Photo: @TeslaPodcast via Twitter | Edited
Urban legends say that truck drivers have strong feelings against electric vehicles in general. Words about them not being "real cars" are littering the internet, but the situation is more nuanced than it seems. A recent survey shows that a surprisingly high percentage of American truck drivers would consider buying a Tesla Cybertruck or other electric pickups.
Coal-rolling, ICE-ing, and bullying: electric vehicle drivers have seen a lot of bad behavior from "real" truck drivers that they think there's a genuine grudge between them. But as always, when things appear to be black or white, there are many shades of grey in between. A recent survey by AmericanTrucks.com shows that many American truck drivers secretly want an electric pickup truck. Less than 10% declared they would never switch to an electric truck.
On the other end of the spectrum, 35% of pickup drivers would consider switching to an electric truck, most of them in the next 2-6 years. As you can see, most of them are still on the fence, and they have four primary concerns, with range anxiety at the top. Truck drivers would be more likely to purchase an electric pickup truck if they had more range (68%), more charging stations (64%), faster charging (60%), and cheaper charging (59%).
With the Cybertruck as the talk of the town in the past months, the AmericanTrucks.com survey put the Tesla truck front and center. Surprisingly, 44% of truck drivers consider the outlandish electric pickup as a "real truck." This also means that 56% of respondents do not consider it so, although that might change when they see them on the road. Only 7% think the Cybertruck will launch this year, although 43% are confident it will happen in the next 2-3 years.
The Cybertruck is high on the "most desired" electric truck list for truck and non-truck drivers. The truckers have the Ford F-150 Lightning as the number one option, followed by Tesla Cybertruck and Chevy Silverado EV. Non-truck drivers are most interested in the Cybertruck, with Ford's electric truck and Toyota Tacoma EV as the second and third options. Roughly 27% of truck drivers and 38% of non-truck drivers are considering buying the Cybertruck.
The pickup truck segment is the most profitable in the U.S. market and also one of the most popular with buyers. Until last year, it was a non-combat area for EV and ICE carmakers, with zero electric trucks on the market. Rivian changed that when it launched the R1T, and Ford and GM soon followed with the F-150 Lightning and GMC Hummer EV. Tesla promised the Cybertruck would start production "in late 2021," but we're yet to see the first trucks at the end of the production line. By the time it happens, the market might be flooded with electric pickups from traditional carmakers and startups like Canoo.
On the other end of the spectrum, 35% of pickup drivers would consider switching to an electric truck, most of them in the next 2-6 years. As you can see, most of them are still on the fence, and they have four primary concerns, with range anxiety at the top. Truck drivers would be more likely to purchase an electric pickup truck if they had more range (68%), more charging stations (64%), faster charging (60%), and cheaper charging (59%).
With the Cybertruck as the talk of the town in the past months, the AmericanTrucks.com survey put the Tesla truck front and center. Surprisingly, 44% of truck drivers consider the outlandish electric pickup as a "real truck." This also means that 56% of respondents do not consider it so, although that might change when they see them on the road. Only 7% think the Cybertruck will launch this year, although 43% are confident it will happen in the next 2-3 years.
The Cybertruck is high on the "most desired" electric truck list for truck and non-truck drivers. The truckers have the Ford F-150 Lightning as the number one option, followed by Tesla Cybertruck and Chevy Silverado EV. Non-truck drivers are most interested in the Cybertruck, with Ford's electric truck and Toyota Tacoma EV as the second and third options. Roughly 27% of truck drivers and 38% of non-truck drivers are considering buying the Cybertruck.
The pickup truck segment is the most profitable in the U.S. market and also one of the most popular with buyers. Until last year, it was a non-combat area for EV and ICE carmakers, with zero electric trucks on the market. Rivian changed that when it launched the R1T, and Ford and GM soon followed with the F-150 Lightning and GMC Hummer EV. Tesla promised the Cybertruck would start production "in late 2021," but we're yet to see the first trucks at the end of the production line. By the time it happens, the market might be flooded with electric pickups from traditional carmakers and startups like Canoo.
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