Will "Joe the Contractor" buy the CT?

[FarAway]

It's hard to predict right now.

Will "Joe the Contractor" buy the CT?

Most of the "guys" driving the ubiquitous white F-150's are the ones that need to be won over for the CT to make a deep impact. High fuel prices help... but the truck needs to make their jobs easier not harder. Cost of ownership, maintenance, range, easy access to tools and the bed, overall ease of use, and maybe towing are major concerns. Right now, some of these things are easy wins for the CT, some are still a big question mark, and some are fails.

If the only access to the bed is over the tailgate, that definitely does not make any contractors life easier. It makes things harder with no rear bed storage toolbox or no bed mounted accessory diesel fuel tank (needed to fuel up equipment on the jobsites). Access and storage through the sails would definitely help, I am sure there will be a ladder rack, but there are a lot of contractor questions that remain unanswered.

For Tesla to move contractors out of the tradition ICE pickups and into the CT these need to be addressed.

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[ÆCIII]

I think after-market add-ons such as overhead racks, and the towing capacity become more well known, the low cost of ownership and also the 'cool factor' will begin to take root in the minds of smart contractors:

- ÆCIII

 

[FarAway]

How is this going to look?? A diesel fuel tank in the rear of an EV, oh the humanity.

One of the first guys at the jobsite every morning is the guy that greases the machinery, fuels the track loader, the skid-steer and maybe the mini-excavator. Sometimes even brings gas for an onsite generator...

 

[cvalue13]

Setting aside any functional debates, I think the aesthetics will be a hindrance

The CyberTruck is unavoidably “look at me” in design

In response some say “soon they’ll be everywhere and will blend in” which is an aesthetic judgment I disagree with.

I don’t think the CT will ever merely blend into the background. Best case, they will remain “look at me” in a timeless way. Worst case, like an Affliction t-shirt, will be “look at me” for several years before transitioning to “oh gawd look at that” in an outdated way.

The history of product design has few examples of boundary-breaking designs that merely blend into the background as time passes.

Which coming back to the point: there are “look at me” guys on job sites (typically in lifted diesel duallys), but for the most part it’s a blend in bunch (save perhaps for eg solar installers or others with reason to signal).

None of which is a slight from me - I’ve written a huge a bit on this forum about my love for the CT design from the perspective of a collector of 1970s-1980s Italian modernest product design.

And for the same reasons I have some experience in owning items designed just so, and the lasting responses from those not so inclined.

 

[charliemagpie]

I looked at it this way..

About 120 years ago, someone with horse and cart, would have said.. 'why do I need to pay for expensive fuel, my horse eats cheap hay and my cart can go anywhere a car can go.

Apart from shoes, there is hardly any maintenance for a horse compared to the car which needs oil, belts etc and breaks down all the time.

A horse and cart is a far better, practical option.

--

I am only wishing to say, things change, and preferences change. New fashion takes getting used to. It could flop.

But nothing says things have to look a certain way. That is just habit.

If the Cybertruck can do its job at least effectively, a certain segment of the market will buy it, and it will become another option alongside all the others.

The question is not whether Joe Blow will buy it or not, The real question is what % of them will buy it. And will that increase over time.

It worked for the car.

 

[ÆCIII]

How is this going to look?? A diesel fuel tank in the rear of an EV, oh the humanity.

One of the first guys at the jobsite every morning is the guy that greases the machinery, fuels the track loader, the skid-steer and maybe the mini-excavator. Sometimes even brings gas for an onsite generator...

It will look just as 'cool' as a Tesla Semi pulling a tanker trailer full of RP1 kerosene or CH4 liquid methane to a rocket launch complex. People have to realize that in some situations certain energy densities or cost-practical solutions will continue to be necessary.

- ÆCIII

 

[bwhntr78]

Setting aside any functional debates, I think the aesthetics will be a hindrance

The CyberTruck is unavoidably “look at me” in design

In response some say “soon they’ll be everywhere and will blend in” which is an aesthetic judgment I disagree with.

I don’t think the CT will ever merely blend into the background. Best case, they will remain “look at me” in a timeless way. Worst case, like an Affliction t-shirt, will be “look at me” for several years before transitioning to “oh gawd look at that” in an outdated way.

The history of product design has few examples of boundary-breaking designs that merely blend into the background as time passes.

Which coming back to the point: there are “look at me” guys on job sites (typically in lifted diesel duallys), but for the most part it’s a blend in bunch (save perhaps for eg solar installers or others with reason to signal).

None of which is a slight from me - I’ve written a huge a bit on this forum about my love for the CT design from the perspective of a collector of 1970s-1980s Italian modernest product design.

And for the same reasons I have some experience in owning items designed just so, and the lasting responses from those not so inclined.

I mostly agree with this. I'm very much a "don't look at me" guy, and the look of the cybertruck was definitely a turn-off to me on reveal night. Honestly I kept waiting for them to roll the "real" truck onto the stage. It took me a couple days to get past that and focus more on the specs vs price and convinced myself that the value proposition was worth it to put up with the looks. It has grown on me a bit since then, but for the average truck person I think the value will have to be compelling to sell in big numbers. If the value is there, contractors that use the truck to make a living will buy them regardless of what they look like. And anybody that actually drives a semi-current 4x4 truck already knows that reaching over the side of the bed for tools or anything that weighs more than a lunch box is pretty much impossible for anyone under 6'6.

 

[cvalue13]

And anybody that actually drives a semi-current 4x4 truck already knows that reaching over the side of the bed for tools or anything that weighs more than a lunch box is pretty much impossible for anyone under 6'6.

agree with this.

(though it’s also why side-steps are often installed)

if there are issues when it comes to the sail design, I think one will be for people who haul gravel/soil in bed. Most front-loader buckets need the diagonal approach to dump into a 6’ bed.

That‘a an edge case though, as most people hauling gravel/soil won’t be in a 1/2 ton short bed.

 

[swengl]

I mostly agree with this. I'm very much a "don't look at me" guy, and the look of the cybertruck was definitely a turn-off to me on reveal night. Honestly I kept waiting for them to roll the "real" truck onto the stage. It took me a couple days to get past that and focus more on the specs vs price and convinced myself that the value proposition was worth it to put up with the looks. It has grown on me a bit since then, but for the average truck person I think the value will have to be compelling to sell in big numbers. If the value is there, contractors that use the truck to make a living will buy them regardless of what they look like. And anybody that actually drives a semi-current 4x4 truck already knows that reaching over the side of the bed for tools or anything that weighs more than a lunch box is pretty much impossible for anyone under 6'6.

Good point about the height of some of the larger trucks on the market nowadays. Along those lines, the CT should actually be easier to get things in/out of the vault if you put it in crouch mode (lowering the rear suspension while raising the front suspension).

 

[Mini2nut]

Tesla may surprise us with a retractable step on delivery day.

 

[SlegMD]

Worst case, like an Affliction t-shirt, will be “look at me” for several years before transitioning to “oh gawd look at that” in an outdated way.

???

Hated those shirts since inception!

(Edit) To stay on topic, if the CT features are utilitarian enough and the vehicle can reduce operating costs, I’m sure the economics will speak for themselves. I flinch pretty hard refueling the Longhorn.

 

[Baldey]

How is this going to look?? A diesel fuel tank in the rear of an EV, oh the humanity.

One of the first guys at the jobsite every morning is the guy that greases the machinery, fuels the track loader, the skid-steer and maybe the mini-excavator. Sometimes even brings gas for an onsite generator...

The CT is the generator! Could probably match the max output of a 10kw generator for over a day straight...

 

[Deleted member 17810]

after much evaluation from this forum

very few people who actually need to unload stuff from racks joes/janes are in the market for cts

maybe in 2027 when the promise an affordable pickup and deliver int in 2030

 

[HaulingAss]

It's hard to predict right now.

Will "Joe the Contractor" buy the CT?

Most of the "guys" driving the ubiquitous white F-150's are the ones that need to be won over for the CT to make a deep impact. High fuel prices help... but the truck needs to make their jobs easier not harder. Cost of ownership, maintenance, range, easy access to tools and the bed, overall ease of use, and maybe towing are major concerns. Right now, some of these things are easy wins for the CT, some are still a big question mark, and some are fails.

If the only access to the bed is over the tailgate, that definitely does not make any contractors life easier. It makes things harder with no rear bed storage toolbox or no bed mounted accessory diesel fuel tank (needed to fuel up equipment on the jobsites). Access and storage through the sails would definitely help, I am sure there will be a ladder rack, but there are a lot of contractor questions that remain unanswered.

For Tesla to move contractors out of the tradition ICE pickups and into the CT these need to be addressed.

That's pretty funny and short-sighted.

The Cybertruck doesn't have a bed mounted accessory diesel fuel tank? You need to understand that far less than 1% of all F-150's have accessory diesel fuel tanks mounted in the bed! And there is nothing from preventing the mounting of one in the Cybertruck should the owner want that. Your post reads like it was written by someone trying to throw shade on the Cybertruck without having any good ammunition.

As to bed access over the sides of the vault, I used our F-150 4x4 over the weekend for some alpine exploring and wild berry-picking. The cooler went in the bed, along with some backpacks and other gear. The only way to access any of it was by climbing up into the bed! Because the sides of the bed are too high and the bed is so high I can barely reach past the tailgate hinges (and I'm 6'-04" tall).

However, the Cybertruck suspension will lower, making it possible to reach over the bed sides into the middle of the bed and it will also be possible to access further forward in the bed, over the end of the tailgate, due to the lower bed height. If I do have to climb into the bed, it will be much easier due to the much lower height of the bed floor.

Diesel fuel tanks for filling jobsite equipment is something you might see on a heavy-duty pick-up, it's still a small part of the overall truck market and almost unheard of on a 1/2-ton class work truck. Tesla is aiming the release edition(s) of the Cybertruck at the heart of the 1/2 ton truck market, not every concievable specialty need. If it can replace even 20% of the 1/2 ton market, it would be the best selling 1/2 ton truck in the entire world!

Your concerns are silly to the extreme.

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