Meet the First Buyer of the Electric F-150

Nick Schmidt finally got the call he had been waiting for for months.

Schmidt ordered the electric F-150 during its launch in May last year. After over a year, his Ford F-150 Lightning was finally ready to be picked up. He shared that the dealers were as excited as he was. And when he arrived at the parking lot, everybody came outside waiting for him. 

It was a great moment for Schmidt, but perhaps even a bigger one for Ford. It was the first F-150 Lightning to be delivered to an actual buyer.

Why Is Ford Introducing An Electric F-150 A Big Deal?

Ford and other established U.S. automakers are investing billions of dollars in developing electric vehicles to catch up to market leader Tesla. Tesla accounted for 70% of new electric cars registered in 2021.

The F-150 Lightning is an integral part of Ford’s ambitions. It poses an early test of whether popular automakers such as General Motors can compete in that electric car trend. 

Based on Schmidt’s initial reaction, the Ford F-150 may have delivered, even as many challenges still await.

What It Feels Driving The F-150

Credit: Nick Schmidt

When Schmidt first climbed into his new electric car, it instantly felt familiar. It had the same look and felt as his traditional gas-powered F-150.

“It was exactly what I dreamed of, a Ford pickup truck,” Schmidt recounted. 

Schmidt isn’t new to pickup trucks. As he lives on a family farm in Standish, Michigan, his family owns several pickup trucks – Ford F-150s, 250s, and Chevys.

Ford vs. Tesla

Delivering a powerful F-150 that felt familiar to car enthusiasts and users was integral to Ford’s strategy to compete with Tesla.

Sam Abuelsamid at Guidehouse Insights says car manufacturers are spending almost $200 billion to develop electric vehicles (EVs). And the upcoming focus is electrifying their famous cars.

“There’s plently money at stake. So, if they’re going to build millions of EVs now and attempt to convert the entire industry to electric, they have to make those that people actually want to buy.”

For Ford, electrifying the F-150 is practical. The truck has been one of the best-selling vehicles in America for many years.

Others are also looking at their most popular models. In fact, GM will unveil an electric Silverado next year. The Ram truck is going electric, too. Aside from that, GM and Ford are working on electric versions of Equinox and Explorer, respectively.

Early reservations for the Lightning looked good. The company initially planned to produce about 40,000 Lightnings, but the truck was so famous that Ford stopped taking reservations after it escalated to 200,000 units.

Challenges Abound for Automakers Developing EVs

Schmidt experienced one big issue soon after getting his F-150 Lightning. One that is all too ordinary to other electric vehicle owners: charging.

Schmidt took his F-150 Lightning on a camping trip with his family, but he’s unable to find a charger.

The U.S. still hasn’t developed a widespread public charging infrastructure. This is a concern the Biden administration is trying to address by allocating $5 billion to build out a national network of high-speed chargers.

Car makers are facing a more severe problem. With gas prices continuing to increase, Americans are considering electric vehicles. But the problem is that automakers don’t have this critical infrastructure. It might be because the auto industry continues to be hit by shortages of essential products such as microchips.

And even if you can afford an electric car, they’re expensive. The average price for a new electric vehicle is about $60,000.

The F-150 Lightning starts at about $40,000, but that’s for the base model. Prices quickly climb with standard pickup truck features in which Schmidt paid about a hundred grand for his car.

Schmidt has doubts about whether Americans will widely embrace electric vehicles yet.

Even though he likes the electric F-150, Schmidt thinks about his family on the farm and doesn’t see them driving F-150 lightning yet.

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