For consumer and commercial customers, Tesla's Cybertruck is the truck of the future
After the controversial unveiling of Tesla's Cybertruck, like most, I was perplexed. Is the world ready for such radical change? Is a cyberpunk dystopia where we're heading as a society? When Cybertruck hits the road, it will definitely drop jaws, but for what reason? After the initial shock subsided, I went ahead and did the obvious thing, and ordered one.
Above: The sci-fi look of Tesla's Cybertuck (Artwork by Manuel Noboa, EVANNEX)
As with anything new and unfamiliar, public opinion is split on this one. Will this end up another niche (albeit cult-like) vehicle like GM's Hummer or Mercedes' G-Wagon? Will it only appeal to the millennial market? Attract only cyberpunk and sci-fi fanboys? Roam only the streets of Silicon Valley? Clearly, it’s not a truck. It’s everything but a truck.
Only it is a truck. Aimed right at the industry-leading Ford F-150, it puts the Ford F-150 to shame. It can tow more, carry more, and can launch much, much faster. At 500 miles of range, it even compares in distance traveled per tank. In fact, military (and many commercial) buyers could be a large part of its customer base. It also appears to beat out the Rivian R1T electric truck.
Above: A head-to-head comparison of the Tesla Cybertruck along with the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 (Chart: EVBite)
While the Tesla Cybertruck wins on specs, everyone seems to be caught up with its looks. “It doesn’t look like a truck,” is the dominant thing that we've been hearing since its debut. Sure, it doesn’t look like a truck... today. But the Cybertruck isn’t today's truck, it’s the truck of the future.
In terms of literally everything else, it fits the bill (and then some). With its comparable dimensions of 231.7″ long, 79.8″ wide, and 75.0″ high, it seats six adults. The 6.5’ bed plus frunk comes lockable with 100 cubic feet of storage. With clearance angles of 35° approach and 28° departure along with the adaptive air suspension, you can even take this beast off-road.
Above: It turns out you could even charge Tesla's new ATV in the bed of the Cybertruck (Image: Tesla)
Onboard power outlets for both 110V and 220V as well as a built-in air compressor allows Tesla's new pickup to outperform the best work trucks available today. Also, let’s not forget the potential for full self-driving which is likely (we hope) to be ready before the release of this electric truck.
Maybe Tesla's design aesthetic won’t win the hearts of those old truck lovers stuck in their ways. However, without its sci-fi movie looks, it wouldn’t have won the hearts of the next generation of truck enthusiasts. And regardless of Tesla’s design choices, this is clearly engineered to be one of the best trucks on the market tomorrow for both consumer and commercial use cases.
Above: Why Cybertruck represents the truck of the future for both the consumer and commercial markets (YouTube: Solving the Money Problem)
It just works. Tesla isn’t trying to target a niche demographic of cyberpunk enthusiasts. They aren’t selling a gimmicky electric vehicle, they’re selling a truck. Sure, it looks different, but so did the first iPhone. Granted, this might be one of many electric trucks to (eventually) hit the market. But Tesla's Cybertruck is the only one to stand out and steal the show.
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An earlier version of this article appeared on EVBite. EVBite is an electric vehicle specific news site dedicated to keeping consumers up-to-date on any developments in the ever-expanding EV landscape.
