Not long ago Ford boldly declared that soon, 40% of its production would be all-electric. The F-150 Lightning was going to be the vanguard of that revolution. It was going to be the world beater, the very model of electric—EV—glory.

Alas, it was not to be. The conventionally powered F-150 has long been the most popular truck in America, the standard by which others were judged and the best selling. Unfortunately for Ford, the F-150 Lightning isn’t any of those things. According to AutoBlog.com, Ford has lost $13 billion on its EVs since 2023, and surely more than that before. In the first quarter of 2024 alone Ford’s losses continued to be astronomical:

Graphic: X Post

Lightning MSRPs have been as high as $90,000. Is that $132,000 on Ford’s production cost, or on the MSRP?  What company can possibly lose that kind of money and remain in business? And why haven’t Ford shareholders stormed corporate HQ with torches and pitchforks?

I write this as an owner of two conventionally powered Fords. They’re fine vehicles I plan to keep for many years to come, so I have an interest in Ford’s continued success.

Ford’s EV losses to date in 2025 have been equally catastrophic:  

The move comes after Ford’s electric vehicle business, Model e, lost another $1.4 billion in Q3. Ford’s EV unit has now lost $3.6 billion through the first nine months of 2025.

Around $3 billion of the loss is due to its current EVs, such as the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E. The other $600 million is for investments in next-gen electric models.

And which “next-gen electric models” might those be? The Lightning has been continually hyped as a wonder vehicle, but when owners asked it to do truck things like tow trailers and carry heavy loads, it woefully underperformed. All EVs have range problems, particularly when it’s cold, on anything but flat land, when bucking headwinds, and when they dare travel at highway speeds. Adding 1000 pound+ batteries to already heavy vehicles worsens those problems. Adding to the fun is using electrical accessories like heaters in winter makes annoying range problems potentially deadly. Ford recommends Lightning owners use only their seat and steering wheel heaters in winter. That’ll keep the frost off the windshield.

With the federal tax credit ending in September, EV sales have dramatically declined and in October, Ford idled its sole Lightning production plant.  The Lightning may be permanently grounded:

Ford is considering scrapping the electric version of its F-150 pickup — once billed as the future of American trucks — after racking up billions in losses and watching demand collapse.

Executives are in active talks about axing the money-losing F-150 Lightning altogether, sources told the Wall Street Journal, in what could become the first major casualty of America’s faltering electric vehicle revolution.

In October, Ford sold only 1,500 Lightnings nationwide, compared to 66,000 conventionally powered trucks. Even a company as green-leaning and virtue signaling as Ford has become can’t afford that kind of public repudiation of EVs.

When the Lightning debuted, [CEO Chris] Farley promised a pickup as fast as a sports car and capable of powering a home for days. 

EV cheerleaders praised the Lightning’s supposed ability to power homes but didn’t explain how one would be recharged in an extended power outage after draining its battery into a home. They even went so far as talking about taking it off road. All that magic battery power could electrify campsites! They were a bit weak on explaining how a Lightning with a depleted battery could return from the wilderness.

Ford, betting on that glorious EV future, made capacity to produce 150,000 Lightnings per year.  That’s 12,500 per month, a bit more than 1500.

Graphic: Twitter Post

Ford, and other EV makers are now talking about producing cheaper and less expensive EVs, including small pickups, but they carry the problems that are dooming the Lightning. Few Americans want to buy even a $40,000 EV only to have to spend $10,000 for a home fast charger--if their home wiring and local electric grid can handle the load. The used EV market has always been virtually nonexistent. Who’s going to buy a used Lightning in the future?

It appears that with Trump II, the free market is again prevailing without lunatic leftists putting their thumbs on the economic scales. Ford, and the rest, appear to be dimly realizing they need to make vehicles the public wants at prices they can afford and which turn a profit.

Who coulda thunk it?

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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.