Tough decision….but its time….

[electricpig]

Apparently, Rivian's long-term health relies on the success of the R2. They are still losing money on each unit now made. They were propped up with Saudi money, and future help may be in jeopardy due to the war. I certainly hope the R2 will carry a moderate price and sell well, we need American made EVs.

The Saudi money on as Lucid,.not Rivian Rivian has cut deals with Amazon and VW for cash inflow, not Saudi. They are also net positive on the production of vehicles, but the fixed costs, and construction costs, and lose of carbon credits still have them as negative cash flow. But yes, their future is R2.

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[Grumpy2]

The Saudi money on as Lucid,.not Rivian

Your right, trusted my memory before rechecking my "facts".

 

[gheron75]

If Rivian would ever put a 240v output in their bed (or hell, frunk), I think I would follow your path very soon after.
As mentioned above, certainly do a follow up.

I'm with you on this. My wife and I test drove a Rivian for her (which she didn't end up getting simply due to cost), but I loved it. If it had the capability to plug in household appliances during power outages, I might make the jump. That said, I do expect Ford to support the Lightning (here in the U.S.) for as long as I'll continue to own the truck. But Rivian is still a relatively new vehicle manufacturer, so that's in the back of my mind too.

 

[MountainAlive]

Please follow up after you've had the Rivian for a few weeks to let us know how you like it compared to the Lightning.

Yes this would be great.

 

[JMD359]

Well, I didn’t think this would happen as quickly as it did, but I decided to jump ship and sell my Lightning, reasons are semi irrelevant at this point it just felt right to me at this time. It’s a pity really, the Lightning is a great truck and had a good future but for Ford pulling the plug on it (excuse the pun). Add to that Ford pivoting to the Hybrid EV (EREV), which I have zero interest in, worst of both worlds in my view, high purchase costs of EV with ICE fuel and maintenance requirements it was time for me to break up and move on.

So after several months of test driving and researching different true EV options I decided to purchase a new 2026 Rivian R1T, should be available for pickup in the next 1-2 weeks. It’s bittersweet but when it's time to move on, it's time to move on.

Appreciate all the help and banter I have had on this forum and wish you all continued enjoyment of your Lightnings.

Stay charged!

Congratulations ! As long you didn’t go to a Silverado Ev I considered one went on their forums holy crap, do have issues!,, makes the Lighting seem
Like a Toyota by comparison … so many ppl and even brand new 26s , too , some ppl
Claim it was just the first year that had issues , it’s not ! Lots of Hv battery issues

 

[ridgebackpilot]

I wouldn't trade my Lightning for a Rivian R1T.

For one thing, the bed is far too small at 4.5 ft. And compared to Ford, Rivian is an infant in the automotive world. I'd be concerned that my vehicle would eventually be orphaned.

Is the Lightning perfect? No, but it's far better than the competition!

I might trade my Mustang Mach-E for a Rivian R2, but that's another story!

 

[abcut973]

R1T is too small of a truck for me. So i wouldn't trade my Lightning for one. The R1S on the other hand is something that I would consider for sure to replace my current X7... or wait for the iX7 .
Congrats on your purchase OP. Check back in from time to time.

 

[Altivec]

Well, I didn’t think this would happen as quickly as it did, but I decided to jump ship and sell my Lightning, reasons are semi irrelevant at this point it just felt right to me at this time. It’s a pity really, the Lightning is a great truck and had a good future but for Ford pulling the plug on it (excuse the pun). Add to that Ford pivoting to the Hybrid EV (EREV), which I have zero interest in, worst of both worlds in my view, high purchase costs of EV with ICE fuel and maintenance requirements it was time for me to break up and move on.

So after several months of test driving and researching different true EV options I decided to purchase a new 2026 Rivian R1T, should be available for pickup in the next 1-2 weeks. It’s bittersweet but when it's time to move on, it's time to move on.

Appreciate all the help and banter I have had on this forum and wish you all continued enjoyment of your Lightnings.

Stay charged!

Congratulations on your new truck... In saying that, I don't get it. You say "I didn't think this would happen as quickly", "it's a pity really", "The lightning is a great truck" but you "felt" it was the right time because Ford is going to make EREV's... I agree with you completely in that regards, that EREV's are a joke and I would never ever consider one, but what does that have to do with my lightning.

You took the hit in price already... The longer you keep it, the less of a hit you take in that regard. By selling it, you realize the loss. I get it, sometimes you hate something that it's best to just walk away.... BUT, you said you like the truck. The only thing that turned you off of it is that there will be no future version of the same truck... Why does that matter? So you are going to take a loss on a truck that you like and buy another truck from a company that is hanging on by a thread.... If Rivian goes under, not only do you lose the future version of that truck, you lose all your warranties too. Will you "feel" the need to take a loss on the Rivian too then?

As much as I believe Ford is making a huge mistake going the EREV way, you are going to have to pry away my lightning from my dead body. I also know that even though the Lightning is cancelled, Ford is big enough to stick around at least for the next few years while I still have my warranties, I also know they will support the vehicle with parts for the next 10 years just like they do for all cancelled models and refreshes. You are taking a huge gamble going with a Rivian if all it takes for you to "feel" the need to sell it is the cancellation of that model. Anyways, although I don't get it, I wish you the best with your new truck. I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed your Lightning.

 

[SunPowered]

The environment under which the Lightning was cancelled is rapidly changing. (Gas prices have doubled since announcement of Ford's $19B write off.) The hasty decision by Ford to cut bait may yet be re-thought, and GM's Bolt revival shows the possibility does exist. Even EREV's still need batteries, so some plants will remain. EV sales in general, contrary to popular belief and contrary to the current regime's push, are now quickly escalating. Even in the US, not just the rest of the world. Additionally, because Lightning is based on an existing platform, one that endures, a comeback possibility probably always exists. Not holding my breath, but stranger things have happened.

As a former owner of about 5 hybrids, including a Volt which was basically EREV, I think the public may come to grow tired and wary of the doubled costs and complication of maintaining two complete systems. Advanced Chinese competition in battery tech (CATL is so very far ahead....) is going to force the US to compete or continue to import, and that latest tech is fully competitive with ICE. So, a next gen Lightning may resemble this one, but with a more advanced battery. If they are backwards compatible, I'll drive mine for quite some time to come. (Though I've had no complaints about range or charge speeds at all. But to upgrade someday, if the vehicle holds together, if feasible, would not be out of the question. Best truck I've had, period.)

 

[kibo]

If Rivian would ever put a 240v output in their bed (or hell, frunk), I think I would follow your path very soon after.
As mentioned above, certainly do a follow up.

Eventually they plan to support V2H...though it's been "eventually" for quite some time now...

https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/rivian-r2-v2h-support-future-charger/

 

[chl]

Interesting discussion.

When I bought the Lightning, I would have preferred a Ranger-sized pickup, but I needed to pass on my 2001 Ranger to a grand-kid and the Lightning Pro was in my price range (under $50k in Jan 2024) once the fever had died done and the supply chains were back up.

I might be interested in switching to Ford's new BEV pickup depending on how it turns out.
I'm not unhappy with the Lightning, but maybe the new PU will be a lot better?

The PPOB for backup in an outage etc. is a must-have for me as others mentioned.
If the new Ford PU has V2X capabilities that work flawlessly, unlike the problematic HIS, that might be a reason to consider switching.

I don't think I'd take a chance on Rivian, unless money was no object and I was really unhappy with the Lightning for some reason.

Instead I'd probably consider the Slate vehicle.
It is slated to start production in the 4th quarter of 2026 from what I've read.
A mid-$20k EV modular truck/SUV could be a winner depending on how things go.

If Ford's new PU has to compete with the Slate, it should be interesting.

Never going back to an ICE truck of course, or would I consider an EREV.

I am also still holding out hope that the Aptera will come to market sometime before I die, lol.
It just appeals to my engineering sensibilities.

 

[tearitupsports]

Eventually they plan to support V2H...though it's been "eventually" for quite some time now...

https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/rivian-r2-v2h-support-future-charger/

The Rivian's currently work with Signergy V2X system.

 

[Daragh]

Congratulations on your new truck... In saying that, I don't get it. You say "I didn't think this would happen as quickly", "it's a pity really", "The lightning is a great truck" but you "felt" it was the right time because Ford is going to make EREV's... I agree with you completely in that regards, that EREV's are a joke and I would never ever consider one, but what does that have to do with my lightning.

You took the hit in price already... The longer you keep it, the less of a hit you take in that regard. By selling it, you realize the loss. I get it, sometimes you hate something that it's best to just walk away.... BUT, you said you like the truck. The only thing that turned you off of it is that there will be no future version of the same truck... Why does that matter? So you are going to take a loss on a truck that you like and buy another truck from a company that is hanging on by a thread.... If Rivian goes under, not only do you lose the future version of that truck, you lose all your warranties too. Will you "feel" the need to take a loss on the Rivian too then?

As much as I believe Ford is making a huge mistake going the EREV way, you are going to have to pry away my lightning from my dead body. I also know that even though the Lightning is cancelled, Ford is big enough to stick around at least for the next few years while I still have my warranties, I also know they will support the vehicle with parts for the next 10 years just like they do for all cancelled models and refreshes. You are taking a huge gamble going with a Rivian if all it takes for you to "feel" the need to sell it is the cancellation of that model. Anyways, although I don't get it, I wish you the best with your new truck. I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed your Lightning.

Some very valid points. I tried to avoid the pros and cons discussion in my original post but I’ll elaborate:

I’ve owned Ford trucks for as long as I care to remember. I’ve had F350’s F250’s (all Diesel), F150 (ICE) and F150 Lightning. I bought my son an F150 ICE in the last several years too. The pattern here is I buy my trucks new (this is my preference and I am fortunate to be able to do it) and I tend to change my truck every 6-7 years. Depending on the incentives I will either buy them outright at time of purchase (as I did with my Lightning) or I’ll take advantage of 0% Financing etc. and given I’ve bought several trucks I tend to get a good deal on the purchase price.

I no longer tow or haul heavy materials on a daily or even weekly basis so I don’t need my truck to do this, if I did I would NOT buy an EV truck, I’d have an F250, that’s just me and there is nothing wrong with wanting to use Lightning’s to do this, folks just have to keep in mind the battery technology limitations. My truck is a “weekly driver” (not a work truck) to bring the kids and family to sports, the beach or mountains with associated gear, take fishing gear to the river, and hopefully some fish home for dinner, trash to the dump, bring my mountain bike to the trails etc. so any midsize pickup now works perfectly well for me. I don’t need all the towing specs and long range folks seem so focused and hung up on with respect to EV trucks.

I also used to have an 8 foot bed on my F350 and F250 so I could bring my motorcycle to the mountains in the bed with tailgate closed but I sold that several years back so no longer needed them so when I bought F150 ICE I got a 6 foot bed, then a 5.5 Foot bed with the Lightning, again the end use for me doesn't necessitate a large bed, not that a 5.5 foot bed is large!

The Lightning has been a great truck to drive and use but I can’t ignore service and OTA update realities, for me as an Electrical Engineer its infuriating taking it to and talking with some service folks who clearly don’t understand the core fundamentals of an electric truck or want to, and Fords complete failure at software implementation and updating., again I can only speak for myself here, these have been horrendous. Add to that Ford discontinued the Lightning, so it will depreciate a little faster. I decided that I have a decent amount of equity in my Lighting right now to put to work elsewhere and believe it or not Rivian gave me the highest trade in quote (saves a lot on taxes trading in too). Will it depreciate on the R1T I’m sure it will but probably only at the same rate as it would have if left in the Lightning, the additional equity I’m putting up will obviously reduce faster. But either way I am content with this “hit” and the associate risks.

All mass produced Vehicles are depreciating assets, I look at my vehicles as assets to a degree and just like any asset I review if its worthwhile keeping or looking at alternatives. I looked and researched, there were good and bad in all options as is only to be expected. But I choose to let the Lightning go and get an R1T.

Could Rivian go bust, yes absolutely and I will negotiate and cross that bridge if and when necessary. Although personally I don’t think they will, based on recent investments, their planned roadmap and their in-house hardware and software vertical integration. But I don’t have a crystal ball so can’t offer any proof of that belief. All I know is I am comfortable with this decision, I realize others may feel it’s foolish or crazy to swap a Lightning for a Rivian R1T and or to take the perceived financial hit and that’s perfectly ok. That’s the beauty of independent choice, we succeed and we fail by them but they are ours to make and ours to own.

Stay charged!

 

[tearitupsports]

On topic to this discussion, I really don't understand going from a lightning over to a Rivian. It certainly is not a financial decision. The only rational answer I have seen is the person who needed the vehicle to fit in their garage. Even that for me would have been to park in the driveway rather than lose all that money. I bought my lightning at one of the most expensive MSRP out there (luckily bought on 12/31 and got the 2022 tax credit on the 23 model). I would never consider trading this for another EV truck. There is simply no reason even remotely good enough to spend all that money (even the longer range of the GMC/Chevy).

 

[Adventureboy]

Then they sent me an email telling me what they already priced out for me was now magically an extra 10 grand or so. Bait and switch bastards will never see a dime of my money for that reason alone. Got my cash back and here I am.

Ford did this to me. I ordered a 2022 that came in December as a 2023 and they added $16k CAD to the price tag. I politely told them I wanted what I ordered for the price I ordered it for. I was careful not to tell them I didn't want it because that gives them the authority to sell it to someone else. I held out for 2 months and got it, but wasn't happy with Ford, and I let them know that is no way to treat a long-term Ford customer.

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