He’s the first buyer of the electric F-150. Why he’s the future of the car industry

“It’s fast,” he says. “I mean, for a big, full-sized pickup truck, it’ll do, I think, 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds or something, which is unheard of.”

Ford and other legacy U.S. auto makers are investing billions of dollars in developing electric vehicles in a mad dash to catch up to market leader Tesla, which accounted for 70% of new electric vehicles registered in the U.S. last year.

The F-150 Lightning is not only a critical part of Ford’s ambitions, it poses an early test of whether established auto makers such as General Motors can compete in that electric future.

And judging by Schmidt’s initial reaction, the Ford F-150 may have delivered, even as many challenges still loom.

Brittany Cronin