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

[The Weatherman]

I don't disagree that a magical 'truck' like you hope is in the future...but, honestly, for those of us only complaining and hoping because we have those 'few' longer road trips, wouldn't we be better off, FINANCIALLY, and also long-term maintenance related, to simply RENT a large truck for these few times?

I don't own a U-Haul truck, but I rent one when needed.
I certainly don't want to buy one, just for that 'infrequent need'...

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[The Weatherman]

Really?
What a load of marketing-speak. Your own CEO has been spouting off for over three years how 80% of pickup truck owners never tow or haul, and yet, you're now pumping out the very FUD narrative EV owners and supporters have been battling for years. Jimbo old boy and the Ford family sold out to shortsighted, short-term profit grabs and knee-bending to regressive auto building, which also makes him a liar to the Lightning community. I encourage anyone to listen to Jimbo's comments at the 2024 Ideas festival and on his famed Lightning road trip. It will make you nauseous today.
Worse, why hasn't Ford ever taken accountability for its own boondoggle, instead blaming their own truck owners? Who do you think is fooled here? There are only TWO reasons the Lightning never reached economies of scale and BOTH of those horrible developments land squarely on the shoulders of Ford Motor Company:
1) Demolishing 300,000 initial reservations by breaching your own ramp plans of getting costs down by driving fast to economies of scale. This was destroyed via FIVE price increases in the ramp-up period. FoMoCo seeing an opportunity to bilk its loyal customers for a quick cash grab instead of sticking to script.
2) Ford failing miserably to rein in its glorified pawn-shop archaic dealership networks that tacked on insane 'market adjustments' on top of the already 5-times inflated MSRP, seeing, as reported by Motortrend in 2022, some base Pro '$39,990' trims being tagged at $140,000K!
Furthermore, most of the reservations were for lower trims, but both Ford and the dealerships throttled those and filled their lots with Lariats and Platinums. When those reservation holders arrived at dealerships to pick up their $40K truck, they were assaulted with supercar-level pricing - and they gave Ford the middle finger and walked - never to return.
But hey, those dealership sales people just moved them right over to that Powerboost and V8, and Ford made more money.
I don't know if this was a deliberate underhanded tactic to undermine EV truck sales or just plain stupidity, but in either case, it's due time Ford acknowledged its primary role in a) destroying initial demand b) destroying its own ramp-up out of pure shortsighted greed that led to the plant never being able to reach cost parity economies of scale (which it now blames on 'lack of interest'), and c) creating the universal and devastating perception that 'EV trucks are too expensive', which Farley is now out on Bloomberg, Yahoo, Finance, and any venue that might crank up the stock price, parroting to the anti-ev crowd.
You have a LOT of pissed off loyal Ford owners right now, me being one of them. And your solution was to pivot and pitch us on the next new shiny thing.
Let's not try to kid anyone here. You and I both know that your little EREV play is just to appease angry Lightning owners, and you don't seem to have anything concrete even developed yet, but your 'range estimate' seems to be just above the Ram. How convenient. You have already stated this will come AFTER your 'Model T Moment' urban go-carts hit the street. So what? 2029? 2030? Enough time to have consumers forget the value-for-price of the Lightning so they might overlook the 'new' Lightning EREV 2.0 costing more?
I and many converted pure EV truck owners will be driving one of Ford's EV truck competitors long before your gas guzzling EV comes to market, which I doubt will ever happen anyway.
Ford just blew their EV truck future. I Look forward you your company's government 'too big to fail' bailout with enthusiasm. Maybe this time, congress will say no.

 

[PJnc284]

Who wouldn't be interested in the spiritual successor to the best selling EV truck to date?

"best selling" obviously doesn't mean much considering the numbers. 2 > 1 afterall

 

[Trucked Up EVs]

Interesting. So T3 is canceled, too.

So this means Ford is completely getting out of the EV full-size pickup game for a while.

And an EREV means maintenance, right?

They've got to keep their stealership services bays churning out the money.

 

[AberdeenSupreme]

Really?
What a load of marketing-speak. Your own CEO has been spouting off for over three years how 80% of pickup truck owners never tow or haul, and yet, you're now pumping out the very FUD narrative EV owners and supporters have been battling for years? Jimbo old boy and the Ford family sold out to shortsighted, short-term profit grabs and knee-bending to regressive auto building, which also makes him a liar to the Lightning community. I encourage anyone to listen to Jimbo's comments at the 2024 Ideas festival and on his famed Lightning road trip. It will make you nauseous today.
Worse, why hasn't Ford ever taken accountability for its own boondoggle, instead blaming their own truck owners? Who do you think is fooled here? There are only TWO reasons the Lightning never reached economies of scale and BOTH of those horrible developments land squarely on the shoulders of Ford Motor Company:
1) Demolishing 300,000 initial reservations by breaching your own ramp plans of getting costs down by driving fast to economies of scale. This was destroyed via FIVE price increases in the ramp-up period. FoMoCo seeing an opportunity to bilk its loyal customers for a quick cash grab instead of sticking to script.
2) Ford failing miserably to rein in its glorified pawn-shop archaic dealership networks that tacked on insane 'market adjustments' on top of the already 5-times inflated MSRP, seeing, as reported by Motortrend in 2022, some base Pro '$39,990' trims being tagged at $140,000K!
Furthermore, most of the reservations were for lower trims, but both Ford and the dealerships throttled those and filled their lots with Lariats and Platinums. When those reservation holders arrived at dealerships to pick up their $40K truck, they were assaulted with supercar-level pricing - and they gave Ford the middle finger and walked - never to return.
But hey, those dealership sales people just moved them right over to that Powerboost and V8, and Ford made more money.
I don't know if this was a deliberate underhanded tactic to undermine EV truck sales or just plain stupidity, but in either case, it's due time Ford acknowledged its primary role in a) destroying initial demand b) destroying its own ramp-up out of pure shortsighted greed that led to the plant never being able to reach cost parity economies of scale (which it now blames on 'lack of interest'), and c) creating the universal and devastating perception that 'EV trucks are too expensive', which Farley is now out on Bloomberg, Yahoo, Finance, and any venue that might crank up the stock price, parroting to the anti-ev crowd.
You have a LOT of pissed off loyal Ford owners right now, me being one of them. And your solution was to pivot and pitch us on the next new shiny thing.
Let's not try to kid anyone here. You and I both know that your little EREV play is just to appease angry Lightning owners, and you don't seem to have anything concrete even developed yet, but your 'range estimate' seems to be just above the Ram. How convenient. You have already stated this will come AFTER your 'Model T Moment' urban go-carts hit the street. So what? 2029? 2030? Enough time to have consumers forget the value-for-price of the Lightning so they might overlook the 'new' Lightning EREV 2.0 costing more?
I and many converted pure EV truck owners will be driving one of Ford's EV truck competitors long before your gas guzzling EV comes to market, which I doubt will ever happen anyway.
Ford just blew their EV truck future. I Look forward you your company's government 'too big to fail' bailout with enthusiasm. Maybe this time, congress will say no.

Hey truckedupev, thanks for sharing this. As a fellow Lightning lover and a clear advocate for the EV transition, I can certainly see why your blood is boiling.

You've hit on the exact pain points that have defined the Lightning's "rollout" versus its "reality." It feels like Ford is trying to rewrite the history of the last three years to make this pivot look like a response to customer needs, rather than a response to their own strategic misfires. Here are a few thoughts on your points and the broader situation:

The "FUD" Narrative Trap

You're spot on about the 80% towing statistic. Jim Farley famously spent the better part of 2022 and 2023 telling everyone that most truck owners use their beds for groceries and local chores. For them to now claim the truck "isn't for them" because of cross-state towing feels like a massive goalpost shift. It validates the exact anti-EV talking points that owners have spent years debunking with real-

world data.

The Pricing/Dealer Boondoggle

This is the part that rarely gets enough airtime in mainstream business news.

The Bait and Switch: Launching at $40,000 to get 200k+ reservations and then jacking the base price up to nearly $60,000 (a 50% increase) while only producing the $80k+ trims was a disaster for trust.

The Dealer Greed: Watching $140,000 tags on base trucks while Ford stood by (or issued toothless warnings) did more to kill "demand" than the battery tech ever did. People didn't stop wanting the truck; they stopped wanting to be exploited.

The EREV Pivot: Innovation or Retreat?

Calling it an "Extended Range Electric Vehicle" is a clever way to avoid saying "Hybrid," but you're right to be skeptical about the timeline. If the "T3" (the ground-up EV truck) is dead, they are essentially starting over on the F-150's architecture.

700 Miles: That number is clearly a shot at the Ramcharger/Ram REV.

The Timeline: With the "Universal EV" midsize truck not

even arriving until 2027, a full-size EREV Lightning 2.0 is likely a 2028 or 2029 play. By then, the competition (Rivian, Silverado EV, etc.) will have 2nd and 3rd generation battery tech that might make a gas-generator onboard look like a

 

[PJnc284]

You're spot on about the 80% towing statistic. Jim Farley famously spent the better part of 2022 and 2023 telling everyone that most truck owners use their beds for groceries and local chores. For them to now claim the truck "isn't for them" because of cross-state towing feels like a massive goalpost shift. It validates the exact anti-EV talking points that owners have spent years debunking with real-

world data.

Heck Farley made a big deal saying people would be able to drive the erev solely on battery 90% of the time. They really think retooling for 10% is going to pick them up out of the toilet?

 

[Altivec]

Really?
What a load of marketing-speak. Your own CEO has been spouting off for over three years how 80% of pickup truck owners never tow or haul, and yet, you're now pumping out the very FUD narrative EV owners and supporters have been battling for years? Jimbo old boy and the Ford family sold out to shortsighted, short-term profit grabs and knee-bending to regressive auto building, which also makes him a liar to the Lightning community. I encourage anyone to listen to Jimbo's comments at the 2024 Ideas festival and on his famed Lightning road trip. It will make you nauseous today.
Worse, why hasn't Ford ever taken accountability for its own boondoggle, instead blaming their own truck owners? Who do you think is fooled here? There are only TWO reasons the Lightning never reached economies of scale and BOTH of those horrible developments land squarely on the shoulders of Ford Motor Company:
1) Demolishing 300,000 initial reservations by breaching your own ramp plans of getting costs down by driving fast to economies of scale. This was destroyed via FIVE price increases in the ramp-up period. FoMoCo seeing an opportunity to bilk its loyal customers for a quick cash grab instead of sticking to script.
2) Ford failing miserably to rein in its glorified pawn-shop archaic dealership networks that tacked on insane 'market adjustments' on top of the already 5-times inflated MSRP, seeing, as reported by Motortrend in 2022, some base Pro '$39,990' trims being tagged at $140,000K!
Furthermore, most of the reservations were for lower trims, but both Ford and the dealerships throttled those and filled their lots with Lariats and Platinums. When those reservation holders arrived at dealerships to pick up their $40K truck, they were assaulted with supercar-level pricing - and they gave Ford the middle finger and walked - never to return.
But hey, those dealership sales people just moved them right over to that Powerboost and V8, and Ford made more money.
I don't know if this was a deliberate underhanded tactic to undermine EV truck sales or just plain stupidity, but in either case, it's due time Ford acknowledged its primary role in a) destroying initial demand b) destroying its own ramp-up out of pure shortsighted greed that led to the plant never being able to reach cost parity economies of scale (which it now blames on 'lack of interest'), and c) creating the universal and devastating perception that 'EV trucks are too expensive', which Farley is now out on Bloomberg, Yahoo, Finance, and any venue that might crank up the stock price, parroting to the anti-ev crowd.
You have a LOT of pissed off loyal Ford owners right now, me being one of them. And your 'solution' is to pivot and pitch us on the next new shiny pie-in-the-sky vaporware?
Let's not try to kid anyone here. You and I both know that your little EREV play is just to appease angry Lightning owners, and you don't seem to have anything concrete even developed yet, but your 'range estimate' seems to be just above the Ram. How convenient. You have already stated this will come AFTER your 'Model T Moment' urban go-carts hit the street. So what? 2029? 2030? Enough time to have consumers forget the value-for-price of the Lightning so they might overlook the 'new' Lightning EREV 2.0 costing even more?
I and many converted pure EV truck owners will be driving one of Ford's EV truck competitors long before your gas guzzling EV comes to market, which I doubt will ever happen anyway.
Ford just blew their EV truck future. I Look forward to your company's government 'too big to fail' bailout with enthusiasm. Maybe this time, congress will finally say no.

Exactly This!!! All of it! Thank you for your comment.

 

[AberdeenSupreme]

They've got to keep their stealership services bays churning out the money.

The EREV Pivot: Innovation or Retreat?
Calling it an "Extended Range Electric Vehicle" is a clever way to avoid saying "Hybrid," but you're right to be skeptical about the timeline. If the "T3" (the ground-up EV truck) is dead, they are essentially starting over on the F-150's architecture.
700 Miles: That number is clearly a shot at the Ramcharger/Ram REV.
The Timeline: With the "Universal EV" midsize truck not even arriving until 2027, a full-size EREV Lightning 2.0 is likely a 2028 or 2029 play. By then, the competition (Rivian, Silverado EV, etc.) will have 2nd and 3rd generation battery tech that might make a gas-generator onboard look like a relic of the past.
The "Too Big to Fail" Sentiment
Your closing point about the bailout is the ultimate sting. Ford spent millions on ads about "leading the revolution," only to take a $19 billion charge to retreat. Repurposing the Kentucky plant for grid storage is a smart business move for them (AI data centers need massive power), but it doesn't help the truck owner who wanted a pure electric future.
My Take: Your response is a necessary "reality check." The Lightning is a fantastic piece of engineering that was arguably sabotaged by a legacy sales model and corporate indecision.
If I were you, I'd keep leaning into the "Market Realities vs. Ford Realities" angle on your channel. Most people don't realize that "lack of demand" was actually "lack of affordable supply

 

[Warp Asylum]

Why are you only interested in something that “may have been” and is confirmed dead??

My wording may have been confusing. It was just my way of saying that I was interested in what the T3 may have been (we had no details beyond some vague promises), and I'm not interested in the newly announced EREV. I was never interested in the smaller entry level pickup that we've known about for some time.

 

[Trucked Up EVs]

The EREV Pivot: Innovation or Retreat?
Calling it an "Extended Range Electric Vehicle" is a clever way to avoid saying "Hybrid," but you're right to be skeptical about the timeline. If the "T3" (the ground-up EV truck) is dead, they are essentially starting over on the F-150's architecture.
700 Miles: That number is clearly a shot at the Ramcharger/Ram REV.
The Timeline: With the "Universal EV" midsize truck not even arriving until 2027, a full-size EREV Lightning 2.0 is likely a 2028 or 2029 play. By then, the competition (Rivian, Silverado EV, etc.) will have 2nd and 3rd generation battery tech that might make a gas-generator onboard look like a relic of the past.
The "Too Big to Fail" Sentiment
Your closing point about the bailout is the ultimate sting. Ford spent millions on ads about "leading the revolution," only to take a $19 billion charge to retreat. Repurposing the Kentucky plant for grid storage is a smart business move for them (AI data centers need massive power), but it doesn't help the truck owner who wanted a pure electric future.
My Take: Your response is a necessary "reality check." The Lightning is a fantastic piece of engineering that was arguably sabotaged by a legacy sales model and corporate indecision.
If I were you, I'd keep leaning into the "Market Realities vs. Ford Realities" angle on your channel. Most people don't realize that "lack of demand" was actually "lack of affordable supply

Thank you for the advice and the support! I'll take your recommendation to heart. I think Ford's reply to the community alone warrants a video!

 

[Trucked Up EVs]

My wording may have been confusing. It was just my way of saying that I was interested in the T3 before they cancelled it, and I'm not interested in the newly announced EREV. I was never interested in the smaller entry level pickup that we've known about for some time.

You and me both.

 

[Kev12345]

2028-2029 EREV rollout will be awkward timing considering the pace battery tech is moving. Sodium and LFP should hopefully be commonplace in North America by then bringing EV costs down significantly.

Personally, I would prefer dealing with the weight of a 200kWh LFP battery rather than the complexity of an EREV system.

Also, if towing is the issue then allow charging while driving. Keep the generator on the trailer. No need to carry a suitcase everywhere you travel just because you need it once in a while!

 

[Trucked Up EVs]

2028-2029 EREV rollout will be awkward timing considering the pace battery tech is moving. Sodium and LFP should hopefully be commonplace in North America by then bringing EV costs down significantly.

Personally, I would prefer dealing with the weight of a 200kWh LFP battery rather than the complexity of an EREV system.

Also, if towing is the issue then allow charging while driving. Keep the generator on the trailer. No need to carry a suitcase everywhere you travel just because you need it once in a while!

Well said.

 

[rdt7]

I think this is really short sighted and a step backwards. I'll never go back to fossil fuels. I'll buy a Rivian next time. Meanwhile, China marches ahead of the US. When will we wake up?

 

[PJnc284]

2028-2029 EREV rollout will be awkward timing considering the pace battery tech is moving. Sodium and LFP should hopefully be commonplace in North America by then bringing EV costs down significantly.

Personally, I would prefer dealing with the weight of a 200kWh LFP battery rather than the complexity of an EREV system.

Also, if towing is the issue then allow charging while driving. Keep the generator on the trailer. No need to carry a suitcase everywhere you travel just because you need it once in a while!

I'd be surprised if it actually sees the light of day unless they plan on phasing out the powerboost and using the EREV to replace it.

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