Cybertruck Thoughts From An Urbanist

We Oddly May Be On To Something... Good?

Good day all! I watched 40 minutes of Marques Brownlee better known as MKBHD’s Cybertruck review so you don’t have to. Putting my brand new reporter hat on and gathering the details of some things I feel should be a concern but also some interesting insights into what the future of pickup trucks could offer.

Many of you may remember this piece below and the idea of owning a truck one day hasn’t changed.

The workarounds are few for now and while I do believe we will begin to see companies like Zipcar (or their successors) take a larger chunk of the truck share business we are still a ways away. We have Fluid trucks nearby and even renting one roundtrip for a 3-hour trip would run me $120. This would be a non-stop trip where the car would only rest long enough to pick up plants and return.

One of the barriers I see to renting a truck is how vulnerable you are to availability problems and price increases. Seeing as I prayerfully hope to own my business for the rest of my life, this just isn’t something I want to guess about. As a reminder, I’m a minimalist. I’d like to purchase quality items once and it lasts me for a long time. Even when the item finally gives out on me, I’d like to buy components to replace broken parts or have it patched or resoled.

Now that we have some context to how I generally feel about owning a truck. Let’s pick apart Tesla’s Cybertruck.

Tesla intentionally added zero branding to the Cybertruck, according to MKBHD. Seeing as the U.S. has a love-hate relationship with Tesla and their powers that be, this isn’t much of a surprise to a vehicle that has been in the works for four years. The truck was initially announced to be priced at $39, 990 and is now debuting at $60,990. That particular model won’t be available until 2025. The all-wheel drive model available in 2024 will start at $79,990.

The Cybertruck is capable of going 0-60 in 2.7 seconds. There is never a need to go this fast and I hope we start to see throttling enforced federally at some point. Imagining this tank going through a pedestrian zone and turning right on red before seeing a cyclist in the rear or a family crossing on their right is terrifying. The removable side view mirrors and get this, covered rear view mirror is even more terrifying. You can only see out of the rearview mirror when the trunk bed is open.

WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS ?!

IMAGE BY CNN

From my observation, there is a heavy reliance on the camera system Tesla is known for that is located throughout the vehicle in combination with the display monitor. We should be giving vehicles easier ways that feel natural to see our blind spots, not the ability to make them more difficult to see in favor of a cleaner aesthetic.

Speaking of aesthetic, I won’t go much into that as it’s a boxy, piece of stainless steel that you either love or hate. I will say however the car is 5% smaller than it was originally spec’d to be, according to Brownlee, and has the same 6-foot trunk bed as a Ford F150 Lightening.

Smaller EV trucks should be the goal and while the battery weight is something that will become lighter with technology and time, we can fix the rest now. It’s also shorter mostly due to how short front nose of the vehicle. If you’ve ever seen the nose of a pickup truck that hangs over into the sidewalk, you won’t see that hear. With that said Brownlee did continue to mention that it is extremely difficult to see where the nose ends on the vehicle. For context, Marques Brownlee is 6’3”.

Screenshot from MKBHD

So what do I like? Here are 3 things that stood out that dare I say Tesla got right and would like to see other truck companies mimic.

Inspiration Drawn From Kei Trucks

Sorta. See, MKBHD noted that this is one piece of glass on the front of the Cybertruck and touted it as being the largest in a vehicle. He boasted about the visibility and it’s true, you can see everything in front of you.

Share The Power

The Cybertruck has two 120v AC outlets and one 240v AC. In theory, this is enough to charge other e-bikes, vehicles, and even your home in a pinch with the right equipment.

With range anxiety still very real for new EV owners, I think this is something other manufacturers should look into. Being able to give someone some additional miles in a pinch is a huge boost.

So Much Storage

The front “trunk” can hold two suitcases. There is also still a sub-trunk in the trunk bed. I think the feature that surprised me most is the seats in the rear cabin can fold up for additional storage. As someone who stows a lot of plants in a vehicle that is a feature that allows more height than folding the seats down and better stability.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that people will use this vehicle improperly. I also HATE that this car is designed in a way that looks intimidating to pedestrians and honestly anyone else on the road. This will be in its current iteration a car brain owner’s dream vehicle. Yes, a Prius can tow a lot but it’s not Prius drivers we need to convert to smaller, safer vehicles (although I would certainly convert them to better driving habits). It’s big box truck owners we need to convert and this could be the start.

til next time, cut loose.

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density dad is a reader-supported publication covering all things urbanism and the built environment. Topics range from housing and public transportation to land use, safe bike infrastructure, and building equitable communities.