Ford is reportedly considering pulling the plug on the F-150 Lightning, which would mark the first major electric pickup withdrawal from the U.S. market. This isn’t just another product discontinuation—it’s a brutal reality check for an industry that promised electric trucks would seamlessly replace their gas-guzzling ancestors.
The Numbers Don’t Lie About EV Truck Struggles
Ford’s EV division has lost $13 billion since 2023, with Lightning leading the charge.
Ford’s Model E division has burned through approximately $13 billion since 2023, according to CBT News, and the Lightning represents a significant chunk of those losses. October sales tell the brutal story: dealers moved roughly 1,500 Lightnings compared to 66,000 gas-powered F-Series trucks.
When your electric flagship sells at 2% the rate of its combustion cousin, the math gets uncomfortable fast. The Lightning managed just 5,842 units in Q2—down 26% year-over-year—while gas F-Series trucks moved over 220,000 units in the same period.
Real-World Performance Falls Short of Marketing Promises
Towing your boat to the lake drops Lightning’s range from 320 miles to barely 100.
The Lightning’s EPA-rated 320-mile range disappears faster than your patience at a broken charging station when you hook up a trailer. Real-world towing scenarios can slash range to 100 miles, according to user reports and testing data. Cold weather compounds the problem, turning weekend adventures into charging station scavenger hunts.
That promised $40,000 starting price? It climbed past $50,000, with loaded trims approaching $90,000—hardly the working-person’s truck Ford initially marketed. The 1,600-pound battery pack doesn’t help either, reducing payload capacity compared to gas F-150s.
Industry-Wide Retreat From Electric Truck Dreams
Stellantis axed electric Ram plans while GM reconsiders its entire truck strategy.
Ford isn’t alone in this electric truck reality check. Stellantis cancelled its planned electric Ram 1500, GM is rethinking its electric truck lineup, and Rivian has laid off staff despite being purpose-built for electric trucks, reports Torque Cafe. Even Tesla’s Cybertruck, with all its media attention, hasn’t achieved the mainstream adoption industry analysts predicted.
The expiry of federal tax credits in late 2025 triggered a 24% year-over-year decline in EV sales, hitting trucks particularly hard. Ford has paused Lightning production at its Michigan factory, citing both supply chain constraints and low demand.
Ford’s pivot toward a smaller, more affordable electric pickup for 2027 suggests the company learned what truck buyers already knew: big promises about revolutionary electric haulers were years ahead of the technology’s ability to deliver.
