Ford is reportedly considering discontinuing the all-electric F-150 Lightning, a move that would mark the most significant retreat yet by a major automaker from the once-booming U.S. electric pickup segment.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with internal discussions, Ford executives have been actively debating whether to pull the plug on the electric truck as financial losses deepen and demand softens.
The F-150 Lightning arrived with enormous expectations when it was unveiled in 2021. Ford billed the truck as a transformative product—at one point even comparing its significance to the original Model T—and projected annual sales as high as 150,000 units.
But while the Lightning became the best-selling electric pickup in the U.S., the truck never reached its targeted potential. Ford has sold fewer than 100,000 units since production began in 2022, including only 24,577 through the first ten months of this year.
The Lightning has been a costly endeavour. Ford has accumulated more than $13 billion in EV losses since 2023, and executives have shifted strategy sharply in recent months. The company paused Lightning production in late October following a fire at supplier Novelis’ aluminum facility in Oswego, New York, which disrupted a key part of the supply chain.
At the same time, Ford moved to prioritize more profitable gasoline and hybrid versions of the F-150—its long-time best-selling and highest-margin product.
Ford publicly declined to comment on whether the Lightning is on the chopping block, but emphasized strong recent sales performance and the truck’s lead over rivals. “What I can say is that F-150 Lightning is the best-selling electric pickup truck in the U.S. — despite new competition from Cybertruck, Chevy, GMC, Hummer and Rivian — and delivered record sales in Q3. Right now, we’re focused on producing F-150 ICE and Hybrid as we recover from the fire at Novelis,” a Ford spokesperson said on Thursday.
Ford is not the only automaker pulling back from their original EV ambitions. Stellantis recently scrapped plans for an all-electric Ram 1500, and General Motors has scaled back its own EV portfolio after high costs and slow sales. Across the industry, automakers are recalibrating after years of aggressive EV expansion met with a tougher-than-expected market.
For now, production of the Lightning remains paused, with Ford saying only that it will restart “at the right time.” Whether that restart ever comes is now very much an open question.
