Ford Ends F-150 Lightning Production, Starts Battery Storage Business (arstechnica.com)
- Reference: 0180392313
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/12/15/2127228/ford-ends-f-150-lightning-production-starts-battery-storage-business
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/12/ford-ends-f-150-lightning-production-starts-battery-storage-business/
> Ford's announcements today can't be said to have come out of the blue. Rumors of the F-150's demise have been circulating for more than a month, and last week SK On ended its joint venture with Ford that was building a pair of EV battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. We learned then that Ford would keep the Kentucky plant and SK On gets the one in Tennessee, which would focus on the energy storage business instead. Now, we know that something similar will happen at the Kentucky plant -- Ford says it's spending $2 billion to convert the factory to make prismatic lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells.
>
> Those aren't destined for EVs, but they are the preferred cell format for data centers, Ford says. The company says that it will bring the factory online in the next 18 months, reaching an annual output of 20 GWh. Other Ford plants are also being repurposed. With no full-size BEV pickup in the product plans, the assembly plant in Tennessee that was to produce it -- the one near the battery factory that SK On is keeping -- will instead build new gas-powered trucks, although not for another four years. Around that same time, its Ohio assembly plant will begin building new commercial vehicles.
>
> All of this will impact Ford's bottom line, to the tune of $19.5 billion over the next few years, $5.5 billion of which will be in cash. Most of that will hit in the final quarter of 2025, but will extend until 2027, Ford said.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/12/ford-ends-f-150-lightning-production-starts-battery-storage-business/
Wrong approach (Score:4, Insightful)
The Silverado EV is a far superior product. The Rivian is also far superior to the Lighning. Honestly, so is the Cybertruck. All three took the approach of engineering a new vehicle, from the ground up. The Lightning is basically an F-150 conversion, and it's a piece of garbage.
Re: (Score:2)
Calling Ford vehicle "a piece of garbage." seems redundant.
Re: Wrong approach (Score:3)
The cybertruck is pure shit. It is the least reliable Tesla by a wide margin, and Tesla was recently named the least reliable vehicle in America.
The lightning might be a vehicle without a business case, but it's a major revision from the normal f-series, down to having independent rear suspension. The f150 is also the most popular vehicle on the planet. While Ford has had some massive failures in it like the 3 valve 5.4, you're still barking up the wrong tree here
Re: (Score:3)
Funnily enough though Ford managed to adapt the Transit to the e-transit and by all account it's a very good van.
Vans unfortunately don't have the lifestyle connotations of trucks, however.
Stalling tactic? (Score:3)
It sounds like Ford is trying to keep their new battery plants busy until we get a new administration in 2029 that's going to try to force everyone to start buying EV trucks.Which is probably a smart move.
Re: (Score:2)
The next admin won't be able to force manufacturers to make EVs because the AI data centres will be sucking up all the available electricity.
They're more likely to ban EVs to free up electricity.
Re: (Score:2)
Hey... maybe that one prolific pro-nuclear poster on Slashdot will finally get their wish, and we'll be drowning in cheap power by 2029.
I doubt it, but dare to dream?
Re: (Score:2)
> The next admin won't be able to force manufacturers to make EVs because the AI data centres will be sucking up all the available electricity. They're more likely to ban EVs to free up electricity.
Well, that's certainly the Goldilocks version.
AI Greed will have data center managers requiring their employees to buy an EV and bring it to work fully charged. To help power the fucking data center.
Don't worry. They'll leave you just enough juice to roll up to their privately owned charging station 20 feet away. At 3x current charging rates.
Re: (Score:2)
> until we get a new administration in 2029 that's going to try to force everyone to start buying EV trucks
Exactly this. People are not buying these large EVs without mandates or subsidies. EV is an ideal around town car for rich urban people.
Re: (Score:2)
> It sounds like Ford is trying to keep their new battery plants busy until we get a new administration in 2029 that's going to try to force everyone to start buying EV trucks.Which is probably a smart move.
Force?
That's not just an unaffordable problem. It's a fucking unaffordable problem.
No. You're not going to convince the masses to adopt with a .gov 10% off coupon either. Not when the damn thing is still priced 20% higher than 90% can afford. And that's before you get screwed by the auto insurance companies smoking the same strain of unchecked greed.
Don't even get me started on EV depreciation. Rolling over negative equity will all but guarantee it remains fucking unaffordable.
Ford cancels more EVs (Score:2)
[1]Ford Pulls the Plug on Big EVs, Plans New Gas Trucks and Vans [caranddriver.com].
[1] https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a69732327/ford-ev-hybrid-large-vehicles-strategy/
From "wrong product" to "wrong product" (Score:2)
The Cybertruck out assholed the F-150 for EVs, and non asshole EV buyers want cheap cars with good range, not hybrids or vestigial gas tanks, as pure EVs outsell both already. If Ford either can't or won't do that their competitors will.
Re: (Score:2)
Deranged take. While plenty of people buy trucks to just commute, most of trucks are still work/tow vehicles and EV trucks are not practical or cheap enough to be that. That why they are not selling.
Re: From "wrong product" to "wrong product" (Score:1)
Probably depends on your surroundings. Most pickup trucks in my area are always spotless, have lifts and low profile tires. They've seen less off road and have hauled less load than my nephews corolla.
Re: From "wrong product" to "wrong product" (Score:1)
They picked a product category with a significant share of user base being explicitly against any woke ideas like environmental protection. EBay alone is accused of facilitating sale of over quarter million rolling coal devices.
Reaching around for answers. (Score:2)
> The Cybertruck out assholed the F-150 for EVs..
Just curious, are we measuring this by sales or sphincter size here?
Hey don't look at me, this drunk guy at the end of the bar was asking. Keeps rambling on about his "goatse" days, whatever the hell that means.
(Narrator) "It was at this point our search-curious fellow had no idea of the rabbit hole he was circling.."
(20th Century Internet Vet) "I'll take Shit We Wish We Could Unsee for $500, Alex."
Will Ford even exist in 5 years? (Score:1)
At this point, Ford is so behind Tesla, Rivian and the Chinese, I doubt it will even exist in its current form in 5 years. We are at the bottom of two S curves, one is EV's and the other is self driving cars and Ford is nowhere to be seen in either of those markets. For people that think I'm wrong, ask yourself if you were one of those people who said... Nobody wants a phone that doesn't have keys when the iPhone came out and everyone had Blackberrys.
Following the fad of the day (Score:3)
It seems that they were never serious about being an EV company, they just followed the fad of the day.
This does not inspire customer confidence or trust.
I drive a Tesla. They are committed to EVs
Even Ford getting into (Score:1)
...the AI (power) biz? If that ain't PROOF it's a friggen bubble, then put me in a basket and call me Toto.
Re: (Score:1)
...the AI (power) biz?
Yes, our entire industrial output is being converted to serve "AI". Kraft Foods will soon follow
Re: (Score:2)
Reminds you of wartime economy a bit doesn't it?
Re: (Score:2)
I could do with fewer parallels to 1930's Germany