F-150 Lighting EV Cancelled. To be Replaced by EREV Hybrid Lightning

[Loudness]

Ford official announcement:

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/important-update-the-ford-ev-roadmap-and-future-of-f-150-lightning-erev-next-gen-model.33426/


The F-150 Lightning is officially dead. Production was paused a month or two ago, now it's officially done. Ford has also cancelled plans for its next-generation full-size all-electric pickup, they're moving to EREVs instead of BEVs.

Less competition in the BEV truck space, it's obviously a tough segment, most of which seems to come down to range.

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[Loudness]

Even though it's relatively low-volume akin the to X and S, I hope Tesla keeps the Cybertruck going for many years - I will absolutely buy an AI5 Cybertruck and pass my FS down to my daughter.

 

[CyberGus]

"FORD F-150: The Prius of Trucks"

 

[ABILISK]

I sure hope CT sticks around, but this is NOT good news for it. Tesla is unpredictable at best so I could see it going either way right now. They may keep it around just out of spite or because Elon likes it, or they may find that it’s fulfilled its purpose of testing all the new crazy tech, bring that to the other cars, and let CT fade out. Sure hope they keep it going.

 

[dalton108]

Even though it's relatively low-volume akin the to X and S, I hope Tesla keeps the Cybertruck going for many years - I will absolutely buy an AI5 Cybertruck and pass my FS down to my daughter.

But, Tesla makes money on those vehicles. Ford was losing on every lightning. And the reality is as I think, Kyle from out of spec or the guys on TFL - it just didn't do anything better than a regular Ford 150 for more money and greater hassle. It's unfortunate but it looks like consumer electric trucks just aren't ready for prime time yet.

I'm generally anti-hybrid but I just need to be able to do the stuff I need to do off-road in a truck and the cyber truck is not competent for 25% of that and that 25% is the difference between being able to do it and not being able to do it that's why I'm counting on Scout to get this right looks like Ford thinks that VW group has the right strategy.

Tesla killed our extended range battery, and I know that they will never produce a ice generator, but they should work with somebody else who will if they could fix the cybertruck range problem (that some people want to pretend doesn't exist) it would be absolutely unstoppable.

 

[CyberGus]

OK, to be fair, the Lightning (and Cybertruck, for that matter) would be flying off the lots with 2x the range at half the price. Lithium cells are still just too damn expensive per kWh and don't have sufficient energy density (and/or don't charge fast enough).

A Lightning with $10k of batteries replaced by a $3k gas-powered range-extender would address both issues, and still be an EV at heart. If priced competitively, it could be a big seller.

Before any of you get excited, there is zero chance that Tesla will ever sell a gas-powered vehicle

 

[Art138]

I sure hope CT sticks around, but this is NOT good news for it. Tesla is unpredictable at best so I could see it going either way right now. They may keep it around just out of spite or because Elon likes it, or they may find that it’s fulfilled its purpose of testing all the new crazy tech, bring that to the other cars, and let CT fade out. Sure hope they keep it going.

I think there will be demand around the world for the CT. Not to a large scale but enough as a halo truck. The Lightning never had the allure of the CT. I as well as many never bought it as a truck. A novelty with high tech that amazes folks when they drive it and want one.

 

[vandytom]

Cybertruck survives due to the new gen tech. Also its market is not even trucks.

 

[Fugue]

That is why our next-generation F-150 Lightning will be an EREV. 100% electric power delivery, sub-5-second acceleration – and adds an estimated 700+ mile range with locomotive-like towing capability. That is a game-changer for our customers. Like the current F-150 Lightning, the next-gen version will also offer exportable electricity that can power everything from work sites to camp sites to homes during a power outage.

For those who aren’t familiar with EREVs, this isn't a traditional plug-in hybrid. This is an electric vehicle with an on-board generator.

As much as I want to see more competition in the pure electric truck market, I think this is a smart move on Ford's part. It solves the range concern while tapping a market that Tesla won't touch, as @dalton108 and @CyberGus pointed out.

As for my neck of the woods:

We are repurposing our Kentucky battery plant to build large-scale battery storage systems (for grid and industrial use), and our Michigan plant will be focusing on prismatic LFP cells.

I'm glad they aren't killing that factory because it's a sizable part of the local economy.

Edit: They laid off all 1,600 employees right before Christmas.

https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/...cle_32ef2a58-eb9d-4bf4-820d-c2417b6793ea.html

 

[Mini2nut]

Smart business move on Ford’s part. When they stopped Lightning production I knew it wasn’t coming back.

Unfortunately EV pickups are not selling anywhere near manufacturer expectations and that includes the Cybertruck.

 

[hemiarch]

I see it as a win for the Cybertruck.

 

[YDR37]

Note that there are actually two components to Ford's future EV truck strategy:

(1) Go EREV. RAM and Scout (VW) are also developing full-sized EREV trucks.

(2) Go smaller. The cancellation of the Lightning has not affected Ford's plans to introduce a mid-sized EV pickup. Slate and Kia are also developing smaller EV pickups. Seems like all of these smaller EV pickups will be pure BEV (not EREV).

While we shift F-150 Lightning to EREV, we are absolutely maintaining our plans and investment in the next generation of affordable EVs. The new Universal EV (UEV) platform is now more important than ever for Ford. UEV platform development is well underway. This flexible architecture will underpin a new family of smaller, more affordable, and cost-efficient vehicles—starting with a midsize pickup in 2027.

So Ford (and other manufacturers) are not giving up on EV trucks -- they are just switching to different kinds of EV trucks. Elon has talked about switching gears as well, but I don't see any signs that this is actually happening:

... if it turns out nobody wants to buy a weird-looking truck, we’ll build a normal truck, no problem ... So that’s our fallback strategy.

 

[RayzorBEV]

Ford official announcement:

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/important-update-the-ford-ev-roadmap-and-future-of-f-150-lightning-erev-next-gen-model.33426/


The F-150 Lightning is officially dead. Production was paused a month or two ago, now it's officially done. Ford has also cancelled plans for its next-generation full-size all-electric pickup, they're moving to EREVs instead of BEVs.

Less competition in the BEV truck space, it's obviously a tough segment, most of which seems to come down to range.

Replaced by Ghost Lightning

 

[Loudness]

For my use case, the Cybertruck is an incredible vehicle, but I'm also not a "truck guy" and would never buy any other truck.

EREVs seem like a really good solution for people that want the benefits of an electric truck without the range/towing compromises of the current crop of BEVs, but at a potentially significant increase to complexity and maintenance (much like other hybrids).

I think this is a good move by Ford for the market segments they serve.

 

[YDR37]

A Lightning with $10k of batteries replaced by a $3k gas-powered range-extender would address both issues, and still be an EV at heart. If priced competitively, it could be a big seller.

The Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra pickup, which are expected in 2027, can be reserved either as pure BEVs (estimated range of 350 miles), or as EREVs (estimated range of 500+ miles). Apparently there is far more customer interest in the EREV version:

CEO Scott Keogh revealed that one particular powertrain choice is dominating reservations.

Although electric pickups are generally far quicker and more refined than gas-powered versions, using them for towing or hauling heavy loads has a significant impact on range. For this reason, Scout announced the “Harvester” range-extender option for the Traveler and Terra, which uses a gas engine as a generator to charge the batteries. This allows for a range of around 500 miles, and the option has proven hard to resist, based on initial reservations.

“The market has spoken,” said Keogh. “Over 80% of the reservations are the range-extender. The demand for the car is phenomenal.”

I'm sure that Ford took note of that. Ford is also trying to go one better with the announcement of 700+ mile range.

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