Cybertruck, coming soon to a suburban driveway near you…
2019 has been an incredible year for electric vehicle news. We have seen major advances in battery technology, new benchmarks in range, features, design and concepts. As always, Tesla took things to a new level with the unveiling of the Cybertruck last Tuesday. With a polarizing design and very impressive specifications, Tesla defended their position of being the front runner in the EV industry.
In case you missed it, here are the specs:
- Design = Mad Max meets Halo
- Single Motor Rear-Wheel Drive – Approx.
$54,000 CAD
Approx. 400km range, 6.5sec 0-100kph, 3400kg towing capacity - Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive – Approx.
$66,000 CAD
Approx. 480km range, 4.5 sec 0-100kph , 4535kg towing capacity - Tri Motor All-Wheel Drive – Approx.
$90,000 CAD
Approx. 800km range, 2.9sec 0-100kph, 6350kg towing capacity
Every EV channel, enthusiast blog and truck lover beat out their opposing opinions of love and hate, the key strokes were heard from around the world. “it’s ugly” “broken window fail” “Elon blows the mission”” The Tesla truck that no one will want to buy.” The data waves were aghast hours later, when it was announced that 250k pre orders were placed (including ours) People love it!
For almost a decade, Tesla has held a leading role in pushing the EV market to new technological heights. They have done this by releasing patents, marketing their products aggressively and making electric vehicles a household conversation.
The release of the Cybertruck was a calculated marketing campaign which began with (what the public perceived was) a reveal fail of broken driver’s side window, but resulted in a massive amount of press in the news cycle. Everyone knows that the Cybertruck looks like and everyone has an opinion on whether they want one or they don’t!
Our
pragmatic take on the Cybertruck
How many of the 150,000 Ford F150 trucks sold every
year get used for actual hard work? The majority of modern day trucks in this
segment have become family haulers, minivan replacements or a vessel to
transport people, materials and tools to the jobsite. If you really want to tow
something heavy, you would be looking at a heavy duty truck l that are designed
for that purpose. The entry level full size truck segment has become a capable
all-rounder, that sees more shopping carts than job sites.
There are always outliers of course and that is to be expected. If you want to overland, buy a Landcruiser. If you have a big boat, then buy an F350. Want to race a 911 on a quarter mile, buy a Cybertruck (apparently.)
Elon is focused on getting those people away from the BIG 3 and realizing their dreams of suburban domination in a Cybertruck. Face It! Marauding up to school dropoff in that behemoth will result in a little phenomenon called “InstaCool!”
The kids will think you are a superhero; all the dads will want to be you…especially when they hear about your fuel bill. The Model X has the same effect, pop the Falcon Wing doors and the crowds of kids appear out of nowhere. Instant Cool Factor!
Our calculations compared a Cybertruck mid-range with a F150 V8 Lariat trim. There is not much between these 2 vehicles in the way of MSRP, however over a 10-year period the Cybertruck would save the owner over $30,000 in fuel costs alone. (based off NRCAN fuel consumption guide index) Gains in servicing and oil changes would be in addition to this.
From the perspective of an owner, the fuel savings are a massive benefit of going electric. The ability to seat 6 occupants, onboard air compressor to run tools and also have onboard power hookups to charge equipment make this vehicle very attractive for people that need a truck for work and play.
What we find really exciting is the potential of the Cybertruck platform. The ability to 500+ kms of range from a battery pack and drivetrain is incredible, one can just imagine if the vehicle platform were used in a commercial type van. The demand from the commercial market for something like that is huge.
Wait. Not so fast! If Tesla wants to really impress the truck wielding fanboys and turn some serious opinions, they have to produce some solid results in other areas.
- Safety: Is Tesla going to maintain its IIHS safety scores and make this truck incredibly safe?
- Towing range: The Model X range drops by approx. 50% when towing at capacity, can we expect the same?
- Off Road capability: Will this thing crawl up the Rubicon Trail and use advanced traction control to have some serious off road control?
- Accessories: Will Tesla work with 3rd party providers and provide further opportunities to customize?
- Durability: Can this truck be abused, beaten and tested in harsh conditions?
- Air suspension: these systems are notorious for issues and unreliability in many brands, will the Cybertruck system stand up to abuse?
Electric Fleets
On the 5th of December, Cielo Electric will be participating in the West Coast Electric Fleets Symposium. This is an annual conference focused on the adoption of electric vehicles into business fleets. Keynote speakers at the symposium include representatives from GEOTAB, Ballard Power Systems, Green Power Motors, Lion Electric, Translink and various municipal governments.
Cielo Electric has been a West Coast Electric Fleets member since 2017, when we purchased our Chevrolet BOLT EV. Since this purchase we have travelled over 77,000kms and the vehicle consumed 523 kWh in energy. As you can imagine, switching to an EV has saved us thousands in fuel.
If you want to learn more about electric vehicles in fleets or setting up EV charging in your home, commercial property or strata building, call Cielo Electric and we can provide a simple solution to get you on the road with a full charge.
Call 778-862-4109 or visit www.cieloelectric.ca for more information
