Ford May Have Just Killed The F-150 Lightning’s Frunk

The Ford F-150 Lightning is officially dead … for now.

Ford has announced a sweeping update to its future truck plans that included discontinuing the current F-150 Lightning, which has been out of production since October due to an aluminum shortage hitting the auto industry.

A new F-150 Lightning is in development, but it will be a very different pickup. Instead of having an all-electric powertrain, it will be an extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV.

It will still use electric drive, but will carry a gasoline motor onboard that works as a generator to provide electricity on long trips and maximum power boosts when needed for towing and hauling.

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Unlike a traditional hybrid, the engine should have no transmission attached to it or any other mechanical connection to the wheels. Ford will need to find a place to install it into the truck, however, and that’s likely to be where most engines go: under the hood.

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Since Ford is calling the model an F-150, it will presumably feature the same body as the rest of the lineup, as the outgoing F-150 Lightning, rather than a radical design. Ford had been working on an all-new electric truck called the T3 that would’ve been a purpose-built electric vehicle, but it has been scrapped in favor of new gas-powered trucks.

Unfortunately, this means the new F-150 Lightning would lose one of the current model’s signature features: the Mega Power Frunk, which is a 14.1-cubic-foot trunk under the hood that has a 400-pound payload capacity and built-in power outlets.

Ford’s Rival Ram is launching the extended-range Ram 1500 REV next year, which it calls a range-extended electric vehicle.

The 1500 REV was originally the name of a now-delayed all-electric model that was set to outdo the F-150 Lightning’s frunk with a 15-cubic-foot one of its own. Instead, the V6 range extender will take up the space.

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Nevertheless, there is a slim chance that Ford could preserve the frunk by putting the engine somewhere else. The upcoming 2028 Scout Motors Terra pickup will be offered with the choice of an all-electric or Harvester range-extended powertrain with the gas motor mounted behind the rear axle.

Ford hasn’t said which way it will go, but it did make a big deal about preserving a full-size spare tire for the F-150 Lightning by mounting it under the bed where they traditionally go, so it would need to find a new place for the tire if an engine went there. Scout hasn’t yet shown what its solution is for the range-extended Terra, but has mentioned it will offer an in-bed spare tire carrier for the upsized 35-inch tire option.

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It might be a while before Ford’s design is laid bare as the automaker has not confirmed when the new F-150 Lightning will be in production, but a redesigned F-150 isn’t expected before 2027 at the earliest, and Ford is all-in on internal combustion engine F-150 production next year in order to make up for some of the shortfall caused by that aluminum supply issue.

All hope is not lost for Ford frunk fans, however, as it is still on track to launch a small all-electric pickup in 2027 at a target price of $30,000. It won’t have a Mega Frunk, but should at least be a little frunky.