The Gas Station: Don’t Be A Square, The Tesla Cybertruck Looks Fine
(The Gas Station is where American Cars And Racing Executive Editor Gary Gastelu vents his opinions. Feel free to let us know if you think they stink.)
Admit it. Four years after it first rolled on stage looking like a multimillion-dollar prank, the Tesla Cybertruck has grown on you.
You still might not like it, but you’ve probably started getting used to it being around. Even though it isn’t yet. But it will be soon.
Elon Musk has promised to hand over at least a few of the trianguloid trucks this year, before output ramps up in 2024.
Dozens of what appear to be production models have been spotted being shipped around the U.S. in recent weeks, and a customer delivery event is imminent.
I promise you, by this time next year, you’ll be like the people in the Jurassic Park/World series who got bored with dinosaurs and were looking for the next big thing.
Tesla has also been testing more and more of them on public roads, sometimes wrapped with the images of competitor’s trucks to drive a point home that probably doesn’t need any help getting there.
The designs don’t line up perfectly, due to the Cybertruck’s unique shape, but does that make it a bad one?
I’m fairly certain that if the world had never seen a Ford F-1 before, and it was introduced as a new vehicle today, it would garner a similar reaction to the Cybertruck’s first appearance.
The same would be true if Ford hooked a flux capacitor up to a 2024 F-150 Lightning Platinum Black and sent it back to 1948, but the Cybertruck would probably be a better candidate for such a journey since it’s stainless steel body is better for flux dispersal, or so I’ve heard.
Many traditional truck buyers have scoffed, but there are over a million people who were happy to put $100 down to get their name on the list for one. If that many want a Delorean with a bed, then why not give it to them?
That’s not to say that Tesla has’t created a issues by putting retro-futuristic fashion before function.
Pickups typically have a 90-degree angle between the rear window and bedside to make it easier to access all of the cargo box, and it’s still not perfect. Ford recently applied to patent a design for bed sides that slide to open a slot near the front to reach through.
The Cybertruck’s triangular sail panels, which improve aerodynamics, pretty much cut things off on both sides, which reduces its utility as a work truck. But is that the main reason people are planning to buy it?
You can still ride an ATV in there, as Tesla has demonstrated, and there are no issues with loading anything from the rear.
Honda did find some resistance to the design of the original Ridgeline pickup, which had less dramatic flying buttresses, and got rid of them for the latest model. But the change ultimately didn’t have any effect on sales.
Interestingly, the Chevrolet Silverado EV that will be directly competing with the Cybertruck also has buttresses, while the GMC Sierra EV built on the same platform has a more conventional profile. This is something the folks at GMC highlighted as a feature when it was revealed.
However, it’s very popular around the world to equip pickups with light bars that incorporate panels in the sides just for style.
Even the very internally combusted 700 hp Ram TRX offers such a feature in the U.S., while the soon-to-be-discontinued Nissan Titan has added the option for its swan song year.
Of course, one thing all of these trucks have in common is a flat-top, while the Cybertruck’s comes to a point.
That makes it useless for putting things on, including ladders and pop-up campers, but rack designs have been proposed and, the next time you’re on the road, look around and see how many pickups have anything on the roof.
Then there’s the matter of that stainless steel. Think about how much fun it is keeping your refrigerator clean. It may not be the best surface for use around greasy work hands or in the parking lots of BBQ restaurants.
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Tesla won’t be offering any paint that might address this, but Musk suggested you can get a wrap if you want a different look.
Just like he did.
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