I hear what you’re saying, but it’s both a better car and more useful a pickup truck than a Toyota Corolla is, which is its price competition.
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Despite the deficiencies that others have mentioned, it’s still in the right direction in terms of price point. For EVs to get mainstream it has to be able to compete with something like a baseline truck or sedan in terms of price vs functionality. Until then, I’m stuck with my 2016 Hyundai Accent which I’d love to get rid of someday to be quite honest.
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Interim answer: a new Maverick?
Derp, @papasan beat me to it.
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To note: This model year is the roll out of a new platform. Ford will defiantly expand the platform for the rest of the options as it transitions to EVs. That is when they can catch up on the high demand for this model.
Obviously doesn’t help for current buyers, but it’s certainly in the product timeline.
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Very few pickups sold today meet that requirement. The standard bed size is 6.5 feet and most pickup trucks sold are either that or shorter. 8’ beds do exist, but most people don’t get them because they want the extended cab and an extended cab + extended bed gets pretty silly even for people who like huge trucks. Likewise, people want enormous wheels and enormous suspension travel because it looks tough for “offroad” use so its really uncommon to have 4’ wide between the wheel wells on a standard pickup. Actual work trucks might have a custom bed that is raised above the wheel wells but that isn’t standard for vehicles off the lot. And work trucks are more likely to have lockable toolchests or other things that limit the size available for sheet goods.
Cargo vans are a much better bet if you want to transport sheet goods.
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Have you not met most suburban truck owners? Size matters!
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“My life has no meaning and I’ve accomplished nothing of importance since high school. Look at my big truck!” 
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Looks like Rivian and Ford have parted ways. IMO Rivian will end up making something much better/cooler than Ford anyway. Ford retains a 12% stake in Rivian.
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I really wish somebody would come out with something a bit more sedan-like for only light duty stuff, like the Chevy El Camino.
I loved driving my dad’s El Camino in Kansas, because you only had to heat or cool the cab, and you could still haul things even when you didn’t need it often. Plus, you could take it out on the town after a wash without looking like you showed up at a black-tie event wearing greasy coveralls.
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Not really. Every full size truck (F150 and up, Chevy Silverado, Dodge 1500 and up, Toyota Tundra, etc etc) that I know of has over 4’ between the wheel wells.
I’m really excited for the Lightning. I know everyone that “needs” a truck is constantly hauling 4’x8’ sheet goods day in and day out, even to the daycare, but for my daily needs a 6.5’ bed is more than enough. I say that as a current owner of a 1970 Ford F250 with an 8’ bed that I love. I want something to replace our thirsty minivan and to complement our Chevy Volt, and a Lightning seems perfect. Except I’m not much of one to spend $40k on a truck…
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I want my next vehicle to be able to tow a trailer. Our tent-camping days are likely over due to my partner’s medical conditions, and I think an electric pickup will be the cheapest electric vehicle able to tow a reasonable trailer.
Will have to do the math, but Ford really may have made the right choices here (for me, anyway). We’ll see!
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Yep. With leaving work not too far off for me - I have dreams of buying a used airstream. And wandering the land, like Caine. For a while.
Counterpoint- a houseboat?
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There’s a petition out there for Subaru to bring back the Baja as an EV.
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Oooh…or a BRAT even…
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There’s a weird conservative backlash against electric vehicles, I think just because anything to do with environmentalism or addressing climate change (or even just rampant American wastefulness) makes them immediately take the opposite stance.
Thing is, if overnight half the country were driving electric vehicles it would likely lower the price of gas (simple supply and demand), so you’d think they’d be OK with electric vehicles, but nope.
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When NASCAR goes electric so goes the rest of the country.
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Looking at their site, the $40k is for the base work model. For the XLT with comfort options, it jumps to $52k, and the highest-end model is all the way up to 90k!
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The Maverick doesn’t look at all bad. I’ll have to give that some consideration.
But it’s still not as easy to get into and out of as this dream. And I’m perfectly okay with no back doors.
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The oil companies will just constrict refinery capacity, as they always have done.
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