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

[Macgreiner]

Among the best parts of EV ownership are:
1. Not having to work with dealerships
2. Not having all the maintenance of a gas motor

Any future f150 owners will now have both of these to deal with.

Sponsored

 

[CyberGus]

I dont think anyone was going to get excited about a gas power Tesla.

We’ve already had a number of people setup generators or power banks to add range at rest. It’s not a stretch to say that a fuel-based range extender would have significant value to boondockers, haulers, and those towing.

 

[HaulingAss]

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

Thinking the lack of profitability in the EV truck space (and the EV car space for that matter) is due to not enough range is incorrect. And the proof is in the data.

The Ford Lightning had a very modest range (in all configurations) compared to the GM Silverado which had class leading range of 492 miles in it's Max Range Work Truck configuration. The Ford Lightning outsold the Silverado by a large margin even though the max range offered was 320 miles.

While we don't have sales figures from manufacturers that are broken down by trim level (and thus range), the sales data clearly shows that more range did not equate to more sales (and probably led to higher losses for the manufacturers of high-range pickups).


For comparison among major EV trucks (as of late 2025 EPA estimates):

• Chevrolet Silverado EV: Up to 492 miles (WT Max Range)
• GMC Sierra EV: Up to ~460-478 miles (Denali/AT4 Max Range)
• Rivian R1T: Up to 420 miles (Dual/Tri/Quad Motor with Max battery)
• Ford F-150 Lightning: Up to 320 miles (Extended Range battery)
• Tesla Cybertruck: Up to 340 miles (depending on wheels/tires; no range extender currently available)

The Cybertruck has outsold almost all of these with the possible exception of the F-150 Lightning (the truck with the least range). And the max range versions of most of these trucks were rarely (if ever) the top sellers. Look at what happened when Tesla released the 366 mile range Long Range Cybertruck with the lowest price of all Cybertruck trims and the longest range - it sold so poorly it was almost immediately discontinued. Sure, it didn't have AWD or the tonneau cover, but it did have the most affordable price and the longest range of any Cybertruck.

I think taking all this data in the aggregate shows that lack of range was not the reason these vehicles didn't sell profitably and were not a big hit. If that were the case the sales figures would be reversed, with the Silverado doing very well with it's up to 492 miles of range and the F-150 at the bottom of the pack. But the Lightning was at or near the top of the sales figures.

So, it's a false narrative that the trucks needed a longer range, what they needed was a lower cost, something not compatible with big batteries.

 

[dalton108]

Among the best parts of EV ownership are:
1. Not having to work with dealerships
2. Not having all the maintenance of an gas motor

Any future f150 owners will now have both of these to deal with.

True. But convenience alone doesn’t always trump utility. In fact, it usually doesn’t.

If you need a truck to do truck stuff, no one who wanted to see you succeed (and who also knows anything about the state of affairs) would recommend that you buy an EV truck.

Not any of them!

500 miles of actual range changes that calculus. I have to say again - this is why both Elon and RJ promised this at the outset. Neither has been able to deliver.

When they both pivoted and said that ‘300 miles is all you really need,’ I called BULLSHIT the moment the words left their mealy little mouths. As someone who has absolutely no compunction about saying it … I’ll go ahead and say it again now:

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

500 miles of range means: 200-260 miles of actual towing.

500 miles of range means: that I can actually drive to Ely, Nevada and do stuff once I get there - rather than spending the rest of that day and into the next charging up from zero (Escalade IQ) if I can make it at all which the Cybertruck cannot.

300 miles of range means that I can get from most city centers to other city centers in a reasonable amount of time and can commute/tool around town — all day, every day. The correct tool for that job is a sedan or a crossover.

EV technology is not ready for primetime in consumer trucks. Hybrid is the next best serviceable option.

Facts over feelings.

 

[CyberGus]

But I would be excited if Tesla decided to open up the existing range extender hardware to after-market.

The Range Extender was simply a way to extend the battery pack. There’s no way Tesla would let 3rd parties tie in to the HV pack, there are too many liabilities.

What we need is a way to charge while in motion, but this is not something Tesla has ever tried to address.

 

[REM]

Ford should have tried a ICE generator with an EV drivetrain from the very beginning if they weren't going to actually commit to designing an EV truck from the ground up. They got lazy and tried to retrofit.

Elon warned them that you cannot do that and achieve wide market success. Too much wasted mass, which is a first principles problem that could have been easily spotted on day one!

Ford is filled to the absolute top with decrepit boomers, and they will very likely not make it long term because they are too stubborn to listen to the next generation of engineers.

Sad, really. Even junior engineers saw this coming a mile away. I hope the bean counters enjoy their cake.

 

[Loudness]

Thinking the lack of profitability in the EV truck space (and the EV car space for that matter) is due to not enough range is incorrect. And the proof is in the data.

The Ford Lightning had a very modest range (in all configurations) compared to the GM Silverado which had class leading range of 492 miles in it's Max Range Work Truck configuration. The Ford Lightning outsold the Silverado by a large margin even though the max range offered was 320 miles.

While we don't have sales figures from manufacturers that are broken down by trim level (and thus range), the sales data clearly shows that more range did not equate to more sales (and probably led to higher losses for the manufacturers of high-range pickups).


For comparison among major EV trucks (as of late 2025 EPA estimates):

• Chevrolet Silverado EV: Up to 492 miles (WT Max Range)
• GMC Sierra EV: Up to ~460-478 miles (Denali/AT4 Max Range)
• Rivian R1T: Up to 420 miles (Dual/Tri/Quad Motor with Max battery)
• Ford F-150 Lightning: Up to 320 miles (Extended Range battery)
• Tesla Cybertruck: Up to 340 miles (depending on wheels/tires; no range extender currently available)

The Cybertruck has outsold almost all of these with the possible exception of the F-150 Lightning (the truck with the least range). And the max range versions of most of these trucks were rarely (if ever) the top sellers. Look at what happened when Tesla released the 366 mile range Long Range Cybertruck with the lowest price of all Cybertruck trims and the longest range - it sold so poorly it was almost immediately discontinued. Sure, it didn't have AWD or the tonneau cover, but it did have the most affordable price and the longest range of any Cybertruck.

I think taking all this data in the aggregate shows that lack of range was not the reason these vehicles didn't sell profitably and were not a big hit. If that were the case the sales figures would be reversed, with the Silverado doing very well with it's up to 492 miles of range and the F-150 at the bottom of the pack. But the Lightning was at or near the top of the sales figures.

So, it's a false narrative that the trucks needed a longer range, what they needed was a lower cost, something not compatible with big batteries.

No disagreement there among EVs, but I was referring to range vs. ICE trucks, especially when towing. I suspect it's a perception issue for some, but a real issue for many.

 

[TickTock]

Among the best parts of EV ownership are:
1. Not having to work with dealerships
2. Not having all the maintenance of an gas motor

Any future f150 owners will now have both of these to deal with.

This will make the dealerships happy. Yay. When I bought my Lightning, it was clear that the dealership hated it (and all EVs) and was just selling it because they had to.

 

[cadamo001]

Price is 90% of the deciding factor IMO.
When price is not the deciding factor, FSD is for me.
Every pickup truck can do what the CT can do. Just not as well.
I'm looking to sell my RV and buy a trailer because I hate driving my RV more than the inconvenience of figuring out charging while towing with my CT.

 

[dalton108]

Ford should have tried a ICE generator with an EV drivetrain from the very beginning if they weren't going to actually commit to designing an EV truck from the ground up. They got lazy and tried to retrofit.

Elon warned them that you cannot do that and achieve wide market success. Too much wasted mass, which is a first principles problem that could have been easily spotted on day one!

Ford is filled to the absolute top with decrepit boomers, and they will very likely not make it long term because they are too stubborn to listen to the next generation of engineers.

Sad, really. Even junior engineers saw this coming a mile away. I hope the bean counters enjoy their cake.

Other than a few rabid fanboys and techno geeks Elon’s strategy hasn’t been any more successful in this space. If success is measured by units moved Ford did just fine, comparatively. They weren’t profitable but the fact that Tesla is making money, in theory, on each cybertruck they managed to sell doesn’t mean that as a line it’s profitable and even that metric taking that face value is definitely spin. There’s no way if they’re including the cost of equipment and R&D Tesla is making a profit on each cyber truck they sell or every cybertruck that they’ve sold collectively to this point.

Non-possible.

 

[NunyaBidness]

No disagreement there among EVs, but I was referring to range vs. ICE trucks, especially when towing. I suspect it's a perception issue for some, but a real issue for many.

Yes. If you're regularly towing long range, there is no EV solution really. There are a lot of people that use a truck for hauling gear in the bed that never attach a trailer, I'm one of them. For me, CT range is fine.

 

[65SoYoLO]

700+ mile range??? I am waiting for the new battery from Tesla to get that, for $5000, then sign me up!

 

[Cybergirl]

I hate to say it, but let's face it, the legacy automakers have no medium to long term future. BEVs are the future of transportation. Ford will never be successful in the EV space. It would require massive changes in company culture, enormous capital investment, and a total revamping of their business model, not to mention dealing with autonomy which is clearly beyond their grasp. For Ford to survive would require rooting out the inefficiencies in every aspect of their business. That's not going to happen. Ford is a century and quarter-old company, approaching the end of its lifecycle, and attempting to hold back the EV/autonomous vehicle floodgates with ill-conceived, desperate plans to continue the production and sale of ICE vehicles.

 

[SCTesla]

BEVs are the future of transportation.

Globally? Sure.

In the US? It's yet to be seen. Look at Tesla's sales the last 3 years. Most expect that to continue. Hell, even Tesla is getting out of the consumer EV business...They are moving to robots, RT/AI as Elon and others at Tesla has said 100 times.

The BEV truck market is tiny because they don't create much or any savings on gas on road trips and have range issues. Because of the low demand and low margins, companies in the US are shifting to a different type of hybrid that provides all of the benefits of an EV with the range extension and quick fillup of a gas vehicle.

It's smart. Is it for us pure EV lovers? No....but that market is pretty stagnant in the US.

 

[Macgreiner]

True. But convenience alone doesn’t always trump utility. In fact, it usually doesn’t.

If you need a truck to do truck stuff, no one who wanted to see you succeed (and who also knows anything about the state of affairs) would recommend that you buy an EV truck.

Not any of them!

500 miles of actual range changes that calculus. I have to say again - this is why both Elon and RJ promised this at the outset. Neither has been able to deliver.

When they both pivoted and said that ‘300 miles is all you really need,’ I called BULLSHIT the moment the words left their mealy little mouths. As someone who has absolutely no compunction about saying it … I’ll go ahead and say it again now:

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

500 miles of range means: 200-260 miles of actual towing.

500 miles of range means: that I can actually drive to Ely, Nevada and do stuff once I get there - rather than spending the rest of that day and into the next charging up from zero (Escalade IQ) if I can make it at all which the Cybertruck cannot.

300 miles of range means that I can get from most city centers to other city centers in a reasonable amount of time and can commute all day, every day. The correct tool for that job is a sedan or a crossover.

EV technology is not ready for primetime in consumer trucks. Hybrid is the next best serviceable option.

Facts over feelings.

For me, not having to work with dealerships is enough to move me from any eventual Ford solution. But you could also argue that by going for a range solution, Ford are effectively narrowing their buyer base to towers alone.

We all know why they are doing this. Ford makes effectively no post-purchase profit on any EV as there is so little to service. Throw an i3 type range extender in there and bang! now you have all the standard ICE service mark ups that keep the dealerships happy.

Maybe the reason I didn't buy a lightning is not confined to me. It was (at least initially) costly, had crap software, made you work with a dealership, poor range, no new tech and slow recharging. Add your own additional point here. (no FSD option, etc.)

Sponsored