Ford’s Electric Truck Struggles Highlight Niche Market Limitations

By Michael Reagan with Michael R. Shannon
Saturday, 08 November 2025 07:10 AM EST

If one worked very hard, a case might be made for electric cars as a strictly urban mode of transportation useful for running errands, short commutes, and meeting fellow left-wingers as you wait for the car to recharge. There is no case for electric trucks. Oh, a boutique truck might be fine for hauling a bag of artisan dog food from the carefully curated farmer’s market, but the limited range and meager payload means a handyman with an electron-burning truck would do well to confine himself to clients that already own all the tools he needs.

Earlier we wrote a column about a contest between a Ford F–150 and a GMC Denali Ultimate which validated our viewpoint. The contest was in the thin air of Colorado, helping the humming Ford, and the goal was to test the range of the two trucks while hauling the equivalent of a 17-foot travel trailer. The destination was a charging station only 147 miles away. The GMC Denali gassed up in minutes and was on its way. The electric Ford only made it six miles before the computer started cutting the range. At the 50-mile point the Ford had to abort and return to Denver for more electrons.

As we observed this means campers considering using an electric vehicle to tow their trailer will have to adjust to playing charger leapfrog every 80 miles or so with at least one hour spent calculating how much carbon you offset at each stop as you wait for the charge to finish. Now we learn the executives at Ford are also having second thoughts about their electric future, too. Car & Driver magazine reports, “Things may go from bad to worse for the F-150 Lightning’s future prospects.” The electric truck’s continued existence was already in question: A September fire at an aluminum supplier forced the automaker to cut F-150 production in half, with assembly of the Lightning EV being put on indefinite pause. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that Ford executives are actively discussing canceling the electric full-size pickup entirely.

There was never a real demand for these global warming placebos. Production was always driven by government bureaucrat-imposed mandates buttressed by taxpayer funded subsidies to the buyers. Yahoo Finance gives us a dose of reality, “Ford’s management shows wisdom in shutting down Lightning production. The electric pickup never sold well, suggesting its launch was a terrible mistake.” Additionally, the U.S. EV market is dying and will not bounce back soon. The $7,500 EV tax credit expired at the end of the third quarter. Once the taxpayer was no longer an unwilling participant in the truck’s purchase price, demand short circuited. Electric vehicles are a niche market. Confined mostly to moral exhibitionists, urban dwellers and old folks who don’t drive much anymore. This is fine with your columnists, as long as we no longer have to send them tax dollars to facilitate the purchase.