Ford has halted production on its Ford F-150 Lightning, ending with the 2026 model year for the all-electric full-size pickup truck.
Bowing to lower demand, high costs and regulatory changes, the company says the next-generation Lightning will still have two electric motors, but will also be equipped with a gasoline-powered generator that will charge the motors’ batteries, enabling a range of more than 700 miles.
That means no more long stops to charge batteries. Instead, the generator for the “extended range electric vehicle” can be gassed up to keep the truck going when the batteries get low.
“Unlike a traditional hybrid, the F-150 Lightning EREV is propelled 100 percent by electric motors,” Ford says.
The company calls it the best of both worlds in that the pickup will retain the quiet operation, rapid acceleration and instant torque of an electric vehicle but without the range fear, even during long-distance towing.
“It tows like a locomotive,” says Doug Field, Ford's chief EV, digital and design officer. “Heavy-duty towing and cross-country travel will be as effortless as the daily commute."
Ford says the future Lightning will also be able to power external devices, as well as worksites, homes and campsites.
Ford’s announcement follows a similar decision by Stellantis, which revealed last year it scrapped plans for the all-electric “Ramcharger." Instead, the company will produce a full-size truck with an electric and gas-generator powertrain, now called the Ram 1500 REV.
Ford, however, still plans to make an all-electric truck. It says it is committed to producing a midsize EV pickup it revealed last year under a new Universal EV Platform designed to reduce costs and streamline manufacturing. Production on the new truck is slated to begin in 2027 at the company’s Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky.
As production on the current Lightning ends, Ford says the next-generation F-150 EREV will be assembled at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan.
The company says it will reveal more details later about the next-gen Lightning and launch date.
“This is a customer-driven shift to create a stronger, more resilient and more profitable Ford,” says company President and CEO Jim Farley.
