Is the Cyber Truck a Flop?

[fishhead]

You're 17 times more likely to die in a fire in a Cybertruck than in a Pinto: It's Official: the Cybertruck is More Explosive than the Ford Pinto - FuelArc News

I am by no means a Cybertruck fan, but i had always heard that the Pinto was not really as dangerous as we all heard and that it got a bad rap (as compared to the cars of it's day)

 

[ultrarunner]

I am by no means a Cybertruck fan, but i had always heard that the Pinto was not really as dangerous as we all heard and that it got a bad rap (as compared to the cars of it's day)

Pinto gas tanks and Firestone 500 tires were always in the news.

The jist with the Pinto is a $5 added shield was axed by the bean counters.

 

[fishhead]

As several had noted the distance to a service center is an issue for large chunks of the US. For Me it's 250 miles with the next closest at about 650 miles.just for fun I picked some towns in Eastern MT and got as high as 750 miles to a center.

I read some of the early comments on wrapping the vehicles- apparently you should not wrap un-painted/coated metal and it is leading to to severe pitting on the finish. Also it seems that crash testing has shown that having a rigid outer skin is helpful for vehicular survival but much worse for its occupants.

 

[fishhead]

Pinto gas tanks and Firestone 500 tires were always in the news.

The jist with the Pinto is a $5 added shield was axed by the bean counters.

I do remember that
this is a quick read:

https://www.topspeed.com/10-alarming-facts-about-the-ford-pintos-fiery-past/

an excerpt:

Though the Pinto was recalled and it undoubtedly caused numerous unnecessary deaths, a study published in 1990 by a professor at the UCLA School of Law found the Pinto was not any more dangerous than the subcompact cars of its time. An NHTSA study found the Pinto was responsible for 298 deaths per million cars in 1975, which was just 10 more than that Vega and less than the Toyota Corolla, Datsun 1200/210, and Beetle.

 

[fishhead]

the earlier posting of the whistlin diesel video on the CT reminded me of the destruction vid's of the F250, Hilux and Gwagon. All of which leave you impressed at their moxy. If easily triggered by senseless harm to innocent and sometimes expensive machinery do not go to that channel.
I have wondered about the economics of the channel

 

[NoTrespassing]

MSN

Dark Clouds Gather Over Tesla as Sales Plummet Worldwide​

In Germany — the only European country with a Tesla plant — sales of the new EVs plummeted by nearly 60 percent, while France saw a 63 percent decrease compared to January 2024. In Norway, new Tesla registrations fell by 38 percent. Sweden, meanwhile, registered just 405 new Teslas for the month — a 44 percent plunge. (Sales in the United States are also falling, though less drastically.)

That's not to mention the spectacular collapse of Cybertuck sales — currently only available in the US and Canada — which fell by 22 percent from Q3 2024 to Q4 as the controversial EV's resale value hit the toilet.

 

[ultrarunner]

Still seeing brand new Teslas in the hospital parking lot… no trucks today, but 2 coworkers took delivery of Model 3 in the last week.

Several of my neighbors also drive Tesla and one works for Tesla but does not own one.

My sister in law was set to buy a Tesla and just came home with a new Honda.

When I asked she said no longer any desire to own anything Tesla and I said what changed… she replied she despises Musk.

Few would put it all on the line for a principal and I’m sure text books will have plenty to say for years to come regarding Musk.

I asked my sister in law to name the head of any car company in the world and she couldn’t… not even for the Honda just bought.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Still seeing brand new Teslas in the hospital parking lot… no trucks today, but 2 coworkers took delivery of Model 3 in the last week.

Several of my neighbors also drive Tesla and one works for Tesla but does not own one.

My sister in law was set to buy a Tesla and just came home with a new Honda.

When I asked she said no longer any desire to own anything Tesla and I said what changed… she replied she despises Musk.

Few would put it all on the line for a principal and I’m sure text books will have plenty to say for years to come regarding Musk.

I asked my sister in law to name the head of any car company in the world and she couldn’t… not even for the Honda just bought.

Yea, I think Musk is more than the head of Tesla. He owns a sizable chunk and he is also the face of Tesla. I can't say the same about other CEO's. I can name Barra and Farley though.

 

[Oaktree]

An NHTSA study found the Pinto was responsible for 298 deaths per million cars in 1975, which was just 10 more than that Vega and less than the Toyota Corolla, Datsun 1200/210, and Beetle.

That was the era of thou-shall-not speak-ill-of-foreign-vehicles but was OK to bash American-made ones.

Always wondered how the Beetle escaped any criticism. Yeah, it was considered cool, but it had all/most of the handling/rollover issues of the Corvair, and its gas tank in front "protected" only by the spare tire. They were only available as a 2 door, and getting out of the back seat quickly in an emergency not easy.

When I asked she said no longer any desire to own anything Tesla and I said what changed… she replied she despises Musk.

Few would put it all on the line for a principal and I’m sure text books will have plenty to say for years to come regarding Musk.

I asked my sister in law to name the head of any car company in the world and she couldn’t… not even for the Honda just bought.

Can't say as I blame her. While I have no interest in owning an EV, if I did there's not a snowball's chance it would be a Tesla for the same reason.
Other than Mary Barra at GM, I have no idea who the CEOs are of any other automaker. I'd imagine most of them are OK with that, and do their best to be non controversial if for no reason other than it alienates at least as many potential customers as it endears you. And Musk seems to be going out of his way to alienate the very people most likely to buy an EV. For a guy with such a high IQ he sure is clueless.

 

[WinterDeere]

Still seeing brand new Teslas in the hospital parking lot… no trucks today, but 2 coworkers took delivery of Model 3 in the last week.

Several of my neighbors also drive Tesla and one works for Tesla but does not own one

The national average is 866 EV registrations per 100k people, but CA has nearly 4x the national average, so no wonder you're seeing a lot of them.

Pennsylvania is often referred to as, "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in-between". I suspect the registrations per capita in my Philadelphia-adjacent county is quite a bit higher than the average across our state, and I am seeing a heck of a lot of Tesla's and CyberTrucks, but don't have that data to make any comparison.

 

[dfkrug]

I was up in San Francisco last weekend (about 60 miles away), visiting niece/nephew who just bought a house there. Saw 3 CTs on the way; one wrapped.

Lotsa EVs in the state, yes, but they make little economic sense unless you can charge at home with solar panels. I would probably have one if I had panels. But I live in the forest and pay 60c+ per KWh.

Anyway, I got a chance to ride in a Jaguar I-Pace EV. Sans driver. It was a Waymo driverless taxi, and it is the future. Overall, I was impressed. It costs a bit over a Uber, but no tips.

 

[WinterDeere]

I live in the forest and pay 60c+ per KWh.

Holy crap, CA is nuts! We pay $19.3c/kWh, all-in.

Last month's bill was $625.40 for 3242 kWh. Almost makes me wish we had electric heat.

 

[not2old]

Lotsa EVs in the state, yes, but they make little economic sense unless you can charge at home with solar panels. I would probably have one if I had panels. But I live in the forest and pay 60c+ per KWh

I pay 14 cents after a lower priced threshold. My two month bill in the winter is over $600.00. Summer is cheap at about $220.00 to air condition 4600 square feet for two months. Even at 14 cents I'm thinking about adding some solar as I think that the cost will rise quickly when EV's are forced on most of us.

 

[dfkrug]

Holy crap, CA is nuts! We pay $19.3c/kWh, all-in.

Last month's bill was $625.40 for 3242 kWh. Almost makes me wish we had electric heat.

I use less than 300 KWh per month now, but I now live alone. I also heat with wood and don't need air conditioning, due to my concrete house.

I averaged $100 a month for electricity in 2024.

 

[ning]

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[ultrarunner]

Holy crap, CA is nuts! We pay $19.3c/kWh, all-in.

Last month's bill was $625.40 for 3242 kWh. Almost makes me wish we had electric heat.

No end to the rising cost of electricity and it boggles the mind as my area is pushing all electric and bans wood and gas in new construction.

Lots of older homes here with rooftop panels that fall under several different tiers of net metering depending on when commissioned date… the oldest got the best 20 year deal.

EV had/has several things going in their favor such as being able to go single occupant in carpool lanes, reduced tolls, many preferred parking areas and even free charging…

The die hards are very pleased and they all have home solar with some having office solar going back to the early 2000’s.

My 6kW 2009 array produces more than I use… but no EV for me.

That said my January Utility bill was $299 for 3200 square feet with thermostat at 68 24/7 in my experiment…

All but the $15 for electric meter fee with the rest being natural gas and taxes.

Many of my colleagues have utility bills 3 times mine this time of year.

 

[Renze]

That was the era of thou-shall-not speak-ill-of-foreign-vehicles but was OK to bash American-made ones.

Or sue-one-in-reach-of-the-local-court....

Ralph Nader got rich selling a book about a big greedy corporation getting rich by cutting corners on safety, and the little man sueing them. A classic American epos, like Erin Brokovich. Its a story that sells well, and Nader found his niche ! His book wouldnt be as relatable to the American audience if he went after VW or Honda...

 

[Renze]

Apparently its not just here in Europe...

https://insideevs.com/news/750076/tesla-sales-tanking-globally/

Didnt we all know, that when a company can finance itself through stock emissions that soon are sold for a multitude of its initial value without anyone asking what they need the money for, (because they werent making any) that they were filling the company with hopes and dreams, hot air, a Ponzy scheme ?

...apparently not because some people kept investing in it...

I think if it wasnt Tesla but Toyota or GM, nobody would care if its CEO got involved in politics. Some people wanted a Tesla because they identify with a young eccentric succesful businessman who invested in new tech (and are now disappointed that this guy has middle-aged political ideas) But here in Europe most Tesla sales were commercial, simply because of the significant tax deductibles on EV.

My opinion: A deflation of the hot air in Tesla, as well as in the resale value of its products, was imminent. That it started during Musks political adventure it, is a coincidence. Just the perfect storm.

 

[tradosaurus]

When we take our Tesla Y in to have a tow hitch installed at the local Tesla Service center, I have scheduled to test drive a Cybertruck.
When the CT can compete with Ford and GM EV trucks with the same rated range for similar costs then I might think about getting a CT.
But I would not pay $12K extra for a battery extender on the CT.

 

[NoTrespassing]

WOW, I just had my highest electric bill ever and it was $177, average is about $100. We had a lot of subzero F days on that bill. I live in a 950 sq. ft. shack though. I spend about $50/month on propane.