In July, Michael Puglia drove home what seemed like the coolest vehicle he’s ever owned — a Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck.
It was big enough to lug around his kids and all their hockey gear. He would never have to throttle it, and the ride was exhilarating. “It’s incredibly fast and responsive,” said Mr. Puglia, a pediatric anesthesiologist in Ann Arbor, Mich. “Technology is amazing.”
But as colder weather arrived, the truck’s range — or how far it could travel before needing to be plugged in — was significantly reduced. Once, after Mr. Pullia had driven 35 miles to an ice rink, his range was reduced by 73 miles. Another time, a 60-mile excursion reduced his range by 110 miles.
Several trips to the dealership for software updates didn’t fix the problem, leaving Mr. Puglia wondering if he should keep the $79,000 truck.
“People say ‘range anxiety’ – it’s like it’s the driver’s fault,” he said. “But it’s not our fault. They don’t actually tell us what the actual range is. The truck says it’s 300 miles. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that.”
Mr Puglia’s brief journey from excitement to disappointment reflects the recent ups and downs in the electric vehicle sector. Twelve months ago, sales of battery-powered cars looked poised for a steady takeoff in the United States. Sales rose 46 percent last year, surpassing more than one million vehicles for the first time, and will make up more than 7 percent of all new light vehicles sold in 2023.
But by the final three months of 2023, the pace of sales had slowed and automakers’ optimism had turned to caution. In the last three months of the year, according to the California New Car Dealers Association, new electric vehicle registrations fell from the previous three months in California — the largest market for battery-powered cars and trucks.
Ford Motor, General Motors and others are now slowing electric vehicle investments. GM is also delaying sales of some new electric models and making plans to produce plug-in hybrids, which dealers say are attracting more customer interest.
“You’ve had a wave of early adopters, but the mainstream consumer just isn’t jumping up and down for EVs,” said Marc Cannon, an independent consultant who until recently was the chief customer experience officer at AutoNation, the nation’s largest auto retailer. “Manufacturers release the product, but the consumer says, ‘We’re not participating.’
More than almost any other new battery-powered vehicle, the F-150 Lightning seemed like a big hit when it was introduced in 2022. It was the electric incarnation of the nation’s best-selling vehicle, and it could accelerate like a sports car. Ford at one point had 200,000 reservations for the truck. Initially, the company struggled to produce more than a few thousand a month, limiting sales. Then last year, consumer excitement was replaced by a more cautious assessment.
The demand for Lightning decreased and the backlog of reservations disappeared. In 2023, Ford sold 24,000 Lightnings, up 54 percent from the previous year, but well short of the 150,000 annual production the company once aimed for.
Marin Gjaja, chief operating officer of Ford’s electric vehicle division, said Lightning sales, while lower than initial expectations, are strong. In the fourth quarter, it was one of the best-selling electric vehicles after Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3.
And in states where electric vehicle ownership is high, such as California, Oregon and Washington, the Lightning accounts for about 30 percent of the company’s F-Series truck sales. “We continue to see Lightning as a success and a critical part of our portfolio,” said Mr. Gjaja.
Late last year, Ford said it would cut the number of F-150 Lightnings it produced in 2024 by about half, to about 1,600 a week. The company also transferred about 1,400 workers who built Lightnings to other models, including the gas-powered F-150. In January, Ford sold 2,258 Lightnings, six fewer than the same month last year.
It’s not just Ford. Trucks are a particularly disappointing segment of the electric vehicle market. Rivian sold about 17,700 of its R1T pickups last year, the same as in 2022, according to Cox Automotive. Tesla and GM introduced electric pickups last year — the Cybertruck and a Chevrolet Silverado — but have produced very few so far.
Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley told Wall Street analysts on Tuesday that the company will focus more on smaller electric vehicles and less on larger ones, aiming to compete with more affordable models from Tesla and Chinese automakers.
The problem with large electric pickups, owners and analysts said, is that despite having fantastic technology and acceleration, the vehicles have greatly reduced range when drivers use them for the things people buy trucks for: carry heavy things, tow trailers and drive. in bad weather.
How far an electric vehicle can travel on a charge can vary greatly. Edmunds, the market researcher, tested a Lightning in 81-degree weather and drove the truck 341 miles on a full battery. But cold temperatures can reduce the range of all electric vehicles. During a recent freeze in the Midwest, some electric car owners saw their range cut in half or more. Owners who don’t have chargers at home suffer the most because they can’t warm up their cars while plugged in before going out. Rain, hills, aggressive driving and heavy loads can also reduce range.
Mr Gjaja said some drivers may not yet know all the steps they could take to maximize their truck’s range. Programming the truck to warm up its battery on cold mornings can reduce range loss. And using the ‘one pedal’ driving mode recovers energy when the vehicle brakes.
Driving at 65 mph will use less energy than driving at 70 or 80 mph, reducing the need for charging stops, he said. “Going slower can get you faster.”
Ford recently began equipping Lightnings with energy-saving heat pumps that can help extend driving range.
Tesla, which makes about half the electric vehicles sold in the United States, was sued last summer by three Californians who claim their cars failed to achieve the range the automaker touts. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, was based in part on a Reuters report that said the range numbers on Tesla’s dashboard displays did not take into account weather and other important factors.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
Even when cold weather is not an issue, range can be an issue.
Mike Kochav, who owns a construction company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, bought a Lightning in the summer of 2022 for about $90,000. His business already had six gasoline-powered F-150s. He liked the ride and technology of the electric truck, but found that its range dropped quickly when the pickup was hauling equipment to construction sites across the state.
“Once you put a trailer on it, the mileage goes down,” Mr Kotsav said. Since he sometimes drives 200 to 300 miles a day, he had to stop to charge — which often took 45 minutes or more if he had to wait for a charger.
“There were too many delays in my day,” Mr Kotsav explained. Last summer he traded in his Lightning.
Public electric vehicle chargers are available at about 61,000 stations across the country, according to the Department of Energy. By comparison, there are 145,000 gas stations.
Electric vehicles also tend to have more problems than hybrid or gasoline-powered models, according to a recent Consumer Reports survey. That may be because manufacturers are still learning how to build reliable battery-powered vehicles. GM recently told dealers to stop selling the electric Chevrolet Blazer, a new model, while it fixes software problems that can cause some functions to stop working.
Electric vehicles are also more expensive than comparable hybrids and gasoline-powered models, even after several rounds of price cuts last year. Federal and state tax breaks for some electric cars and trucks help but don’t always close the gap.
However, the industry is moving forward. Analysts estimate 1.5 million electric vehicles will be sold this year, up from nearly 1.2 million in 2023. The Biden administration is expected to finalize new emissions rules next month. Her proposal would, in effect, require battery-powered cars to make up two-thirds of all light vehicle sales by 2032, though the details could change before the regulations become official.
Ford and other manufacturers can perhaps enjoy consumers like Mr. Kochav. Despite his disappointment, he said he was open to trying the Lightning again in a few years, especially if Ford improved the truck’s range and charging stations became more common.
“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I really think I’ll get back to it one day.”
