The biggest Ford F-150 Lightning news of 2026 is that the all-electric pickup has run out of road. Ford stopped building it in late 2025, sold just 289 in the third quarter and reported zero Lightning sales in October 2026. Its successor is a next-generation F-150 Lightning built as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) with an estimated 700+ miles of range — but as of mid-November, Ford still has not given it a price or a launch date.
F-150 Lightning sales in 2026: from thousands to zero
Ford lists the Lightning as a memo line inside its F-Series totals. Here is how the numbers have fallen, straight from Ford's sales tables:
| Period | 2026 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third quarter (July–Sept.) | 289 | 10,005 | −97.1% |
| January–September | 4,770 | 23,034 | −79.3% |
| October | 0 | 1,543 | −100% |
| January–October | 4,770 | 24,577 | −80.6% |
Every Lightning sold this year came from trucks already built. Ford's 2026 production report, which lists output by plant through October, shows no Lightning production at all. Across all its electric models, Ford sold 24,008 EVs through October, down 67.7%.
The wider F-Series picture is much healthier. F-Series sales rose 8.2% in October to 73,482 trucks, and the gas-electric F-150 Hybrid alone found 34,527 buyers through September — more than seven times the Lightning's total for the year.
Why Ford stopped building the F-150 Lightning
Ford announced the decision on December 15, 2025. The company said it would no longer build some larger electric vehicles because lower-than-expected demand, high costs and regulatory changes had eroded the business case. In the same release Ford confirmed that production of the current Lightning "has concluded," and that it was moving employees to Dearborn Truck Plant to add a third crew building gas and hybrid F-150s after fires at supplier Novelis disrupted output.
The wider EV reset was expensive: Ford said it expected about $19.5 billion in special items tied to its EV plans, most of it booked in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The next F-150 Lightning: a 700-mile EREV
The next-generation Lightning keeps the name but changes how it works. Like today's truck, it is driven only by electric motors; the difference is an onboard generator that keeps the battery supplied on the move, so long trips and towing no longer depend on finding a charger. In Ford's December 2025 announcement, Doug Field, Ford's chief EV, digital and design officer at the time, promised the same instant electric power delivery and sub-five-second acceleration owners like now, plus an estimated range of more than 700 miles, and said the truck "tows like a locomotive."
| Next-gen F-150 Lightning EREV | What Ford has said |
|---|---|
| Powertrain | Electric drive plus an onboard generator (EREV) |
| Range | 700+ miles (Ford estimate) |
| Acceleration | "Sub-5-second" (Ford's words) |
| Plant | Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, Dearborn, Michigan |
| Price, towing rating, battery size | Not announced |
| Model year and on-sale date | Not announced |
In December, Ford said it would share details and launch timing "at a later date." Its October 28 third-quarter earnings release and call did not add any Lightning EREV timing.
Ford's other truck plans after the Lightning
The Lightning EREV is only one piece of Ford's reshuffled truck plan:
- Fathom, an affordable electric pickup. The first vehicle on Ford's new Universal EV Platform is a midsize pickup built at Louisville Assembly Plant. On the Q3 call, CEO Jim Farley said its launch remains on track for the fourth quarter of 2027 with an MSRP under $30,000.
- New gas trucks in Tennessee. The plant once meant for Ford's next-generation electric truck has been renamed Tennessee Truck Plant and will build new, affordable gas-powered trucks starting in 2029.
- Next-generation F-150. Farley said prototype builds of the all-new F-150 begin in the first quarter of 2027.
What it means for F-150 shoppers today
With no Lightning built since 2025 and none sold in October, a new electric F-150 is effectively off the menu until the EREV arrives. For buyers who want a full-size Ford now, the choice is the gas or hybrid F-150. The 2027 F-150 changes include a new 3.0L EcoBoost base engine and the 5.0L V8 back on the King Ranch and Platinum, and our 2027 F-150 towing and payload guide breaks down what each engine can pull. For oil capacity, tire sizes and other specs of earlier trucks, see our Ford F-150 specs by year.