by Ford may completely shut down production of the electric F-150 Lightning—a model that just two years ago was considered the symbol of electric traction in the pickup segment. According to The Wall Street Journal, demand for the electric pickup is so low that it is simply no longer profitable to continue its production.
Over three quarters, Ford sold only 23,034 electric F-150 Lightnings—half as many as needed to at least break even. The production line has already been halted, and workers have been transferred back to assembling conventional F-150s with internal combustion engines.
The irony is that this is the most popular electric pickup in the USA. The situation for competitors is even worse. Tesla sold only about 16,000 Cybertrucks in nine months—and that’s with all the noise and hype.
General Motors completely shut down its BrightDrop electric van project, and Stellantis didn’t even bring its Ram 1500 REV to production—simply burying it before the conveyor belt even started.
The reason for the global failure is simple: electric pickups turned out to be unnecessary in real life. They are too expensive, too heavy, discharge too quickly under load, and do not provide what Americans love about pickups—durability, autonomy, and ease of operation. As a result, all of Ford’s projects have brought the company over $13 billion in net losses since 2023 alone.
And now, attention—the Ukrainian contrast. Here, electric pickups, especially “battered” ones from the USA, are experiencing a real boom. In the end, what doesn’t sell at all in the USA finds its buyer in Ukraine almost instantly. Lightnings and Cybertrucks arrive damaged, but are restored and become local stars in the parking lots near Sokar.
