Would you have Purchased the CT if, "it looked more like a normal truck?"

[CyberGus]

November 23, 2019:

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[YDR37]

Year-to-date sales figures (Q1 2026) for major battery-electric (BEV) pickup trucks in the U.S. include:

• Tesla Cybertruck: 3,519 units
• Ford F-150 Lightning: 2,060 units
• Rivian R1T: 1,658 units
• Chevrolet Silverado EV: 1,406 units
• GMC Sierra EV: 1,288 units
• GMC Hummer EV: 1,653 units

The most striking thing about these numbers is that they all suck by ICE truck standards. In 1Q 2026, the worst-selling ICE trucks were the Honda Ridgeline and the Jeep Gladiator, and even they both sold more than 10,000 units. The top sellers, like the F-150 and the Silverado, moved more than 100,000 units.

So why don't existing EV trucks sell? The manufacturers seem to think that the problem is: range. Ram, Ford, and Scout are all developing full-sized "Extended Range Electric Vehicle" (EREV) trucks with ICEs that act as generators to charge the battery. In effect, the ICEs will act as "range extenders". And of course, even Tesla seriously considered offering a supplemental battery as a "range extender" for the Cybertruck.

The interest in "range extenders" clearly implies that today's full-sized EV trucks -- regardless of appearance -- have a range problem. You may be perfectly satisfied with your Cybertruck's range, and that's great, but the market may not see it that way.

 

[Electricbooger]

I am a pickup truck guy. I now own a cybertruck. I have always driven pickup trucks, and the design of the cybertruck body did give me pause. I like that it is stainless steel & angular with no curves, but I would have preferred a regular bed style that would allow easier bed access from the side of the truck and would be compatible with the thousands of tool boxes, fuel tanks, racks, and such already on the market. My main problem, however, is that you have no backup camera when the tailgate is open, which is practically every time I load it with lumber. This oversight boggles the mind--it could have been avoided so easily. It makes me wonder if Tesla actually consulted with anyone who actually uses a truck for work.

 

[houstonian]

Motivation for my to by a CT (my 3rd Tesla) was the same as the first two: FUSC (Free Unlimited Supercharging).

Bought the CT w/Luxe vs the S due to the S being discontinued.

@EricGregori - possible to add "Some flavor of FUSC" to the poll choices?

 

[DFW]

If the CT were a

body clone, I would have 2-3 in my garage and driveway.

 

[Coolhandz]

For me, I was looking at getting a model 3 around the time rumors started swirling about a Tesla truck. I decided to wait and when they did the unveiling, I was on the fence. I sat on it for a few days and then put in my reservation.

Why? Because regardless of what others may think, Tesla is a decade ahead of the competition. Their vehicles continue to improve after ownership and they are always refining their products. I saw other legacy manufacturers release their versions of the electric truck and they were blatant stripped out/converted versions of their ICE counterparts. Munro teardowns revealed this and showed the mess of parts needed to make the conversion and the huge battery packs that turned these into heavy machines.

I think what really solidified it for me was people complaining that the Lightning frunk was so much larger and so Tesla didn't know what they were doing. I don't know why that bugged me so much. Maybe because that single "feature" highlighted, so obviously, that Ford just pulled the engine out and put a tub in there. It was never designed to be an EV. Tesla had a vision of what an electric truck should be and designed it that way from the ground up.

Does it have its' bugs? For sure. Thankfully I haven't encountered any yet, but I tell you what, after having driven the original model y and compared it to the juniper, I am very excited for the CT refresh. The only thing that would hold me back is FSD not being transferred.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

the day/night of Cybertruck unveiled I reserved it b/c it doesn't looked like any other legacy truck. I still have the reservation hoping Tesla will produce a smaller Cybertruck.

You reserved and never bought? Was the issue price, size, or both? It is hard to believe size would be an issue given how well the Cybertruck handles, and being stainless steel it doesn’t need a garage (we live very near the ocean and I never worry about it and have no garage). With respect to cost, when Tesla announced the $60K AWD that would have been a no brainer for holdouts. Just curious …

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

The most striking thing about these numbers is that they all suck by ICE truck standards. In 1Q 2026, the worst-selling ICE trucks were the Honda Ridgeline and the Jeep Gladiator, and even they both sold more than 10,000 units. The top sellers, like the F-150 and the Silverado, moved more than 100,000 units.

So why don't existing EV trucks sell? The manufacturers seem to think that the problem is: range. Ram, Ford, and Scout are all developing full-sized "Extended Range Electric Vehicle" (EREV) trucks with ICEs that act as generators to charge the battery. In effect, the ICEs will act as "range extenders". And of course, even Tesla seriously considered offering a supplemental battery as a "range extender" for the Cybertruck.

The interest in "range extenders" clearly implies that today's full-sized EV trucks -- regardless of appearance -- have a range problem. You may be perfectly satisfied with your Cybertruck's range, and that's great, but the market may not see it that way.

I got a slew of questions from a friend that drives a Ford F150 yesterday and he touted a 600-mile range (and nothing else) as a concern. I went into detail about that not being the issue anymore, and why, but he is one data point in FS or of the range concern.

we just returned from a trip to Denver and back and the ONLY concern is there could be more superchargers in states like Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming but we didn’t have any issues. I’d also like to see the charge curve be a little more aggressive and the predicted arrival SOC can still be off by 5+% which keeps me from going down below 20% arrival predictions.

 

[DFW]

If the CT were a

body clone, I would have 2-3 in my garage and driveway.

Why?
I bust up cars and trucks!
Not deliberately but a dented fender correction fenders or scraped doors or cracked windshield is common where I drive and how I drive.
Honda
Plastic everthing and it is a cake walk to get out a hair blow dryer and reform dents in plastic.
Honda are 90% plastic.
I do not mind replacing the head lights or taillight covers or units but I have never used Bondo on my Honda.
Honda Ridgeline are a plastic body.

 

[OldDirtyRobot]

I think Tesla would have been much better off creating a small pickup as opposed to a full size truck. The Scout seems to be a good size target.

The scout is the same size as the F-150 or Cybertruck...?

 

[YDR37]

I got a slew of questions from a friend that drives a Ford F150 yesterday and he touted a 600-mile range (and nothing else) as a concern. I went into detail about that not being the issue anymore, and why, but he is one data point in FS or of the range concern

The concerns about EV truck range are not necessarily rational. But that doesn't matter; people make purchasing decisions for irrational reasons all the time.

Most F-150s now have 36-gallon gas tanks as standard. It's normal to get 600+ miles from a single fill-up, and 700+ is possible if you want to push the limits. The forthcoming Ram 1500 REV (an EREV expected later this year) claims 690 miles range.

The most claimed range that I see for existing EV trucks is 478 miles for the Chevy Silverado EV / GMC Sierra EV twins, but this requires the "Max Range" battery pack, and trims with that feature start at $89K MSRP. You could easily get more range with an ICE F-150 at literally half the price.

 

[jimbobb23]

The f-150 and Silverado EVs did not fail because they look like a regular truck. They failed because they are made by ford and Chevy. Those companies don’t know how to make a good modern vehicle. It’s all about the software, and Tesla makes good software.
My dad has the EV Porsche and the EV hummer. And hates the way my Cybertruck looks, and isn’t a fan of Elon, but every time we take my CT someone he loves the screen and all the software features. He was also bragging about how good his autodrive in the Porsche was, until he experienced the FSD in the CT. It’s not even comparable.

Tons of people will tell your their car drives itself and the future is here because they have lane assist. Until I tried FSD (and subsequently switched all cars to Tesla over the next 2 years) I had no idea the technology was so far along. FSD has sold me on all my cars and if the Cybertruck didnt have it I would not have been interested.

 

[YDR37]

I bust up cars and trucks!
Not deliberately but a dented fender correction fenders or scraped doors or cracked windshield is common where I drive and how I drive.
Honda
Plastic everthing and it is a cake walk to get out a hair blow dryer and reform dents in plastic.
Honda are 90% plastic.
I do not mind replacing the head lights or taillight covers or units but I have never used Bondo on my Honda.
Honda Ridgeline are a plastic body.

You sound like the target customer for a Slate pickup. All plastic body panels, no paint.

 

[syburtruck]

The vast majority of the people that say they have an allergic reaction to the styling are likely not buyers or lemmings that mindlessly worry about what everyone else thinks.

It looks futuristic, it appeals to my inner child that loved watching Blade Runner and the Running Man growing up, and by the reaction, is a product designed to have brand appeal to another, newer generation.

I love my truck more every day. And have zero regrets. Having owned Tesla vehicles for nearly 15 years, that's quite a statement.

 

[txtravwill]

I our it for an EV, and for PowerShare... Which I can't use still with my Powerwalls. Big disappointment.

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