Last July, Michael Puglia got his hands on a Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, which was the coolest car he had ever owned. The vehicle was spacious enough to carry his children and their hockey equipment, wouldn’t need any gasoline and was exhilarating to drive. However, as the weather got colder, the truck’s range dropped significantly, leaving him frustrated. After several software updates didn’t fix the problem, he was left questioning whether he should keep the truck. Sales of electric vehicles appeared to be on the rise in the U.S around 12 months ago but, by the end of 2023, sales started to slow. Ford, General Motors and other companies are scaling back electric vehicle investments while some dealers say hybrid vehicles are drawing more customer interest. The Ford F-150 Lightning seemed like a huge success when it was launched in 2022, but in 2023, demand for the vehicle declined. Despite strong sales in the last quarter of the year, Ford decided to cut its production by half in 2024. Pickup trucks have been an especially disappointing segment of the electric vehicle market. Owners and analysts attribute this to electric pickups losing a large part of their range when doing activities typical for trucks. The mileage of electric vehicles can be affected by factors like weather, driving habits and heavier loads. Consumer reluctance, charging infrastructure and technical issues like software malfunctions are also contributing to the slowdown of electric vehicle sales. Despite these challenges, the industry continues to move forward with analysts predicting 1.5 million electric vehicles being sold this year, up from almost 1.2 million in 2023.
