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

#911

Post by suburban_strike » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC

poulsbohemian wrote: post #731

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…

Educate me: How is the Canyon, Ranger, or Frontier not a modern equivalent to the S10? All small(ish) trucks available in a two door or extended cab configuration with basic options.

The Frontier is massive compared to what it used to be. 90s Frontier was a small pickup truck. 2010s Frontier is the size of a 90s F-150.

Product of mfrs cheating CAFE standards.

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

#912

Post by rootusrootus » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC

pbmonster wrote: post #867

segfaultex wrote: post #829

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I had to bet; they'll put their 3.7L V6 in and run it on the miller cycle with a fixed drive to hit @130+kW or so. The changes for cooling, etc. will be substantial, but the problem space is already well-known by the team, so the time to market probably won't be as long as we think.

That's probably a quick way to do it, but considering that using a miller cycle means we're going to want the turbo version of the engine, that alone is going to cost like $4k on Fords end. Add a 100kW+ generator with the power electronics to charge while driving, fuel system, exhaust system and cooling system, and we're probably approaching $10k upcharge for the customer. Gotta remove a whole lot of batteries from t…

The dreamers amongst us have noted that Ford has a patent (at least an application for one, I don't recall if it was granted) for putting an EREV generator under the bed near the back of the truck. Since it can be a smaller engine and does not require an attachment to the drivetrain, maybe this is feasible.

If they did that, it would remove one of my reasons for not being too interested in the Lightning EREV -- the anticipated loss of the frunk. It still introduces a bunch of mechanical bits and associated maintenance requirements, that is unavoidable, along with a substantial increase in cost.

I bought my Lightning with the intent of keeping it 7-8 years, and it meets my needs very well, so this is mostly just navel gazing for me. The EREV version would have more range that I would rarely benefit from, and be substantially less powerful, which is also a negative from my perspective, in addition to costing a bunch more. My current truck is by far my favorite so far. I hope when I'm finally ready to try something new, there are better options. It's a high bar.

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

#913

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 4:51 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #870

alexjplant wrote: post #722

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Base F150 starts at half that. This is silly No it isn't [1]. > There seems to be no limit these days to how lavishly equipped, not to mention expensive, full-size standard-duty pickup trucks have become at the upper reaches of their respective model lines. [...] They’re brash and uniquely American alternatives to fine-tuned European luxury SUVs. For those keeping score, Kelley Blue Book says the average full-size…

How dare those workers buy nice cars for themselves to drive every day! What were they thinking?

[deleted]

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

#914

Post by ak217 » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 4:53 PM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #856

ak217 wrote: post #716

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Sorry, I love Technology Connections as much as anyone, but that's a ridiculous argument. Even people who drive less than 40 miles a day will occasionally need to drive 100 miles a day for two days back to back. That's not even a long distance trip, it's just driving around. With level 1 charging they are stuck and frustrated. With level 2 they're fine. Not to mention the hassle and mental energy required to plug in…

You can use DC fast chargers to fill gaps as needed. Also if you are always driving 40mi/day, you likely float with a battery percentage around 80%, leaving plenty of capacity for those consecutive 100 mile days with your standard overnight slow charge. Again, this cannot be said enough, EVs are not gas vehicles, they do not refill like gas vehicles, if you apply gas vehicle logic to them, they look awful. But they a…

Look, I don't care, I know there are strong opinions about how these discussions sway people one way or another. I'm as much of an EV technology fan as anyone, but I'm speaking from personal experience with this exact situation: if I didn't have a 240V charger in my garage, my EV experience would be garbage and I'd give up on it in frustration. I own one of the most common EVs, I have DC fast chargers in my area, I don't drive my EV that much during the week, but when I need to drive a bunch of short trips on the weekend, this exact scenario arises. I don't care what your theoretical model of an average EV driver looks like, I'm telling you that it doesn't match my reality and I am certain the reality of many others.

What's bizarre is that this should be incredibly non-contentious when it comes to EV adoption. By code, everyone in the US already has two phases at their panel and running a wire and outlet in their garage (or a weatherized cable to the outside) costs $100-150 in materials and a similar amount in labor. This is literally negligible in the broader scheme of the automotive economy. My humble suggestion to you is: save your breath, we're on the same side, raise your voice instead when it comes to demanding a sane EV industrial policy, regulatory policy, urban planning policy, removing subsidies for oil and gas industries, and the like.

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

#915

Post by NoLinkToMe » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 4:53 PM UTC

bombcar wrote: post #881

subpixel wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. I really want a Lightning but live in a very rural place, weekend in an even more rural place, and need to pull a trailer pretty often. I already have a plug-in hybrid that gets 40+ miles/charge and have opined all over the internet that the perfect car is one that gets 100+ miles/charge before firing any gas engine. It sounds like the next Lightning will give me that though I don’t put much stock in thei…

Surprisingly to many, rural and very rural places are actually a great location for EVs - if they have enough range. Because even very rural places have electricity - almost always. I can find quite nice homes that are 20 miles from a gas station, but have power and could easily charge a vehicle. If I lived there, a vehicle I could use without a gas station would be quite desirable.

Yup. We also overestimate how much range we need. Average American driver drives 60km a day. The average Tesla has >500km range, meaning you need to charge fewer than once every 8 days.

Rural tends to mean space, and space tends to mean you can charge your car at home (that's different for a New York apartment dweller), making a once-in-8-day charge absolutely trivial.

In terms of economics, electric fueling of your car wins per mile.

And rural homes tend to have easy access to home-solar (again, good luck installing solar in a New York apartment rental). Electric cars tie into solar really nicely with a basic smart system, as it lets you charge at off-peak rates at night, or dump excess solar during the day into your car.

And what you've said before, it creates energy-independence, great when remote. Not to mention modern EVs allow bi-directional use of the battery, meaning the car can power your home essentials during an outage.

So I agree, EV is a great idea for rural.

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

#916

Post by Lammy » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC

unethical_ban wrote: post #878

Lammy wrote: post #495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do that merely by using the monetary system at all.

"You criticize society, yet you participate in it!" https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/259/257/342...

If only you knew how bad things really are. https://i.ibb.co/7NTZdSC8/intelligent.jpg

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

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Post by BizarroLand » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC

pbmonster wrote: post #778

BizarroLand wrote: post #566

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have 3 vehicles, an old project jeep, an old truck, and a sedan. Sedan handles 99% of my driving, but can't really tow anything. Truck handles all of my towing stuff, but gets ~14mpg which hurts so I don't drive it. Jeep is a jeep, it's always being worked on, but when I use it I'm using it to go ride around on dirt paths or for camping. It gets 17-20mpg when I'm driving it but I don't want to drive it often. If th…

> I would feel very uncomfortable towing an empty 4x6 trailer behind my sedan, not to even mention the occasional couch or dresser or bunch of boxes from helping a friend move. Why? 1500 lbs rated tow hook on an average sedan should be no problem at all. And that's more than enough for a 4x6 with a couch and a couple of boxes. Might even get a slightly larger trailer so you don't have to take the couch apart. I've to…

Just because. It's a Malibu, its tow rating is don't. I'm sure I could, but its not worth jeopardizing a $25,000 cars' drive train to potentially save about $600/year in insurance and tags and fuel for the truck.

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

#918

Post by ActorNightly » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC

scottyah wrote: post #179

ActorNightly wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>A pickup truck should just be max utility, The problem is as soon as you go EV, you use a lot of utility from the get go. With a truck specifically, because its a brick aerodynamically. There is no reason to buy a Cybertruck or Lightning when you can get a gas or hybrid F150 (or a Raptor) for a little bit more, and be able to sit at 80 mph on highways without worrying about range. The biggest suprise about the light…

You have one reason listed, which is going 80mph (which is illegal in most states). They also can't tow long distances easily, but are superior in nearly every other way.

Most of the places where you would realistically use a truck have highways that are at least 75 mph. And its not the 80 mph thats important, its the fact that the faster you try to get to the destination, the more the range drains, which conversely takes you longer to get to the destination if you consider charging time.

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

#919

Post by unethical_ban » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 5:23 PM UTC

Lammy wrote: post #916

unethical_ban wrote: post #878

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You criticize society, yet you participate in it!" https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/259/257/342...

If only you knew how bad things really are. https://i.ibb.co/7NTZdSC8/intelligent.jpg

Even were I to be more charitable to your original comment, it is nihilism, which I dislike. "Don't criticize any particularly immoral component of our system, because it's all bad and resistance is futile".

Nihilism is a self fulfilling prophecy.

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

#920

Post by ActorNightly » Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC

drewda wrote: post #153

ActorNightly wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>A pickup truck should just be max utility, The problem is as soon as you go EV, you use a lot of utility from the get go. With a truck specifically, because its a brick aerodynamically. There is no reason to buy a Cybertruck or Lightning when you can get a gas or hybrid F150 (or a Raptor) for a little bit more, and be able to sit at 80 mph on highways without worrying about range. The biggest suprise about the light…

Here's a different aspect of utility: The F150 Lightning includes 120V and optionally 240V outlets, so it replaces the need to carry a separate gas-powered generator. That's probably more relevant to fleet vehicles for construction and maintenance firms than to individuals towing boats. But just to offer an example of how the F150 Lightning is a great fit for certain uses.

The thing is, charging an EV in todays age is something that takes planning. Its not as easy as getting gas. For most people that end up at their house every night. For people that use their vehicles more, it becomes more of a problem. If you are going somewhere overnight, you have to make sure that place has charging.

For fleet vehicles this is the same story. You have no idea what kinda bullshit circumstances you are going to run into, and investing in EVs is just not worth it at this point when a F150 XLT or XL + Honda generator suffices.

Until that trend flips where fast charging takes the same time as gas station stop (or automakers start putting small gas engines in their vehicles) EVs are always going to lag behind gas vehicles.