National Legal and Policy Center’s suspicion about the utility of electric vehicles has been one of our most persistent themes. Demand has simply not matched the hype. Despite our warnings, the auto industry — acting like a headstrong teenager — instead had to find out for themselves, costing shareholders billions in the process.
Now, in yet another blow to the EV mirage, Ford is considering the end of its electric F-150 pickup truck. According to the Wall Street Journal:
Ford Motor executives are in active discussions about scrapping the electric version of its F-150 pickup, according to people familiar with the matter, which would make the money-losing truck America’s first major EV casualty.
The Lightning, once described by Ford as a modern Model T for its importance to the company, fell far short of expectations as American truck buyers skipped the electric version of the top-selling truck. Ford has racked up $13 billion in EV losses since 2023.
Overall EV sales, already falling short of expectations, are expected to plummet in the absence of government support. And big, electric pickups and SUVs are the most vulnerable.
“The demand is just not there” for F-150 Lightning and other full-size trucks, said Adam Kraushaar, owner of Lester Glenn Auto Group in New Jersey. He sells Ford, GMC, Chevy and other brands. “We don’t order a lot of them because we don’t sell them.”
No final decision has yet been made, according to people familiar with the discussions, but such a move by Ford could be the beginning of the end for big EV trucks.
Ram truck-maker Stellantis earlier this year called off plans to make an electric version of its full-size pickup. General Motors executives have discussed discontinuing some electric trucks, according to people familiar with the matter. Sales of Tesla’s angular, stainless steel Cybertruck pickup tanked this year. And EV truck-maker Rivian has been cutting jobs to conserve cash.
NLPC is a shareholder in Ford, but thus far our main automotive industry focus has been General Motors, where we brought a shareholder proposal in 2024 criticizing executive incentives for GM’s electric vehicle rollout. The initiative has not been a success. If Ford cannot turn the best-selling vehicle class in the US into a successful EV product, the rest of the industry needs to read the obvious evidence and let go of the EV fantasy.
(Pictured above: Former President Joe Biden test-drove a Ford F-150 Lightning in 2021)
