this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2025
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Technology

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[–] Uniquitous@beehaw.org 1 points 4 days ago

Damn shame. I don't own one myself but owners that I've spoken to seemed genuinely pleased with it.

[–] dhtseany@lemmy.ml 54 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They promised us $45k trucks and delivered $100k trucks. No kidding it didn't sell well.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

They actually did sell them discounted down to $50K.

The reality is pickup drivers dont give a fuck about the environment.

[–] Megaman_EXE@beehaw.org 4 points 1 week ago

I believe the Truck companies think people just want larger and larger trucks every year. I'm waiting until everyone is just driving monster trucks at this point lol

[–] dhtseany@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago

I drive a truck, a full size one at that, I care about the environment but I needed it for work. An electric truck would've been useful. Also if they were selling for $50k I sure didn't see that anywhere.

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 28 points 1 week ago

It wouldn’t surprise me if Ford literally produced the vehicle because of subsidies.

If they could get a portion of the EV tax breaks, they wanted it.

Now that the current administration is obviously still obsessed with burning oil, it no longer matters.

[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 24 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Large, heavy electric vehicles don't make a lot of sense. The F-150 lightning was a neat idea, but smaller EVs make far more sense for personal vehicles.

Electric vans would be much better as a work vehicle.

Electric work trucks aren't ready yet.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Quite the contrary, the Lightning makes an excellent work truck for those who actually need work trucks. I know a couple people who use them that way. One of them owns a boat dealership and uses it for towing large and heavy boats every day. The other owns a construction business.

[–] spit_evil_olive_tips@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

the Lightning makes an excellent work truck for those who actually need work trucks

yeah...no

the non-electric F-150 has multiple bed lengths (5.5', 6.5', and 8')

the Lightning only offered the 5.5' "short bed" length

if you actually need a work truck, the Lightning is deficient in the #1 thing that makes a work truck a work truck.

for another comparison - the "short bed" option on the F-250 is 6.75' long, in addition to the 8' "long bed".

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

if you actually need a work truck, the Lightning is deficient in the #1 thing that makes a work truck a work truck.

yeah...no

The "#1 thing" depends on the application. It can be power, towing capacity, payload capacity, just a bed in general, the massive amount of electrical power available to power tools, passenger capacity, cost of ownership, etc. etc.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Cough.bullshit.cough.

Yes, an F150 lighning can haul a boat, no, not very far, and half that distance in cold weather.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 7 points 1 week ago

Who said it was going very far? He tows them back and forth from the Marina to other water bodies in the local area or to customers' homes.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 week ago

That torque though

[–] Floon@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 week ago

I own one, and my experience disagrees with your conjecture.

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Lots of people need a truck, not a van. You can’t haul a couple cubic yards of top soil or gravel in a van. I see dozens of Lightnings in my area.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is a common argument, but the vast majority of people at home do not carry gravel or sand on a weekly basis. What they need is a rental truck for those items. The cost of 100k is ludicrous. Comparing to a rental truck you would need to be carrying raw material like that on average 2x a week to even break even with the payments.

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I’m talking about contractors, trades people and people who do this for a living.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

So 1% of pickup buyers. OK.

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

Some people actually work for a living, they don’t spend the day replying to email.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago

I think we can all agree its >1% but also a small number. That small number is plenty for them to keep making them. But alas, most of those folks did not buy them.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

For that you use a $1500 trailer. The bizarre justifications for pickups are hilarious.

[–] pr06lefs@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 week ago

Not a fan of already huge trucks with giant heavy batteries all at head level to me in my 2002 subaru.

[–] Triumph@fedia.io 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They stopped making cars. How long before they also stop making trucks?

[–] megopie@beehaw.org 23 points 1 week ago

they’re gradually reducing the amount of vehicles sold while increasing the margin per vehicle. They’re approaching the limit of 1 vehicle sold at infinite margin.

[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If the F-150 Lightning wasn’t terrible and expensive, I might have bought one.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 19 points 1 week ago (4 children)

What I wanted was a nice little ranger style truck - 2 seater, can pick up some lumber, decent sized bed, for in my garage. What they made was a giant crew cab monstrosity that takes up 2 parking spaces and costs 2x what I would have spent.

Car companies keep trying to tell us customers what we want then are surprised when we don't buy.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Those giant crew cab monstrosities are the best-selling vehicles in America.

The problem is that F150 buyers are the very largest anti-EV meatheads. It's the wrong market for such a vehicle.

[–] TehPers@beehaw.org 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

This. People either want a giant diesel-guzzling truck, or they want a small efficient truck as their second vehicle for moving things around. Nobody's looking for a giant EV truck, especially at that price.

All they had to do was make an EV Tacoma (size-wise). Instead, they made an EV F-150.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

If they had made an ev Tacoma I would have bought that instantly

[–] TehPers@beehaw.org 8 points 1 week ago

We had a Tacoma growing up and it was honestly a great car. Wasn't too big to park, could fit a good amount in the bed, and had enough seats for five, though the second row was for the shorter passengers. It's also still being driven today. We had a small car for commuting as well, and the Tacoma mostly functioned as a second vehicle (for when two people need one, helped when I got a license) plus for whenever we went to Costco.

[–] sawdustprophet@midwest.social 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

What I wanted was a nice little ranger style truck - 2 seater, can pick up some lumber, decent sized bed, for in my garage.

The Telo truck looks like it has promise, but it's far from mass production. I hope it lives up to its promises though, I would love to see small trucks make a comeback.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'll keep an eye out, but yeah looks like I shouldn't get in line quite yet

[–] Quexotic@beehaw.org 1 points 1 week ago

I learned after what I saw with elio.

Twas sad

[–] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

I think that's what we all want. Id be front of line for what you described too.

I'm really paying close attention to those Telo Trucks, but they are a long way from market (if they make it, we've been here before, so many times now).

[–] Midnitte@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You might be interested in the slate auto truck

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I've heard good things about it

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

Until you see them on roads, pure USA bullshit like the Aptera.