1 In 4 Truck Buyers Considers Getting A Tesla Cybertruck: Survey

However, more than half of the respondents think Tesla’s pickup isn’t a “real” truck.

2019 Tesla Cybertruck Prototype (Petersen Automotive Museum)

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Mar 10, 2023 at 8:15am ET

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A new survey conducted by AmericanTrucks.com shows that among the truck owners who are considering making the switch to electric, a little over one in four would buy a Tesla Cybertruck (27 percent), but that’s just part of the story.

The survey’s results show that the Cybertruck was bested by the Ford F-150 Lightning in terms of popularity, with the Chevy Silverado EV taking third place in the “most interesting” category, while the non-existent Toyota Tacoma EV is fourth on the list of electric trucks that drivers are most interested in buying.

AmericanTrucks.com survey regarding truck owners' intentions of switching to electric

In a rather unexpected twist, the Rivian R1T, which is available just like the Ford F-150 Lightning, is only in fifth place in this category.

Moreover, 56 percent of respondents think the Tesla Cybertruck isn’t a “real” truck, while 43 percent of the participants said that Tesla’s electric pickup will launch in the next 2-3 years, with just 7 percent saying that it will become a reality within the next year.

AmericanTrucks.com survey regarding truck owners' intentions of switching to electric

Nine percent of the people who participated in the survey said they would never switch to an electric truck, while 35 percent are considering switching in the next 2-6 years, but have concerns like the driving range, number of charging stations, and charging times that put them on the fence.

AmericanTrucks.com survey regarding truck owners' intentions of switching to electric

And while the driving range of currently-available electric trucks is acceptable, along with the presence of public charging stations across the country, range anxiety is still one of the main reasons that impact drivers’ decision to buy an electric truck, with 35 percent of respondents pointing to it as a cause of concern.

For the most part, all-electric truck sales were on the rise last year in the United States, but this type of vehicle still has a lot of catching up to do when compared to its internal combustion-engined counterparts.

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As an example, Ford sold almost 16,000 Lightnings in 2022 in the US, while the whole F-Series lineup amounted to over 650,000 units country-wide. Granted, that includes all the F-series models, not just the F-150, but even if we consider Rivian’s 20,000 units (R1T and R1S), the final number is still very far away from that of the ICE models.

Maybe the Tesla Cybertruck will be able to make a dent in the market, with its over 1.6 million reported pre-orders, but we’ll just have to wait and see how Tesla’s first pickup will fare against its rivals, both electric and gas-powered.