5 Reasons the Ford F-150 Lightning Has Fallen From Grace

Shocking Reversal

Over the past few months, much ado has been made about the fact that Ford decided to halve its planned 2024 F-150 Lightning production due to falling demand. This, in spite of the fact that the Lightning continues to watch its sales grow, and even set a personal record in 2023, to boot. Regardless, there are a few reasons why the Ford F-150 Lightning has gone from a routinely marked-up, red-hot entity to a regular old vehicle sitting on dealer lots with incentives, it seems. 

Photos: Ford

Early Adopters are Gone

Ford CEO Jim Farley recently stated that part of the problem pertaining to this unexpected shift in F-150 Lightning demand comes from the departure of early adopters, and thus far, that's been the case with pretty much every new EV model that has come along lately. Unlike the ICE world, this change seems to happen a bit less gradually, which creates serious challenges for automakers. After all, massive initial demand for the Lightning is what prompted Ford to ramp up production in the first place, only to watch that demand plummet as of late once early adopters got their trucks. 

Photos: Ford

Range Issues

Another big problem pertains to the Lightning's range - not necessarily its EPA ratings, but its real-world performance in that regard. Things are fine when the weather's good, but in the winter months, EVs suffer a big drop in efficiency - which is why the 2024 F-150 Lightning now comes with a heat pump, which helps mitigate that problem somewhat. Additionally, as everyone is well aware by now, towing heavy loads cuts range effectively in half, which makes the Lightning less than ideal for people who regularly engage in such activities. 

Photos: Ford

Early Production Challenges

As most are well aware, the F-150 Lightning debuted during a historically tumultuous time for the automotive industry in general - right in the midst of the global pandemic, which not only halted automotive production for a few weeks but also had long-lasting repercussions on the supply chain that still persist today. Thus, Ford somewhat missed the boat after a much-hyped debut for its first EV pickup in that it simply couldn't build enough to meet demand - causing many customers to move on, unfortunately for the automaker. 

Photos: Ford

Charging Problems

Then there's the matter of the Blue Oval Charging Network, which - unlike Tesla's proprietary Supercharger network - relies on third-party chargers. This means that owners are forced to rely on some rather unreliable units when traveling, not to mention the fact that they can't just plug in and go - instead, they have to use different apps and/or manual payment methods, which is cumbersome and time consuming. Couple that with a lack of infrastructure in general, and it's easy to see why owners quickly became frustrated. This is also precisely why Ford signed a deal with Tesla last year that will grant owners access to Superchargers, and also why it's switching to the same NACS format, too. 

Photos: Ford

High Prices

Finally, we have perhaps the biggest reason behind the F-150 Lightning's fall from grace - its high cost of entry. After debuting with a shockingly low starting MSRP of less than $40k, the EV pickup has since received multiple rounds of price increases that made it quite simply unaffordable for many. Ford is obviously well aware of this fact and is working to drive down the cost of its EVs in general, but for now, at least, many of them remain out of reach for a lot of consumers. 

Photos: Ford

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