• Automaker confirms production of all-electric model ended this month at Dearborn facility
• Company taking $19.5 billion charge as EV strategy shifts to hybrids and range extenders
• Next-generation Lightning will feature gas generator providing 700-mile total range

DEARBORN, MI (TDR) — Ford Motor Company has officially ended production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning, marking a dramatic reversal for what executives once called a transformative vehicle for America’s bestselling truck line. The automaker announced Monday it will take a staggering $19.5 billion charge as it pivots away from large battery-electric vehicles toward hybrids and more affordable EV options.

From Flagship to Farewell

The Lightning’s journey from industry game-changer to discontinued model reflects broader challenges facing electric vehicle adoption in America. Unveiled in 2021 with an attractive $40,000 starting price promise, the truck never materialized at that price point for most consumers. The 2025 model commanded approximately $55,000, pricing many traditional truck buyers out of the market.

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Andrew Frick, president of Ford’s Model e and Blue divisions, confirmed the 2025 Lightning ended production this month at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn. Workers from the electric truck line are being reassigned to conventional F-150 production to support a third manufacturing shift.

Financial Reality Behind the Retreat

Ford’s Model e division lost nearly $3.6 billion in operating earnings during the first nine months of 2025, adding to more than $13 billion in losses over the past three years. The company sold 25,583 Lightning trucks through November 2025, representing a 10 percent decrease from the prior year and comprising just 3.6 percent of total F-150 sales.

“Rather than spending billions more on large EVs that now have no path to profitability, we are allocating that money into higher-returning areas.”

The massive writedown includes $8.5 billion in EV asset impairments, $6 billion tied to dissolving a battery joint venture with South Korea’s SK On, and $5 billion in program-related expenses. Most charges will hit the fourth quarter, with $5.5 billion in cash effects extending through 2027.

Extended-Range Replacement Coming

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Despite ending the all-electric version, Ford says the Lightning nameplate will return as an extended-range electric vehicle featuring electric motors driving the wheels while a gasoline engine acts solely as an onboard generator. The company promises this configuration will deliver over 700 miles of combined range, more than doubling the current model’s 320-mile EPA estimate.

The EREV approach mirrors strategies recently adopted by Ram and Scout, betting that range anxiety remains a barrier for traditional truck buyers. Ford has not announced pricing or production timing for the next-generation Lightning, though the company is accepting sign-ups for updates.

Strategic Pivot to Profitability

The restructuring represents Ford’s most significant EV strategy shift since launching its electric offensive. The automaker now targets approximately 50 percent of its global volume coming from hybrids, extended-range electrics, and battery-electric vehicles by 2030, compared to 17 percent in 2025.

Ford’s future EV investments will focus on smaller, more affordable models starting at around $30,000. A mid-size electric pickup developed by the company’s California-based skunkworks team is slated for 2027 production at the Louisville Assembly Plant.

The company is also repurposing its Kentucky battery facility to manufacture lithium iron phosphate cells for data center energy storage rather than passenger vehicles, entering a rapidly growing market for grid-scale battery systems.

Will Ford’s pivot to hybrid technology and smaller EVs prove more successful than its failed all-electric truck gamble?

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