While The Blue Oval is currently basking in the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning pickup’s honeymoon period, it is no doubt looking to the future as well. The automaker is running full tilt toward scaling up and preparing for its second generation battery electric vehicles, a $50 billion endeavor that will allow the company to produce approximately 2 million electric vehicles per year by 2026. As Ford Authority previously reported, part of that plan involves the development of a second fully electric pickup. But as it turns out, seemingly none of Ford’s future pickups will take after the Lightning going forward, according to CEO Jim Farley, who spoke rather directly when asked about Ford’s legacy operations impacting its EV program at the 2022 Alliance Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference.
“In a kind of weird way, it’s kind of too bad that Lightning winds up being our most successful vehicle today because it feels so derivative from the F-Series. It’s not our only truck and the other trucks won’t look anything like it,” said Farley. While that statement may seem radical, it isn’t completely out of line with how the company is thinking about its future as an electric vehicle manufacturer. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is simply an electric variant of the Ford F-150 and rides on the same basic platform. Going forward, that is not how Ford will develop its lineup, as it intends to do more than make carbon copies of its internal combustion lineup. As Ford Authority recently reported, that may even spell the end of established and popular vehicles like the Ford Escape, since the company’s pivot is geared toward icons and commercial vehicles.
In all likelihood, while the company certainly learned a lot developing the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, it may ultimately be remembered as a very compelling stopgap pickup that paved the way for a fully electric Ford Ranger to go its own way instead of relying on its internal combustion counterpart. That said, not every Ford product will ditch tradition in the future, as the Ford Super Duty lineup is expected to remain somewhat traditional until technological advances can properly meet the needs of heavy duty pickup customers.
We’ll have more on Ford’s EV pivot and the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning soon, so subscribe to Ford Authority for the last Ford F-150 news, Ford F-150 Lightning news, and up to date Ford news coverage.
Comments
It’s not “woke” enough. While I own several Ford vehicles, I’d love nothing more to see the utter implosion of Ford (and GM) in their pelmel rush to virtue signal in the form of BEV adoption. It’s going to be epic.
They’re woke because there shoving tech down people’s throats that they do t want but the current administration (which most people hate) are pushing it. It is never a good idea to hitch your wagon to failure.
I dont want to see Ford and gm implode, but it appears they did not learn their lessons from the past. Anyone that can say for certain where this industry will be 5 years from now let alone 15 is lying to you.
They are shoving down our throats! The tech is simply not there. Batteries are way to heavy, the range is pitiful in real world, no charging stations( which can be fixed but not yet close) the carbon footprint is about the same or worse. The latest thing is that because of the extra weight of the Batteries tires are not lasting as long and micro peices of the tires are coming of tires at a much higher rate causing cancer. New technology is supp6to be better not worse. The ev’s are a least 1 step back or more. There are so many negatives very very few positives.Pay more for less? I don’t think so.
Gas at $5 per gallon.. I love charging my Tesla in my garage. No fluid changes, no oil changes, no tune ups etc. Over the life of the car EV is cheaper than ICE. But you enjoy your 20th century tech. I walked away from ford after my Eco Boost crapped out.
Did you know your Tesla has 8 times the carbon footprint of an ICE vehicle before its sold? Did you know a battery replacement is around $23K for a Tesla?……thats a lot of gas even at $5/gallon. Tesla quality is questionable and not all of us have 30 minutes to charge up our vehicles. Tesla is the most expensive vehicle you will ever own.
“Did you know your Tesla has 8 times the carbon footprint of an ICE vehicle before its sold?”
And the break-even vs a comparable ICE is at ~50k miles even in the WORST, more polluting grid in the US. So… you conveniently skipped that part.
“Did you know a battery replacement is around $23K for a Tesla?”
Incredibly uncommon… unless you believe the unsubstantiated nonsense that they have to be replaced every 100k miles. And how much is a complete engine replacement for a comparable late model 3-series?
“Tesla quality is questionable”
I’ve owned several Fords, and the fit/finish/materials is nothing to write home about, either.
“not all of us have 30 minutes to charge up our vehicles”
Fortunately most charging happens at home and takes seconds… less time than stopping to get gas, by far.
“Tesla is the most expensive vehicle you will ever own.”
LOL, nope. I owned one for two years, sold it for what I bought it for, and spend ~$450 to power it 20,000 miles. Now I’m waiting for a Lightning.
“Fortunately most charging happens at home and takes seconds… less time than stopping to get gas, by far.”
This is the part people keep missing. Most charging happens at home NOW because only 1% of vehicles sold (last year) were EV. How many cars during summer travel stop at a gas station per day off a busy interstate? 500? 1000? a busy station on a vacation travel corridor likely sees many many more. I know I have waited in line for gas for 5-10 minutes while traveling a busy section and that’s with the average person only taking 3-5 minutes at the pump. Try to imagine what will happen if the EV sales rate exceeds the EV infrastructure growth as predicted. The good news is summer travel will likely slow due to inflation and the impending economic collapse. It will make this and many discussions moot.
I’ve seen predictions that eventually, we may have “hot-swappable” battery technology and drive-thru battery change stations for people who need fast turnaround (like long-haul truckers and fleet vehicles). If that happens, it will eventually trickle into the the general consumer market as an affordable option.
Bill,
I am sure that is nice for everyday use and commuting. Who wouldn’t or shouldn’t love that? Will you love it when traveling and you have to wait in line for hours or ad days (for a recharge) to a simple 12 hour vacation trip up/down the coast or vacation? When a majority has EV’s and there is not enough charging stations (because we can’t all have a personal “garage” type charging station every 300-400 miles) or not enough electricity being produced ( because we went “responsible” with mainly windmills and solar the last 2 decades in spite of their failing in other countries who have tried to transition much earlier than us) to sustain the power grid. I am all for EV’s and clean energy. But it’s a fairytale to think we’re anywhere close to that. Jamming this agenda down our throats in an effort to make the transition faster defies reality and common sense. Tesla has been successful because it basically had the market to itself. Consumers like you have reaped the rewards of the niche market. As the market gets more crowded there needs to be better range, faster charging and much, much more charging availability or it will fail.
Gas is $3.19.9 to $3.39.9 a gallon for many people the practicality of electric vehicle’s is very limited. I had the opportunity to use a electric vehicle and unfortunately it could not compete with the range and the ease of refueling of my ICE vehicle let alone traveling any resl distance with highway driving in adverse hot or cold weather. Now when the Ceramic batteries hit the market that will most likely change but for now the advantage goes ICE because of its versatility and flexibility with very little constraints in irs use.
While I don’t want Ford to fail, I think they are a disaster waiting to happen with Farley. He just reiterated the other day that he’s eliminating dealers and switching to a ordering system. In other words, he’s in love with Tesla and wants Ford to be a bigger version. The country is not ready for full on EV’s. Not anywhere near being close. The range is not there to go with the current (lack of) electric grid. Imagine if every vehicle on the road was an EV with an average 300 mile range. There’d be no possible way for families to travel up and down the coast on vacations etc. We need a real world battery range of at least 600 miles minimum. Until it gets there, it’s not gonna work.
Then buy a hybrid. Ford makes the best ones. Look at the Maverick.
That may be a problem for Ford. Many states require new vehicles to be sold through dealerships. There are only 35 states where Tesla has a presence. Ford may reduce the number of dealerships, but its committed to that business model.
Your living in a unicorn world. Why suffer when we don’t have to? There is no environmental benefit. So what’s the purpose? Your feelings? You have been brainwashed!
“There is no environmental benefit.”
LOL, wrong. Manufacturing emissions are higher, but the EV quickly offsets those with far more efficient driving.
What’s the problem Matt? Not enough headroom to fit your oversized MAGA hat?
… employees lose their jobs.. you mean the $78.20 an hour folks?
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Who is going to buy 2 million EVs? The average payment on a Mach E is $829.00 per month. People are having a hard enough time paying for housing and food, saving a few hundred a month on gas is not going to make up for the downpayment, paying for a charging station, if you can even charge where you live.
Robert,
I’ll be the first in line to buy a 4×4 F-150 EV that can get 600 plus miles on a charge. It better get at least 85% of that while towing a trailer. I see that as a pipe dream and not reality anytime soon. Tesla works because it found a niche with the EV market when the big players were all sleeping. The country is not ready for 5-15% of the vehicles to be EV. Where is the charging stations to support that? Where is the electricity to support that? The “responsible” electric generating windmills can’t handle what we have now. Many places are predicting mandatory power shut downs this summer!! 2022 and we do not have enough capacity to generate the electric for our current needs!! BTW, I don’t watch Fox news, what little news I do watch is News Nation, but I have enough common sense to see a disaster in the making and the current “leadership” is failing America like no other. Maybe you’re too influenced by CNN or MSNBC? Brother, wake up and face the music! We have way bigger problems than switching over to EV’s as a main source of transportation. I wish I was wrong, but the facts are right there in front of all our faces.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed in 2017 that Tesla was started in response to GM’s cancellation of the EV1 program from the 90’s. As a result, he built the first Teslas in Cali and followed in the footsteps of the Prius and used Celebritard endorsements to get the followers. GM and Toyota just gave up, while Tesla failed to make a profit for 4 years. None of the big three could survive the stock holder meltdown that would accompany years of loss.
The average car payment has nothing to do with anything. High car payments just mean people aren’t putting any money down. I trade every 4-5 years and haven’t had a car note in more than 20 years, which also means very little. Nobody has ever said an EV is right for everyone, or even that its right for every situation if they do own one.
Take a 450$ Ice car payment add 100$ weekly for gas. Your at over 850 not including oil changes and more brake pads. So currently it’s comparable but not cheaper
“In a kind of weird way, it’s kind of too bad that Lightning winds up being our most successful vehicle today because it feels so derivative from the F-Series.”
Whata wrong with that?
Robert,
We are facing mandatory power outages this summer because we can’t produce enough electricity. Look at the crisis in Europe because of their windmill failures. This was known way before clean energy was forced down our throats. We went with mainly wind and some solar because as some would say it was the “responsible” thing to do. Is it responsible when it could end up be a catastrophic failure to many? I am all for being responsible. Let’s transition to renewable power sources, and EV’s with proven technology. That technology just doesn’t exist right now. Ford started producing Hybrid gas/electric Escapes almost 20 years ago. There was not much demand then. Maybe they were ahead of their time? Tesla hit the market at perfect timing, BEFORE it was crowded and basically roped in the demographic that wanted a plausible EV. As of last year that was still only 1% of all new car sales in the US. If Ford jumps the gun on this EV thing, they will be an epic fail. I would love to see a transition from ICE to PHEV to full on EV’s when our infrastructure and the battery tech are ready to support it. That won’t be 2026. If our “leaders” keep printing money and devaluing everything inflating the prices, nobody will be able to afford to eat, let alone buy a new vehicle.
If the Super Duty line will not be fully electric, at least make them hybrids . Ford has the best hybrid technology in the world and must expand that for their big trucks. Diesel fuel is as expensive as gasoline so consider the work fleets of almost every company in the U.S. to save money with hybrids.
I don’t agree with with everything you wrote, but I appreciate the way you presented it.
Nice truck, the world definitely isn’t ready for ALL EV’s
I reserved on day 1 of the original reveal. Since I’m not famous or on social media, I’ll probably never get a chance to place my order anyway. Now Let’s scare the country with high fuel prices. My house or neighborhood couldn’t handle the infrastructure if everyone decided to own an EV. Even if they could, we will never get them at least for another 2-5 years
.. welcome to the Robert Walter show. I’ll be your host, Khloe Kardashian ..”
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Hummm, I think I should reserve judgement on Farley’s comments until I see the NEXT version of his full-size electric pick-up.. Interestingly – Farley spent some time at Jay Leno’s garage – where Jay’s ‘parting shot’ (after test driving the ‘lightning’) was ‘Keep producing interesting vehicles.
I enjoy Jay Leno’s reviews and restorations since he doesn’t screw with the usually EXCELLENT designs of Decades Old vehicles and is generally level-headed about everything… Perhaps that will keep Mr. Farley ‘Down to earth’.
Robert Walter, I’m guessing you’re one of those idiots.
Y’all are not thinking this out everyone don’t have a garage to charge in people are mean these days if you run a 110 out of Apt these kids will unhook it an charging station will be vanderlize like these air station are today
actually, that is already occurring those cables will fast become the catalytic converter theft of the future.
Amazing how determined these anti-EV people are. And they use ridiculous arguments (30 minute charges are too long, range is too short. Being that most (not all) EV owners charge at night, they almost never spend any time charging during the day. The average US driver drives less than 40 miles a day, how is a 200-300 mile range not enough? Most people don’t take drives that are over 200-300 miles, for them EVs are great. If you do drive more on a daily basis, stick with ICE or hybrid vehicles. No EV supporter says otherwise, but for some reason ICE supporters just think no one should drive an EV. I remember when cell phones were new, so many people were saying that they weren’t necessary and would cause cancer and that they would never own one, pretty sure they all do now. Same thing when cars replaced horses or when electricity replaced gas in street lights, or indoor plumbing. It’s just surprising how adamant these people are. If you don’t want one, don’t buy one. Don’t make stuff up to try to justify your position.
But that’s what I like about it! It looks like a truck and not a Subaru Brat.
EV’s are wayyyyyy too expensive, and prices are NOT going to reduce in the coming year’s. As Elon has stated, they are only increasing in cost and he sees a future whereby the majority will not be able to afford a car. Nope. You’ll be forced to “rent usage”, just like at Alamo or Hertz for example. The manufacturers are seeing “dollars signs” looking at “subscription services” for many “options”. You want “heated seats” you pay $20.00 a month. You want “adaptive cruise” you pay $50.00 a month. So you’ll not only be paying outrageous prices for a car, you’ll never truly “own it”. All the options will be subscription based. Pay $12,000.00 for Tesla FSD, you sell the vehicle, you have lost that full $12,000.00 value. Next buyer needs to pay Tesla $12,000.00 for that option and if you buy another new Tesla and want FSD option, guess what, you pay $12,000.00 all over again. Manufacturers realize they won’t make money anymore on “repairs” so they must make it on the initial vehicle cost and through subscription services. Yea. No thank you!!!! You can keep your expensive EV. I’ll drive my 10 year old vehicles. I’m not interested in 144 month financing that many will require in order to qualify for a monthly car payment they can qualify for.
If I hear one more “EV Fanboy” tell me how “I should enjoy stopping and wasting 30 – 90 minutes recharging my EV, paying 300% more vs charging at home, I’m going to F__king scream. The new Ford EV 150, maxed out at 160 miles of range towing a trailer, on a closed course, designed by Ford for maximum range, which really equates to closer to 125 miles of range, in the summer, probably almost half that in the winter. Yea, absolutely NO Fing way I’m interested in one. I’m supposed to be happy having to find a charger every 60 – 90 minutes, stop for an hour, and pay 300% vs charging at home ??? This 100K+ vehicle is for the “elite rich” who uses it to run to Home Depot or Lowe’s on weekends or to simply “run around town”. You can have it.
seems like I saw a 3.5 ecobost getting around 7mpg towing around 7,000 lbs. that would make the range of that pretty similar if not worse. when the gas stations start to go away, the range anxiety will be for gasoline. The ever increasing price per gallon is the other side of it. I think some on the left are pretty OK with the gas prices going up as it pushes this ev agenda. but it might be moving too fast and it could charge up the Middle majority to swing away and clear out the current controlling faction.
The reason the Lightning has been so appealing to so many is because it IS an F-150. Start making the electric truck options an entirely different vehicle that look like a spaceship and the appeal won’t be there for traditional truck buyers. In my opinion, the Lightning is too different from the F-150. It should just be an F-150 with an electric powertrain. The name Lightning should go where Powerboost or Ecoboost goes. Not replace the vehicle name. No special center screen. No special headlights and taillights. Just another powertrain option on the F-150.
Honestly, I believe a large part of the appeal of the Lightning is its familiarity. I fear it may be a mistake to do a complete redesign if the result doesn’t look like a Ford truck. The Tesla and the Rivian will never compete with the 1st Gen Lightning. They may compete very well against an equally alien Ford.