When Ford officially unveiled its all-electric version of the best-selling Ford F-150 pickup truck, it heralded the Lightning as the commercial pickup truck pioneer, leading a new era of electrified fleets.

Since the livestreamed launch in May 2021 to worldwide fanfare, the fortunes of the EV industry have not transformed commercial and work truck fleets. On Dec. 15, the automaker announced the end of Lightning production, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The Journal reported the OEM is "expected to take about $19.5 billion in charges, mainly tied to its electric-vehicle business, a massive hit as the automaker retrenches in the face of sinking EV demand. The sum is among the largest impairments taken by a company and marks the U.S. auto industry’s biggest reckoning to date that it can’t realize its electric-vehicle ambitions anytime soon," the report stated.

But Ford reassured the automotive industry that it will bring a $30,000 EV pickup to market by 2027, which the company says will be the first in a new lineup of low-cost EVs, the WSJ reported. It will also provide an extended range electric vehicle (EREV) pickup truck as a future option.

According to previous reports in Automotive Fleet and Charged Fleet, the 2022 F-150 Lightning was a pillar of Ford's more than $22 billion global electric vehicle plan.

The electric platform unlocked new capabilities, including enough energy to power an entire home and a massive, lockable frunk with power and charging capabilities to spare. Ford deployed standard over-the-air software updates, called Ford Power-Up, to improve the technology experience, add new features, and fix issues without trips to the dealership. 

Among newsworthy developments in the electric pick-up truck's four-year model run 2022-2025:

• Ford Reports Robust Orders for F-150 Lightning

• First Drive Review: F-150 Lightning Pro

• Ford Drops F-150 Lightning Pro Price By $10,000

• F-150 Lightning Production Set To Triple

• Ford Introduces New Tool To Help Fleets Save Money

• Ford F-150 Lightning Shows Show Fleets Can Save Money