Ford Just Killed the All-Electric F-150 Lightning. Here’s What the Next One Needs to Do Better.

• Ford has confirmed that the F-150 Lightning as we know it will no longer be in production after just a few short years on sale.
• The next-generation Lightning will switch to gas and battery power as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
• We owned a Lightning for three years; here's what we think Ford can do better next time.

What we liked

Before we get into our qualms with the Lightning, let's remember that this truck had plenty of great tricks up its sleeve. After all, we did name our Edmunds Top Rated Electric Truck in 2023 and again in 2024. 

The performance capabilities of this EV are undeniably great. It’s quicker than most trucks out there, too — we ran our truck to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds at the Edmunds test track. Driving it around town was always a smooth, easygoing experience, much more so than with a gas-powered truck.

And while many people clowned on the Lightning for its so-so range while towing, we actually praised the truck for its ability to tow with little drama (even if, yes, it didn't get that far). The constant torque supply and easy-to-use side mirrors make the Lightning a better towing rig than the first-generation Rivian R1T. We went as far as to take our Lightning to a tractor pull, where it did extremely well.

The Lightning's utility was beloved by our team. Everything from the Pro Power Onboard generator to the massive front trunk area made this truck easy to live with. We moved apartments with it, powered video shoots, and much more. Never did we think the truck had a lack of practicality. But by the time our three-year, 20,000-mile test came to an end, there were plenty of gripes we had to share.

The Lightning was far from perfect

We experienced a reality rather quickly — EV truck ownership has some drawbacks. While we loved towing with the Lightning, the truth is that range and charging were an issue. During a test with a box trailer, we recorded 130 miles of range, way down from the 345 miles we traveled trailer-less in the Lightning on the Edmunds EV Range Test. As one of the first electric trucks to the market, the Lightning has since been overtaken when it comes to range by competitors like the GMC Sierra EV and other efforts from General Motors.

If you needed to fast-charge the Lightning on a road trip with a trailer attached, that meant (in most cases) needing to disconnect so that the truck could fit in a charging spot. Not enough fast-charging stations can accommodate a truck and trailer combo.

Ford's announcement that the next-gen Lightning will be an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) will likely fix both of these issues. The company is preemptively claiming a 700-mile range thanks to a big battery and an engine that functions as a generator. Part of Ford's statement said "it tows like a locomotive." Our testing team can hardly wait to find out.

For how much we liked its powertrain, the Lightning's ride quality left a lot to be desired, especially on the highway. It was more punishing than it ever should have been, unable to keep its massive curb weight at bay while on the move. Our truck also had an early version of Ford's BlueCruise hands-free driving. It was sketchy at times to say the least. We've driven newer cars with many iterations of the system, and they performed much better than the BlueCruise in our Lightning.

But our biggest issue with the Lighting was more existential than anything else. We simply didn't like it as much as the gas-powered F-150 hybrid. That truck cost less to purchase, was easier to refuel and live with, and took on every challenge we could throw at it. The F-150 hybrid is a reminder that this company has built excellent gasoline trucks for a long time and knows what it's doing. 

So that's what will be on our minds going into the reveal of the next F-150 Lightning: Will a complicated engine and battery solution make the truck any better? On the surface, it's all very interesting, but we've yet to see a manufacturer pull off an EREV with any sort of success — at least, not in the American market. We'll all find out if they pulled it off when we see the next Lightning, likely in the next two years. 

Until then, farewell to the all-electric Lighting — it was (mostly) nice getting to know it.