Ford gambled big on EVs when it unveiled the F-150 Lightning. The Lightning was supposed to be the spearhead in Ford’s electrified pursuits with the truck showing how electrification would work in a pickup truck.

Unfortunately, the Lightning had a troubled launch almost from the start and with Ford losing money in EVs, the company is radically rethinking its electrification plans and that means the Lightning will be sacrificed for the sake of change.

Towing, pricing, and range doomed the pickup

The F-150 Lightning was an interesting EV pickup when it first appeared in 2021 and while we enjoyed our time with a Lightning we drove several years ago, it was clear that the futuristic truck was struggling with some problems that kept it firmly in the present. A high price tag which was cut several times was just the tip of the iceberg with reliability, range, and towing, also becoming a triple threat issue that never really went away.

That’s a shame since the Lightning also went out of its way to look like a typical pickup and resisted the urge to radically move away from the ICE-powered F-150 with its core styling sharing core essentials with its gas guzzling sibling. This familiarity play was supposed to appeal to customers who might not have made the leap into an EV but ultimately it was not enough.

What’s next for Ford?

While the standard issue Lighting is biting the dust, that doesn’t mean the nameplate itself is going away. Instead, it will reappear as the Ford F-150 Lightning EREV with this model getting a range-extending gasoline powered generator that boosts range from the current max of 320 miles to an estimated 700+ miles. Ford is not the first company to throw in the towel and go the EREV route either with Ram also killing its pure electric Ram and instead going all in on the Ram 1500 REV which is now an EREV too.

Ford said towing was the biggest reason for the change (understandable since most truck buyers do that) and the addition of the generator will reduce the amount of stops buyers would have to make to fully recharge their truck before resuming their long roadtrip. “Heavy-duty towing and cross-country travel will be as effortless as the daily commute” said Doug Field, Ford’s chief EV, digital and design officer. Field elaborated further stating “Our next-generation F-150 Lightning EREV will be every bit as revolutionary. It delivers everything Lightning customers love—near instantaneous torque and pure electric driving. But with a high-power generator enabling an estimated range of 700+ miles, it tows like a locomotive.”

Ford didn’t release any images of the new model (the pics here are of the current model) but look for the changes to be noticeable to help accommodate the gasoline generator. We just hope the cool Lightning badges stay in place though.