Is the Cyber Truck a Flop?

[Rock Crawler]

I'm far from a T fanboy but I have to say that T completely rewrote the concept of the performance car - before them, a sub-6-second 0-60 was pretty impressive, and sub-5 was generally motorcycle territory (or 911 turbo, etc).
T comes along and everyone with a right foot can completely destroy the local mustang kid, and now everyone and their mum has a sub-6-second car.

The funny thing is, they pushed the standards of performance so far that it's pretty easy for pretty much any car maker to make a too-quick "good enough" car, and even the slower EVs are still quick enough for anything other than the most clueless driver (ok so not quick enough hahaha) on the road.

I have never been in an EV, but let me tell you about something that happened yesterday. I was on my Kawasaki Ninja 1400, inline 4 and a crazy fast bike. I was behind a bright yellow Ford Mach E GT. We come to a stop sigh, turning left onto a fairly long bridge. I usually follow the vehicle out from a stop sign on the bike and pace them at a safe distance. This guy sees me trailing him out into the left and he must have stood on the battery peddle. So, I'm not one to allow you to out pull me, especially while sitting on an intercontinental ballistic motorcycle. Oh my! I was holding the front tire in the air, bouncing through gears just under the rev limit with the rear end slightly fish tailing as I am giving it hell! Dude... the Mustang Mach E GT was putting space between us!!! Now, it was around 40 degrees F, and of course the center compound on my tire was not soft and sticky like it would be in the summer, but I had no more ability to get power down or in any way pace that stupid thing. Now, I want to get a ride in one!

 

[WinterDeere]

I've driven a few EV's, and they are all extremely fast off the line... and I've owned sub-3 second 0-60 mph ICE's for comparison. Excepting very high end stuff (e.g. Model S P90D, i4, etc.) all of the EV's I've experienced become less impressive over 30 mph, and start to fall flat above 60 mph. But comparing them to the ubiquitous 2 liter commuters that dominate our roads every rush hour, the EV's are indeed going to win under every condition and at nearly every speed.

Comparing my current bloated (4300 lb) ICE sedan to a Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor, as I drove the two back-to-back on the same course in the same afternoon, the Model 3 was quicker than the 485 hp ICE off the line, and up to 30 mph. It stopped pulling as hard above 30 mph, to where I would believe the 0 - 60 times must be very similar (probably both around 4.0 - 4.5 seconds). Above 60 mph, it was kind of a dog... not as bad as any "regular" 2 liter daily commuter, but certainly not on par with a 6.4L ICE sedan.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I recently prepped a house for sale and had contractors do a lot of the work because I was too busy moving to do it myself. Countertops, paint, carpet, LVP flooring, etc. Every one of them showed up in a van or truck that would have been a perfect candidate for an EV. They need to be able to haul tools and materials but they never tow a trailer and drive maybe 30-40 miles a day. They don't need a 500 mile range or tow capacity. A $90k Cybertruck wouldn't be the right vehicle, but a bare basic EV van or truck would be perfect. Same with the city and county crews that maintain our parks and roadsides. They need a basic truck that can haul a couple string trimmers, shovels, and leaf blowers probably less than 20 miles a day.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

The purpose of electric vehicles was to transition away from petroleum, lower pollution, etc.
What does acceleration and speed have to do with anything? (Oh! Because it's FUN!)
For acceleration buy or build a real drag car taking it to the track.
On public highways, two cars one with 150hp the other 1500hp travel 100 miles. As long as both obey posted speed limits they would arrive at approximately the same time.
It makes absolutely no sense.

 

[rontaki]

The fast acceleration and heavier weight of EVs help sell more tires.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

The fast acceleration and heavier weight of EVs help sell more tires.

Better for the environment

 

[KubotainNH]

I have never been in an EV, but let me tell you about something that happened yesterday. I was on my Kawasaki Ninja 1400, inline 4 and a crazy fast bike. I was behind a bright yellow Ford Mach E GT. We come to a stop sigh, turning left onto a fairly long bridge. I usually follow the vehicle out from a stop sign on the bike and pace them at a safe distance. This guy sees me trailing him out into the left and he must have stood on the battery peddle. So, I'm not one to allow you to out pull me, especially while sitting on an intercontinental ballistic motorcycle. Oh my! I was holding the front tire in the air, bouncing through gears just under the rev limit with the rear end slightly fish tailing as I am giving it hell! Dude... the Mustang Mach E GT was putting space between us!!! Now, it was around 40 degrees F, and of course the center compound on my tire was not soft and sticky like it would be in the summer, but I had no more ability to get power down or in any way pace that stupid thing. Now, I want to get a ride in one!

Those Mach-E's are no slouch, a friend bought a new one 6 months ago. The guy you followed probably was in normal mode instead of "unbridled". Traction is obviously what helps these so much. The Mach-E also corners really well for the size of it.

Personally, I'd prefer a hybrid along the lines of what Edison Motors and Deboss are doing. No plugging in, just an efficient machine that can run on battery for a bit and charge itself as needed.

 

[tradosaurus]

I've driven a few EV's, and they are all extremely fast off the line... and I've owned sub-3 second 0-60 mph ICE's for comparison. Excepting very high end stuff (e.g. Model S P90D, i4, etc.) all of the EV's I've experienced become less impressive over 30 mph, and start to fall flat above 60 mph. But comparing them to the ubiquitous 2 liter commuters that dominate our roads every rush hour, the EV's are indeed going to win under every condition and at nearly every speed.

Comparing my current bloated (4300 lb) ICE sedan to a Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor, as I drove the two back-to-back on the same course in the same afternoon, the Model 3 was quicker than the 485 hp ICE off the line, and up to 30 mph. It stopped pulling as hard above 30 mph, to where I would believe the 0 - 60 times must be very similar (probably both around 4.0 - 4.5 seconds). Above 60 mph, it was kind of a dog... not as bad as any "regular" 2 liter daily commuter, but certainly not on par with a 6.4L ICE sedan.

The only 0-60 time I'm concerned about is my age.

My 2023 Tesla Y sub 5 sec 0-60 is plenty fast to merge on to the highway as a semi can't get over and is on my tail.

I would like to experience the Tesla S plaid just for grins.

 

[WinterDeere]

The only 0-60 time I'm concerned about is my age.

…

I would like to experience the Tesla S plaid just for grins.

you get my vote for most disparate opening vs closing sentences in a single post, this week!

 

[Blue Mule]

I have never been in an EV, but let me tell you about something that happened yesterday. I was on my Kawasaki Ninja 1400, inline 4 and a crazy fast bike. I was behind a bright yellow Ford Mach E GT. We come to a stop sigh, turning left onto a fairly long bridge. I usually follow the vehicle out from a stop sign on the bike and pace them at a safe distance. This guy sees me trailing him out into the left and he must have stood on the battery peddle. So, I'm not one to allow you to out pull me, especially while sitting on an intercontinental ballistic motorcycle. Oh my! I was holding the front tire in the air, bouncing through gears just under the rev limit with the rear end slightly fish tailing as I am giving it hell! Dude... the Mustang Mach E GT was putting space between us!!! Now, it was around 40 degrees F, and of course the center compound on my tire was not soft and sticky like it would be in the summer, but I had no more ability to get power down or in any way pace that stupid thing. Now, I want to get a ride in one!

Yes. I have a Challenger SRT8 392 and a new 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning. There is no way I'd ever line my car up against this truck. These EVs are no joke. This truck is 6,500 lbs. and it'll squall all four tires as it accelerates, and that's not even in Sport mode. I'm afraid to try Sport mode.

 

[EddieWalker]

Yes. I have a ... new 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning.

Not that I'm buying, but I am curious about your truck. What kind of range do you get? What do you plug it into? Do you drive it every day? How much room is under the hood to store tools? What did you pay for it and what options did you get for that price?

Thanks

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

The purpose of electric vehicles was to transition away from petroleum, lower pollution, etc.
What does acceleration and speed have to do with anything? (Oh! Because it's FUN!)
For acceleration buy or build a real drag car taking it to the track.
On public highways, two cars one with 150hp the other 1500hp travel 100 miles. As long as both obey posted speed limits they would arrive at approximately the same time.
It makes absolutely no sense.

Does everybody just drive the speed limit where you live?

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Does everybody just drive the speed limit where you live?

All the damn leaf peeping tourists a month ago...

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Does everybody just drive the speed limit where you live?

Of course not. We can drive 5 mph over the posted limit except school zones in session... sign lights flashing you better be doing 25.
Many times I'll go 10-15 miles over limit for a burst...but a Kia Rio will do that.
That's my point. Try going 0-60 in 3 seconds in a 45 mph zone & see what happens here.
If you're lucky you get a "what's your hurry?" warning.
I can zip around in & out of traffic easily in a small car, beating much faster cars almost always. It's experience, knowing what's around you, shortcuts, etc. Or simply leave home 5 minutes sooner.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I used to street race 50 years ago. A good friend has the car now but drives it to the dragstrip. Consistent 10.75 1/4m '74 AMC Gremlin. Warmed over 401/Torqueflite, 9" DOT slicks.
It was fun then...this is now. Things were much different back then.

 

[Oaktree]

This truck is 6,500 lbs. and it'll squall all four tires as it accelerates, and that's not even in Sport mode. I'm afraid to try Sport mode.

And why would you want to do that? Do you like replacing tires prematurely?

I would think that kind of low end torque would work against you in snow, or maybe even wet roads.

 

[Oaktree]

Not that I'm buying, but I am curious about your truck. What kind of range do you get? What do you plug it into? Do you drive it every day? How much room is under the hood to store tools? What did you pay for it and what options did you get for that price?

A friend of mine has one. He lives in the southern part of the state, has a 2nd home here in the north country. Maybe 250 mi between them. Empty, and if he takes it easy he can just make it between the two. Towing, or with a load in the back he'll need to stop and recharge. Southbound not as big a deal, but charging facilities are few and far between "north of the notch".

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

That to me is the EV problem. Assume a 250 mile range.
My wife & I may go 70 miles South to get something. If they're out of stock there's another store 60 miles farther that has it.
Now we can't get home without stopping somewhere for a charge.
Gas or diesel I can fill up in 5-10 minutes.
The EV has to be relegated for short trips only.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm about 15 miles from Tyler, where most of my work is. I also do surrounding areas, but it's always less then an hour away. On the worse day I might drive 150 miles round trip for work. Usually, it's a lot less than half that.

An Electric Truck with a 250 mile range that I can lock my tools under the hood and have an 8 foot bed, would be the ultimate work truck.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I'm about 15 miles from Tyler, where most of my work is. I also do surrounding areas, but it's always less then an hour away. On the worse day I might drive 150 miles round trip for work. Usually, it's a lot less than half that.

An Electric Truck with a 250 mile range that I can lock my tools under the hood and have an 8 foot bed, would be the ultimate work truck.

Yes for daily trips like that ideal...unless electric rates go way up!