicles, and high prices already stress full-size truck buyers.
There’s also the towing problem. All trucks, regardless of their fuel source, lose up to half their range when pulling a load. For owners of gas- and diesel-powered trucks, that means more frequent quick fill-ups. For owners of EV trucks, it means more frequent long charging sessions.
Those concerns led rival Ram to cancel plans for a Lightning-like pickup. General Motors still builds three: the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and GMC Hummer pickup. But none of the three have ever sold in Lightning-like numbers.
Lightning production also suffered a blow unrelated to demand.
In September, a fire forced the closure of one of Ford’s largest aluminum suppliers. Both the gas-powered and electric versions of the F-150 use aluminum heavily in their bodies and frames. Ford halted Lightning production to use its newly limited aluminum supply on better-selling gas-powered models.
The EREV May Take the Place of the EV Truck
- Both Ford and Ram now plan range-extended electric trucks in place of pure EVs
The F-150 Lightning name won’t stay off the market for long. Alongside the cancellation announcement, Ford announced plans for a second-generation F-150 Lightning designed as an EREV.
EREVs function much like EV trucks, using only electricity for propulsion and recharging from EV chargers. But they carry a gasoline engine that functions as a generator to recharge the truck on the go when needed.
“Unlike a traditional hybrid, the F-150 Lightning EREV is propelled 100% by electric motors,” Ford says. “This ensures owners get the pure EV driving experience they love — including rapid acceleration and quiet operation — while eliminating the need to stop and charge during long-distance towing.”
Ford has released few details on the Lightning EREV, saying only that it will have a combined range of “700+ miles.” We can speculate on how it might function because of a rival.
Ram recently canceled its own planned electric truck and introduced an EREV in its place. Ram says its truck can travel about 150 miles on electricity alone. It uses a V6 to recharge in the field, which Ram chose because it allowed them to continue using an engine the company already builds. An EREV generator can be nearly any type of engine because, since it is not powering the wheels, it operates at a constant load and can be set for peak efficiency.
Startup Scout Motors plans both EV and EREV versions of its upcoming Terra truck, but says most reservation-holders have selected the EREV.
There Will Still Be Lightning Trucks on Dealer Lots for Months
- KBB data show that Ford has nearly a 5-month supply of Lightning models to sell.
- The company still plans a smaller EV truck on a new platform.
Lightning production has ended, but the truck won’t be hard to find if you’re interested in one. KBB data show that Ford has a 147-day supply of Lightning trucks already built. Dealers could continue to sell those well into next spring.
The company isn’t giving up on purely electric trucks, either.
Ford launched a secretive “skunkworks” unit near Los Angeles back in 2021 to develop its next generation of vehicles. Earlier this year, the company unveiled the plan – a low-cost EV platform, assembled from just a few immense cast pieces, that could underpin many smaller vehicles.
Even as it announced the end of Lightning production, Ford said, “The first vehicle from the Universal EV Platform will be the fully connected midsize pickup truck assembled at Louisville Assembly Plant starting in 2027.”
