If there was any doubt about Ford Motor Co.’s commitment to the all-electric F-150 Lightning EV, it can be pushed aside now — the second-generation model is set to arrive in Fall 2025.
According to AutoForecast Solutions, production of the next-gen full-size electric pickup is slated to begin mid-August 2025. The two generations of pickups will overlap each other for about four months with production of the original model ending Dec. 24, 2025.
Ford will have a second version of the F-150 Lightning before many automakers have a full-year of production of their first models, including top competitor Ram and potentially, Tesla. The Cybertruck is slated to begin production in the final quarter of this year, but it’s been delayed a few times already so it’s possible it could be lapped by Ford as well.
Also, other competitors like General Motors and Rivian haven’t announced plans for a second-generation model yet either, and neither is likely to in the near term. Ford’s second-gen F-150 Lightning may not be the second electric pickup on the road in 2025.
Ford adding electric pickup
CEO Jim Farley pushed hard for the F-150 Lightning telling reporters during its debut outside Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn in May 2021 the truck would be a “referendum” with the public about the acceptance of electric vehicles.
Now it seems the company is going to expand the line-up with a second all-electric pickup. However, no one is quite certain if it’ll be the Maverick, which already comes in hybrid form, or the midsize Ranger.
Farley confirmed the company will add at least one other electric pickup around mid-decade. The company certainly will have the capacity to add another all-electric pickup once it completes the new 5 square-mile BlueOval City just outside Memphis in 2026.
It will focus exclusively on EV trucks, including both the second-generation Lightning and at least one other model. As the single most expensive project in Ford’s history, the automaker has to hope that it can convince buyers to make the switch from gas and diesel to battery power.
The company has plenty of room for its current all-electric pickup. Ford initially tooled up its dedicated Lightning factory in Dearborn, Michigan to produce about 25,000 of the trucks annually. It has had “knock down the walls,” said EV program chief Darren Palmer, and retool for 150,000 trucks, a run rate Ford hopes to reach by the end of 2023, he told TheDetroitBureau.com.
Big commitment
Ford CEO Jim Farley has committed billions of dollars to finance the automaker’s shift, laying outa target of producing 2 million battery-electric vehicles annually by late 2026. The automaker introduced its first long-range BEV, the Mustang Mach-E, in 2021, rolling out a second, the Lightning, this past spring. They already have positioned Ford as the second best-selling manufacturer in the U.S. BEV market, behind Tesla.
The automaker previously confirmed a number of other all-electric models are in the works, including the second pickup set to be assembled in BlueOval City.
The automaker is taking a multi-pronged approach as it gears up for the switch to electric propulsion. It’s not only rolled out its first two long-range BEVs but, earlier this year, announced a major corporate transformation. The company was effectively cleaved into two halves, one focusing on vehicles using internal combustion engines, Ford Blue, while the other is all-electric, Ford Model e.
The Lightning is a modified F-150 platform where GM Silverado EV BT1 is a EV from ground up next year.
Wait for Ford 2025 redesign.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is already being promised a redesign for the 2025 model year. Reuters mentioned this when discussing Ford’s production plans for the Lightning.
I’m sure glad I’m old school and poor. Converting vehicle production to electric by 2026+ is about the dumbest idea you have come up with yet. What you should be doing is expanding the infrastructure so it can maybe come close to support this radical left wing idea. We can barely produce electricity we need now. And by the way. What are doing with all of batteries from these vehicle which is continuing to increase. Not to mention the extra cost just to produce them. If your buddy Joe Biden wants everyone to own and drive an electric vehicle. You are going to have to sell them for less than 30,000.00. And that’s not counting people whom can not afford to by a used gas powered car. just food for thought if you can.
Hi, Gary,
No one is converting vehicle production to electric by 2026. The industry is expected to get 1/2 way there (including all plug-based models) by 2030 in the U.S. Some states hope to go 100% by 2035. Nor is this a “radical left wing idea.” Personally, I’m tired of hearing things like this being politicized. That phrase tends to dismiss any argument you might make.
Note that EV demand has more than quintupled from under 1% in 2019 to 5%+ in 2022, and it is largely doing that based on good products, extended range, etc.
Note, also, that the average new vehicle sold in the U.S. with a gas engine is now over $45,000. Yes, prices on EVs must come down and, with raw materials beginning to settle back down, the target for most automakers is EV/ICE parity by 2028. That is quite do-able for a variety of reasons, even with EVs currently costing more.
Finally, note that there are now several EVs under $30,000, including Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV. GM’s upcoming Chevy Equinox EV will start around $30,000, and a joint venture between GM and Honda is focused on under-$30k EVs.
Paul E.
Paul, I enjoyed your article but I would take one exception. You stated that “other competitors like General Motors and Rivian haven’t announced plans for a second-generation model yet either, and neither is likely to in the near term” I would argue that General Motors initial release will be comparable to Ford’s second generation Lightning, it remains to be seen whether Ford or General Motors made the right decision; early to market vs better first product. I have read that customers are complaining about the short 250 mile range of the Lightning while GM just announced they have upped the range on the Silverado EV to 450 miles. This extended range will initially be limited to fleet sales but even the 400 mile range is significantly better than the Lightning and the 450 mile range will be available to all customers as production ramps up.
Hi, Doug, some reasonable points…but a couple errors, as well.
First, I happen to be a Lightning owner and, with range, can speak from experience (and more, as I don’t believe the anecdotal should be seen as the rule). You compare the claimed Silverado EV range of 450 miles v a Lightning number that, well, I can’t say where you go it. If you use the claimed Chevy EPA number you have to realize that is under ideal test conditions. How it will prove out in real-world use is a different matter. And its efficiency will vary under different circumstances, as will all vehicles, both EV and ICE.
The Lightning gets an EPA of 320 with the long-range pack, 300 for the heavier, more contented Platinum — which is what I have. In real-world use I have seen it drop as low as 180 in the worst of Michigan winter conditions, and run as high as 320 in good weather. (The EPA test cycle does not cover winter testing but Consumer Reports, AAA and TDB’s own tests have shown a typical EV will lose around 40% of range at 20F and below.)
Second point re range: the Lightning has about a 131 kWh battery pack. Chevy hasn’t revealed pack details for the longest-range Silverado EV but it shares key elements with the Hummer EV … AND …the new Caddy Escalade EV. So, to get 450 miles that should mean something closer to 200 kWh, as with Hummer. That’s a sizable additional load. The long-range Lightning starts around 6,600 lbs. The Escalade is expected around 8,000+, Silverado EV long-range around the same.
So, yes, Ford isn’t offering the extra range but it is NOT because the Silverado EV or Ram 1500 REV will necessarily be more energy efficient, but will simply squeeze in more batteries and bulk up by nearly another ton. Should Ford do that with the Gen-2 Lightning? We’ll see. I would like even more range, though having access to the SuperCharger network and more chargers from other providers would be a great alternative. Let’s see if Ford can yield better energy efficiency with Gen-2. We know that ALL the automakers are trying to come in with much lighter, energy-dense batteries. Perhaps Silverado 1500 EV and Ram 1500 Gen-2 models will have access to the long-awaited solid-state technology.
Oh, and this isn’t a defense of Lightning. Just some perspective.
Paul E.