Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales • Hacker News Board

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#651

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:22 AM UTC

simondotau wrote: post #596

rootusrootus wrote: post #424

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tesla is a special case because they manipulate their pricing on a monthly, sometimes daily basis, and in the past they've changed the price quite significantly. In the US, the tax credits also really screw with the market dynamics. Lots of people think the car depreciates really quickly because they don't realize the original buyer didn't pay MSRP. I paid $20K under MSRP for my Lightning and in the just over a year…

Most other car prices are "manipulated" on a minute-by-minute basis, insofar as pricing is different for each customer, based on their their willingness to go hard in negotiation, manufacturer incentives, demand levels, stock levels, finance packages, and the current mood of the dealership principal. The difference with Tesla is that their current "best price" is published out in the open.

That can be true, but at least in the case of Ford's EVs, many (maybe even most, for a while) of us did not really negotiate with the dealer, the price came from Ford. The dealer wasn't even allowed to negotiate, in fact.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#652

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:24 AM UTC

danans wrote: post #586

rootusrootus wrote: post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> hauling tons of construction materials Lots of people do exactly that. You can load it all the way past GVWR and it has little effect on the range. It's towing that hurts. Many people use these for business with great success.

> Many people use these for business with great success. Not enough to make it economically viable. Most people who want an EV want a compact, sedan, crossover, or sports car. Most people who want a luxury pick up truck want to burn gasoline. The niche market that does exist wants a Rivian. For EV trucks priced and appointed for everyone else, I'm looking forward to what Slate and Telos make.

> The niche market that does exist wants a Rivian.

Ford's sales for the Lightning were outpacing Rivian, too.

> For EV trucks priced and appointed for everyone else, I'm looking forward to what Slate and Telos make.

I do hear that fairly often. It reminds me a lot of the brown diesel wagon phenomenon. Lots of online interest, very little follow through. I guess time will tell.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#653

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:26 AM UTC

m463 wrote: post #502

rootusrootus wrote: post #407

Judging from how many people seem surprised by my open frunk at the grocery store, saying things like "I had no idea Ford made an electric truck!" I think they could have done more to market it. I sometimes wonder if they really wanted to sell a lot of them.

I remember when tesla was young and elon talked about selling electric cars through dealers. He said it would not work, they would not be advocates, they would prevent sales. And I think that is spot on. I also suspect internally the thinking is that the f150 lightning costs more to make than sell, which means it won't get strong advocacy. Thing is, I'm 100% certain years of tesla vehicles cost more to make than they…

I wonder who makes their decision by going to the dealer, though? Ford didn't even regularly stock Lightnings at the dealer, in fact, they basically sold them online and kept inventory at regional fulfillment centers. As soon as someone pulled the trigger, they'd ship the truck the last mile to the dealer of their choice.

Maybe the dealers could have done better. In fact, they definitely could have. Most did have a demo Lightning, in my experience, but that doesn't mean salespeople were pushing customers towards them.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#654

Post by dylan604 » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:26 AM UTC

phkahler wrote: post #643

dylan604 wrote: post #531

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’ll take a moment to lament the demise of the light duty pickup that provided a bit of extra utility while still fitting in a normal parking space. I miss the hell out of my '82 Chevrolet S10 with extended cab and two-tone paint job. The extended cab isn't going to be used for hauling the soccer team, but I could put it was plenty of space for "inside only" cargo. Damn thing threw a rod and cracked the case, and I…

Buy a Ford Maverik hybrid. Similar size, great mileage.

Except it's a Ford and not a Chevy. If you think those things don't matter, you're just fooling yourself.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#655

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:28 AM UTC

PNewling wrote: post #467

pas wrote: post #457

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the dealerships did not want them, this already made it unlikely to succeed (towing range mania was the other thing)

Why did the dealerships not want them? (Honest question, I have no idea about any of this)

There is a hypothesis that dealers disincentivized salespeople from selling EVs due to a lower expected amount of service department revenue in the future. I work in the industry close enough to get a whiff of that and I never heard anything more than speculation.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#656

Post by dyauspitr » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:29 AM UTC

instagib wrote: post #125

Maybe they can sell them at the announced prices instead of the inflated ones. Used is selling around $40k with 20-40,000 miles. New started at 40k, went to 60k for sale, pre-order fulfillment fell off a cliff so it sunk to 56k, and settled around 50k. 2022: 15,617 sold 2023: 24,165 2024: 33,510 2025: “Around 27,300 units sold in the U.S” $4k-$6k per battery module replacement. Full pack $25k-$50k.

8 years of battery warranty though.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#657

Post by Dibes » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:29 AM UTC

ashtonbaker wrote: post #198

Workaccount2 wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Range is the misconception, because people view range through the "sit and fill up then drive till empty" paradigm. That is not how EVs work or how they should be used. They should be charged overnight/when you are doing something else, and on road trips should be charged to align with other stops even if those stops are 10 minutes. It's rare that I have ever done the "sit in the car for 40 minutes waiting for charge…

I actually leased a Kia EV6 recently without too much research into the charging situation, assuming that in 2025 it was probably pretty well figured out, and I could just do as you propose and just charge in small bursts at the grocery store etc. But: - It didn't come with a home charger at all. They're not cheap. - It came with a J1772 adapter, but no CCS adapter. The car itself has NACS. So I'm limited to Tesla su…

The thing is, for most people a standard wall outlet is plenty. The math works out that a simple 15/20 amp circuit can charge over 40 miles overnight, and the vast majority of people aren't driving more than that for their daily commute plus errands. Level 1 charging is genuinely sufficient most of the time. I was particularly swayed by the technology connections video on this topic I watched before buying my first EV https://youtu.be/Iyp_X3mwE1w

The real pain point, in my opinion, is whether you have any place to plug in nightly. If you don't, then as you pointed out, it becomes a nightmare to own. Range anxiety is completely justified when public charging infrastructure is still as unreliable as it is, years after the initial build outs. Your points about charging pain are all too common.

If you have a garage with an outlet, you are generally fine. I lived off a level 1 charger for over a year before I decided I wanted the convenience of a level 2 charger.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#658

Post by Affric » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:29 AM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #17

It's a shame the Lightning got discontinued. As an EV owner, it sucks that the main thing holding the technology back is misconceptions and misunderstanding, rather than actual practical matters. People think EVs are cars with tanks of electrons, and run aground the same way you would if you thought horses were cars full of hay. It's a different transport tool that gives the same results, you just have to know how to…

The main thing holding them back for me is the range.

A few times a year I do quite long drives, sometimes you get the odd road closure and you've added a day to your trip at best, could be stranded at worst.

There will be a phase shift where there are lots of fast chargers but in Australia we aren't quite there yet. Lots of my friends have EVs. The busiest routes are pretty good.

On the one hand I will be a late adopter of the tech but on the other at least I know it will be a significant upgrade when I get there.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#659

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC

aembleton wrote: post #518

rootusrootus wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they wear out tires sooner. This is dependent on how you drive them. EVs are fun, so you get a disproportionate number of people driving them aggressively. That's hard on tires. If you drive normal, you get normal tire life.

EVs are typically heavier than ICE cars so will cause more tyre wear.

Yes, but typically by a small margin. Close enough that tire wear is dominated by driving style. The problem is that instant torque is simultaneously addictive and also maximally damaging to tire tread.

Re: Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales

#660

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 2:31 AM UTC

stefan_ wrote: post #473

rootusrootus wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they wear out tires sooner. This is dependent on how you drive them. EVs are fun, so you get a disproportionate number of people driving them aggressively. That's hard on tires. If you drive normal, you get normal tire life.

They wear out tires because they weigh a shit ton, not because their drivers like to go below the limit trying to draft off a rig.

They weigh slightly more than a similar ICE vehicle. And why would drafting a big rig increase tire wear? The problem I mentioned was that EV drivers frequently drive more aggressively because it's intoxicating to be able to silently dust basically every other car on the road that isn't another EV. Those people do have tire wear issues :). And they're not drafting a big rig...