Important Update: Ford EV Roadmap & Future of F-150 Lightning (EREV Next Gen Model) - ⛔️ ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS

[Altivec]

After many generations of our family construction business buying exclusively Ford trucks, this is the end of the road. Our lightning test truck has been such a great success that we made the decision that all our trucks will be bev from this point forward. Ford marketing is what killed this truck. Nothing else. There is an enormous market of contractors such as ourselves that never go past 100miles per day. Ford failed to educate this market. Although Ford thinks the best path is to go backwards our company will not follow that path. Good luck with your erevs.

Sponsored

 

[jetfixr1]

I am highly concerned now about insurance rates and spare parts. Ford says they will support the Lightning for the following 10 years. What happens if my tail light goes out 5 years down the road? Is my insurance going to total it because parts simply do not exist? Am I holding a bag of bricks here?

 

[adoublee]

The Lightning is my first Ford and it is a pleasure to drive. I haven’t cared much about resale because I haven’t planned to sell it anytime soon.

That said, it will also be my last Ford purchase. Case in point - even if I wanted an EREV I wouldn’t trust Ford to program one that I could safely and logically preheat in my closed garage (one of many pure BEV perks).

Heck they couldn’t even wait to shut down the BEV Lightning until they have their EREV walk-back ready. For me the decisions are both long to play out and short sighted. The well is poisoned.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Why are you assuming they won't sell parts? Ford isn't Tesla.

Like all vehicles, we will maintain parts and service for 10 years.

Thanks for reminding me of another reason not to buy another Ford (or other American vehicle). I haven't checked recently, but Toyota and Honda are more likely to provide parts for popular vehicles for 15 to 20 years. Great to sell a truck that Ford claims is built to last, but let it drop off a cliff after 10 years.

Google Gemini thinks the biggest risk is as follows:

Software & Electronics (The Highest Risk)

• Proprietary Control Modules: Unique electronic modules (ECUs) and sensors that are tied directly to the Lightning's specific electric drivetrain are the biggest risk. Unlike a simple mechanical part, these cannot be easily replicated by the aftermarket.
• Software Updates: Ford is highly likely to stop providing software patches, security updates, and feature upgrades shortly after the vehicle's production ends, focusing resources on their newer EV platforms.

Conclusion for Lightning Owners

For the next 10 years, owners are fully protected by Ford's parts commitment and warranty obligations.

After that, the Lightning's long-term viability hinges on two factors:

1. Platform Sharing: Its shared F-150 DNA guarantees cheap and abundant body and chassis parts for decades.
2. EV Aftermarket: The growth of independent EV battery repair and electronics remanufacturing will determine the cost and availability of the unique EV components. As EV adoption grows, this aftermarket is expected to become robust.

For now, the 10-year availability for the most unique parts (like the battery pack) is the bare minimum and is required for the warranty period; the aftermarket will likely take over for common parts well past that.

 

[DNap4]

If the battery factory is being converted, what happens with any new battery issues? Where will the battery come from to replace any new issues? Or will any new battery issue result in total loss?

 

[GDN]

This means @Ford Motor Company parts should be available til 2035...
S0 with our extended warranties til 2030, I guess I'll be dumping both trucks at the end of 2029.

Tag @GDN

I'll offer you $25 a piece now for them. I'll probably need the extra battery modules, and I can only imagine the price from Ford if they are available at all. I'm wondering how long these things (battery modules) will store on a shelf and how many they get built to supply us all with over the coming years?

Truly as good as the trucks drive, in 10 years they will start to fall by the way side, there will be a lot residual value in the batteries to supply those that still have drivable trucks or hell buy 2 to 3 old truck just for the batteries. You'd have the capacity for your house for a month, living off the grid. You just need a few panels to get them charged with.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

When this truck comes out, people will be all over it. Maybe not some current Lightning owners here, but you wait and see, they will sell good. There are lots of people who didn't buy Lightning because of a lack of range, they'll love the new truck. That is what Ford sees. I personally rather not have a gas generator but there are more of them than us. (Hybrid/EREV vs Lightning owners) You can't make money from something that doesn't sell good. We can all sit around and talk about how great our trucks are to us, but that's just it, to us, the few. Battery tech needs to catch-up first.

 

[GDN]

It's all just a big experiment by Ford that failed. They had a plan to do it right, but needed to be first to market when Tesla announced the Cybertruck. They cobbled this truck together with many part from ICE. They teamed up with a sub par battery manufacture, they took 8 to 10 year old technology (all of the 12 volt workings of the ICE truck from Sync to 60+ modules through the truck). They just thought they needed to be first and get something on the road.

If they'd finished the T3 work, designed it as an EV needed to be designed, stole many of Tesla's ideas, created a new nameplate to avoid the traditional dealers that didn't want EV's, become a little bit of something that resembles a SW company, and the list goes on, then they might have a product today that was taking the world by storm (but they wouldn't even sell to the rest of the world who wants an EV.)

They didn't and they changed the direction of the ship too many times, and it just sunk on them vs floating and becoming a battleship.

So here we are. If Elon were really on his toes, tomorrow he would announce the truck that his designers likely already have designed that looks like the traditional truck on a frame, that will pull, but has the Tesla battery, tech, motors. Ford would never catch that.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

After many generations of our family construction business buying exclusively Ford trucks, this is the end of the road. Our lightning test truck has been such a great success that we made the decision that all our trucks will be bev from this point forward. Ford marketing is what killed this truck. Nothing else. There is an enormous market of contractors such as ourselves that never go past 100miles per day. Ford failed to educate this market. Although Ford thinks the best path is to go backwards our company will not follow that path. Good luck with your erevs.

I do recall Ford talking about Lightning range for work trucks, the problem was so many naysayers no matter what.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

It's all just a big experiment by Ford that failed. They had a plan to do it right, but needed to be first to market when Tesla announced the Cybertruck. They cobbled this truck together with many part from ICE. They teamed up with a sub par battery manufacture, they took 8 to 10 year old technology (all of the 12 volt workings of the ICE truck from Sync to 60+ modules through the truck). They just thought they needed to be first and get something on the road.

If they'd finished the T3 work, designed it as an EV needed to be designed, stole many of Tesla's ideas, created a new nameplate to avoid the traditional dealers that didn't want EV's, become a little bit of something that resembles a SW company, and the list goes on, then they might have a product today that was taking the world by storm (but they wouldn't even sell to the rest of the world who wants an EV.)

They didn't and they changed the direction of the ship too many times, and it just sunk on them vs floating and becoming a battleship.

So here we are. If Elon were really on his toes, tomorrow he would announce the truck that his designers likely already have designed that looks like the traditional truck on a frame, that will pull, but has the Tesla battery, tech, motors. Ford would never catch that.

' stole many of Tesla's ideas ' That's not a good idea. Ford is not going to build a counterfeit Tesla. It would have failed even worse.

 

[GDN]

I've had a long day and just got caught up on this news and looked at my stock holdings. Was this also what gave TSLA another $16 jump today - they may have just hit a new all time high. I don't own any Ford, but I'm sure theirs took the same jump after a $19.5 B write off.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

I've had a long day and just got caught up on this news and looked at my stock holdings. Was this also what gave TSLA another $16 jump today - they may have just hit a new all time high. I don't own any Ford, but I'm sure theirs took the same jump after a $19.5 B write off.

I have Ford stock. It sank a bit. Ford -$1.10

 

[CJLightning]

While I am excited that this version will
Be made available, will there be trade-in incentives with Lightning l’s? This was my deciding point between the Lightning and whether RAM would’ve released their EREV. The Lightning had been fantastic for me but an EREV is the preferred version, and 700mi range is insane.

 

[MichaelCA]

I think what also swayed corporate was the positive press about Ram's frankenstein REV truck with buzz words like "alleviating range anxiety" so corporate thought the REV Lightning would be an easy win. They get to cut cost with cheaper, less dense LFP batteries AND attract the on the fence customers who have "range anxiety." However, they neglect the fact that they totally just back stabbed us, the early adopters of the Lightning.

 

[ChippewaBarr]

Am I crazy or can someone correct me if I'm wrong...?​

​

As far as I understand EREVs, the generator charging the battery is literally only used to charge the battery - as in it cannot be used to move the vehicle or provide any other traditional engine functions... right?​

​

If this is the case, why are so many hung up on maintenance?​

​

From my possibly related experience with an actual generator used to power my house in an outage - the only maintenance has been changing the oil, filters and new spark plugs...and this thing is almost 30 years old...and has seen zero professional servicing lol.​

​

I get not being pure BEV is a bummer (I'm disappointed too) but I don't think an EREV will be the stealership maintenance monster people are making it out to be...​

​

Ford has made a ton of unforced errors with the Lightning for sure, but I'm interested in seeing where this goes. I just hope they've taken ALL the feedback from the Lightning to heart​

Sponsored