Rivian Offers Alternative to Customers Affected by Discontinued F-150 Lightning

As is well known, Ford has halted production of its all-electric pickup, the F-150 Lightning. Now, a high-ranking manager from the electric vehicle startup Rivian is generating significant attention on LinkedIn—by recommending Rivian's R1T as an alternative for Ford customers whose orders were canceled.

Rivian r1t caltrans fleet — Image: Rivian

“Dear Fleet Managers – Were your Lightning orders cancelled? Rivian can help!” That is how Seth Parks, Senior Manager of Fleet Sales at Rivian, opens his pitch for the battery-electric pickup R1T. The model is available in a ‘crew cab short bed configuration,’ meaning four doors, five seats, and a smaller load area, starting at $73,000. Parks also confirms that Rivian will attend three fleet manager events in the US over the coming weeks, even naming the specific events.

The reason for this targeted marketing campaign is clear: Ford permanently discontinued the all-electric F-150 Lightning in December, after production had already been halted since October due to a supplier fire. The electric version of the iconic F-150 was unveiled in 2021 and launched in 2022, entering the market almost simultaneously with its rival, the Rivian R1T.

By the end of 2025, Ford had sold around 100,000 units of the F-150 Lightning—a relatively small number, considering that the entire F-Series alone reached nearly 830,000 units in the previous year, mostly with internal combustion engines. However, Ford has announced plans to replace the model with a range-extender version called the F-150 Lightning EREV. This model is expected to achieve a combined range of over 1,100 kilometres, a feature Ford highlights as particularly important for towing heavy trailers—previously a point of criticism for the battery-electric version.

Rival Rivian could use a boost in R1T sales, even though the model has recently seen increased demand from fleet customers such as the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The battery-electric pickup and its sibling, the R1S electric SUV, have only sold in modest numbers. In 2025, Rivian’s deliveries fell by 18% to 42,247 vehicles, though this figure includes the electric delivery vans (EDVs) sold to customers like Amazon and HelloFresh.

The company’s hopes now rest on the launch of the new electric SUV R2, which was unveiled in March 2024 and is expected to begin customer deliveries in the first half of 2026. Priced from around $45,000, it will be significantly more affordable than the R1S (starting at $77,000).

linkedin.com, eletric-vehicles.com