Oh please. Teslas darling Cybertruck has sold barely 50k vehicles. Tesla has 800 MILLION worth of Cybertrucks sitting on lots unsold. Many a year old. Tesla has done no better. Heck Ford lightning sales has been higher than the Cybertruck since June 2025.
Ford Considering Scrapping Lightning
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Dedicated truck folks are traditionalists by nature. Trucks need power, load and towing capacity. Profilers have taken the traditional truck and neutered them for watered down use, or to look cool driving them to Publix etc. Which is surprising why a $100K EV truck doesn't sell to these posers. Add the "I'm saving the world by driving a battery powered truck" to the mystique and it should have been a runaway. Sadly, most can't afford a $1200 a month truck payment to make this statement.I don't think truck people will ever buy an EV truck. Its just not in there evoked set.
So that leaves everyone else that uses a truck, and it seemingly did not sell to them either.
Mercedes bought Chrysler to figure out American's like cup-holders. The EV expenditures seem mild by comparison.
Now, something a bit more practical, hauls 4 adults in relative comfort and can handle a dozen bags of mulch? Priced so that a lot more folks can fit it into the budget? Well, again, maybe it's just me that thinks this way.
I would agree that a lot of people associate their identity to their vehicle type, and those "truck people" mostly aren't "EV people". Likewise if one's job requires a pickup that isn't down for charging or range limited. That definitely limits the potential market size for an EV half-ton.I don't think truck people will ever buy an EV truck. Its just not in there evoked set. This coming from growing up around people that made there living every day out of the back of a pickup truck. None of the supposed benefits of an EV truck are of interest. Truck people don't mind gas stations - they probably will go there for other things anyway. They don't worry much about getting more mileage - they may complain but in reality its the cost of doing business. If they need to go 600 miles in a day, they can in a ICE truck version. Does it happen often - likely not - but understanding the need to get a job done no matter what is a compelling argument against EV pickups.
So that leaves everyone else that uses a truck, and it seemingly did not sell to them either.
Mercedes bought Chrysler to figure out American's like cup-holders. The EV expenditures seem mild by comparison.
Speaking as a sample size of one, I use my truck for suburban homeowner "truck things" a fair bit. Some of those "truck things" are things I could not/would not put in the interior of a Suburban/Yukon XL/etc. On that basis, I want access to a pickup. I also am interested in EVs.
So, if trailer towing were taken out of my use case and the lifecycle ownership cost made sense vs. a gas truck, I would be a potential Lightning customer.
Yes, suburban homeowner in affluent area seemingly is a good target. But now were talking an even smaller potential market.
There are several CT's in my neighborhood. At least one Lightning - I am sure more - there not as easy to spot.
Still, many of these people have toys to tow. And gas is cheap here, not to mention no one that can afford this neighborhood cares about gas prices. Well they might care, but they really should not.
So the pool of prospective buyers gets smaller and smaller.
I wonder if that reason is the throwaway aspect of the vehicle, given that it has an extremely expensive proprietary battery?
If I were in the market for an EV pickup, it would be the Lightning or Rivian, maybe. But I'm not, our trusty '01 Tundra is doing just fine.
While the CT has some evolutionary aspects, I consider it a "look at me and my $$".
They are car manufacturers.
Just because Tesla does not have gasoline engines does not make the other people bad guys.
Fact of the matter is Ford and Chevy‘s truck, business buries Tesla truck business which lost billions of dollars like no other.
And talk about burying data no manufacturer is less transparent than Tesla with secondary firms have to estimate how many cars are being registered in the United States to figure out how many sales number because Tesla even though they have those numbers does not release them to the public
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EV's are all over the place around here. Tesla cars, Cybertrucks, and EV's from other manufacturers.
My cousin has a neighbor who owned a Rivian truck for two years. He had so many issues he had to lemon law it, and that was a fight from what I understand. He tried a Ford Lightning, but it failed and left him stranded on the test drive. These days he as a F350 Super Duty Diesel. It's only been 6 months or so, but he says he likes it so far.
My cousin has a neighbor who owned a Rivian truck for two years. He had so many issues he had to lemon law it, and that was a fight from what I understand. He tried a Ford Lightning, but it failed and left him stranded on the test drive. These days he as a F350 Super Duty Diesel. It's only been 6 months or so, but he says he likes it so far.
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But most half-ton truck owners do very little towing or hauling. EVs have become politicized. The Silverado/Sierra can tow long distances.
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Insufficient scale and the batteries are still very expensive. Cybertruck is just *****.
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There's a tax credit for battery production and the T3 platform will need batteries. Electrification isn't done, it's just been slowed down.
I think with more conventional styling the Tesla truck could have done well.
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It has some good tech on it, like drive-by-wire steering, 48-volt system and rear steering. But it's an aesthetic and functional disaster.
Most trucks. This one is a hint heavier having a battery.
Luxury and fun is nice!
As well as free choice!
On the flip side for the life of me, I can’t understand the need for street legal compact sized cars and hatchbacks with 500 hp
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This seems idiotic, most of the "money losing" on this product is due to its development cost, which is supposed to be recouped via sales. The reason Ford went with a truck in the first place was because that's their highest sales vehicle and trucks made up 50% of the volume of the top-10 vehicle sales. Trucks are already expensive, so people are already willing to pay more. It seemed like a good strategy at the time.
Cutting their losses now would mean that they never recoup that CAPEX, so unless the projection is that they will really never recoup that CAPEX, this seems short sighted.
Locally, I'd say the most common EV's are the Lightning and the Tesla Model 3, followed by the Model Y. I haven't seen a single electric GM pickup, see a few H/K products and a few Audis. There's a single EV Hummer and one or two Cyber Trucks, one of which is apparently for sale right now for 99K.
All the arguments about long term towing and the like, that's not the target demographic. It's people that mainly never, or never, use their truck for that purpose. Furthest we tow is Muskoka, so about 2 hours, less than 200km, and that's twice a year with the boat. Otherwise, the "truck" stuff the truck does is move the 4-wheeler to the country (well within the capability of an EV), dump runs, trips to home depot...etc. Our usage profile is far more common than the guy that slaps a camper behind a half ton and tows it for 14 hours, which yes, a gas or diesel truck is going to be better at.
Cutting their losses now would mean that they never recoup that CAPEX, so unless the projection is that they will really never recoup that CAPEX, this seems short sighted.
Locally, I'd say the most common EV's are the Lightning and the Tesla Model 3, followed by the Model Y. I haven't seen a single electric GM pickup, see a few H/K products and a few Audis. There's a single EV Hummer and one or two Cyber Trucks, one of which is apparently for sale right now for 99K.
All the arguments about long term towing and the like, that's not the target demographic. It's people that mainly never, or never, use their truck for that purpose. Furthest we tow is Muskoka, so about 2 hours, less than 200km, and that's twice a year with the boat. Otherwise, the "truck" stuff the truck does is move the 4-wheeler to the country (well within the capability of an EV), dump runs, trips to home depot...etc. Our usage profile is far more common than the guy that slaps a camper behind a half ton and tows it for 14 hours, which yes, a gas or diesel truck is going to be better at.
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Who said need had anything to do with it?On the flip side for the life of me, I can’t understand the need for street legal compact sized cars and hatchbacks with 500 hp
I think it was a good strategy until tariffs and the loss of credit messed up their product planning. The tariffs are with the Supreme Court now, so it will be interesting to see what happens when that opinion drops.
Most half-ton truck owners do very little towing or hauling. As I said above, EV ownership has been politicized. Instead of practical considerations that normally go with vehicle purchase decisions, it's become about what tribe the buyer is aligned with.
Certain media outlets spoon feed the anti-EV talking points to their consumers: It can't tow...what happens if the grid goes down...child mineral mining...it's going to overwhelm the electrical grid...yadda yadda yadda.
It's the dumbest thing, because most people consider none of these things during a vehicle purchase decision. The interesting thing is that I frequently see converts posting about how they never considered an EV, but loved it once they tried it. If you love a V8 and the gas bill that goes along with it, I have nothing for you. I advise anyone on the fence to just rent one.
you quoted part of the text of my reply to another post and that post I was replying to is below which you must know
“I was always wondering about the extreme weight to move one person and box full of air.”
And my reply to the above was what I think made perfect sense
“Luxury and fun is nice!
As well as free choice!
On the flip side for the life of me, I can’t understand the need for street legal compact sized cars and hatchbacks with 500 hp
“
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What is your outlook on the Slate and Telo trucks? Now that the tax credits are gone.
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