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Tesla Cyber Truck a Hit or Flop
Electric Vehicles or EVs were the nation’s talk, especially among Democrats. Many states, like California, have mandated that electric vehicles be the vehicle of choice by a certain year, and consumers will no longer be allowed to drive gas-powered vehicles. However, electric vehicles have been launched and are in full production. There are a lot of kinks and things wrong with electric vehicles. Tesla’s Cyber Truck was the gem of Elon Musk and considered the pinnacle of EVs. However, the Cyber Truck costs over $100,000, and values have plummeted within months of a buyer purchasing the Cyber Truck. At first, Tesla’s Cyber Truck sold for a big premium over the MSRP. For example, some consumers purchased Tesla’s electric vehicles for almost $200,000, and in less than one year, the Tesla Cyber Truck is valued at $60,000. Many people are skittish about buying a used electric vehicle because the battery panel of the EV is the heart and brain of all electric vehicles. The battery power source alone can cost over $50,000, and the battery has been proven to it can go bad in five years. With a battery needing replacing on an electric vehicle, the vehicle is worthless. Electric vehicles were expected to be a hit and very popular, exceeding gas-powered vehicles in production. Unfortunately, many EV owners threw in the towel and took the loss of selling their electric vehicle and trading it in for a gas-powered vehicle. Shaque O’Neill purchased three Tesla Cyber Trucks less than one year ago. After Elon Musk and President Trump had a big argument, Shaque O’Neill sold all three Tesla Aluminum Cyber Trucks. Plus, the infrastructure of the EV charging systems throughout the country is in its infancy, and the country is not ready to adjust and turn in its gas-powered vehicles for electric vehicles.
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People watching the electric vehicle scene, especially the buzz around Tesla’s Cybertruck, keep pointing out some tough challenges. Your worries are understandable, and they deserve a closer look. So, let’s yank those claims apart one by one, check the facts, and see where we land.
Tesla Cybertruck Value Depreciation
- The Tesla Cybertruck has dropped in value faster than just about anyone predicted.
- Analytics firms now say these trucks lose 37 to 38 percent of their sticker price in the first twelve months.
- In plain dollars, a brand-new AWD Foundation Series that starts at $100,000 could be worth only $65,400 after 6,000 city and highway miles.
- Quick comparisons show the Rivian R1T slipping by roughly 29 percent over the same stretch, making the Rivian look almost stable by contrast.
- Those numbers come from several financial reports and valuation trackers following the Cybertruck since deliveries ramped up in 2024.
- Hot rumor claims some early buyers flipped their trucks for $200,000 and then watched the value crash to $60,000 within months.
- That story sounds dramatic, but doesn’t align with the Factory-installed sticker we have on file, which began around $120,000.
- Dealerships say their pre-owned racks now hold Cybertrucks for an average of 75 days before a buyer finally pulls the trigger.
- Even Tesla itself is trimming prices by $10,000 here and there to move the metal, and that kind of discount usually whispers weaker demand than anyone wants to admit.
EV Battery Concerns
- Buyers can still rattle off horror stories about lithium-ion packs that lose range after only a few winters.
- That skepticism lives quietly in many truck owners’ minds.
- Batteries still sit at the top of the price list for any electric vehicle.
- Swapping one out on a high-end rig like the Cybertruck could easily run past the $50,000 mark.
- This is even if nobody has pinned down a final sticker shock.
- Over time, that same pack might sour: rough calculations hint that a ten-year-old Cybertruck could slide from a shiny 340-mile range to a meager 272 miles if it age-cripples by 2 percent a year.
- That sudden 20-percent dip in range, the slower, creeping loss toward 30 percent, freezes the market for anyone eyeing a second-hand EV.
- On the upside, the high-voltage guts tucked under a Tesla get an 8-year or 150,000-mile powertrain blanket, so the original driver isn’t completely exposed.
- The company insists that nasty failures show up so rarely that most problems slip under warranty and never hit the wallet.
- Yes, a replacement bill still scares many buyers, but saying the car is instant trash when the pack dies is a stretch.
- Even battered EVs can hold a decent trade-in price if they?
- I cared for the used market wobbles because folks keep doing the range math.
Shaquille O? Neal and Cybertruck Sales
- Look around online, and you won’t find a hard story about Shaquille Neal laying down cash for three Cybertrucks or flipping them after some spat between Elon Musk and President Trump.
- The rumor pops up in casual chatter, yet the details aren’t verified anywhere that counts.
Speculative Claims About Tesla and O’Neal
- People keep saying Shaquille O’Neal may have torpedoed Tesla’s sales, but honestly, that sounds more like gossip than hard proof.
- Musk has stirred plenty of political drama, and sure, a few folks reacted by boycotting the brand, yet nobody has pointed to O’Neal or any single sales call that moved the needle.
- So the chatter is interesting.
- I’ll give it that, but we’re still waiting for a smoking-gun piece of evidence at the end of the day.
Charging Infrastructure
- If you ask most drivers, the toughest headache with electric vehicles is still where to plug them in.
- A 2024 J.D. Power survey showed that a missing charging station was the number-one reason buyers said no to an EV, outranking even sticker shock and range anxiety.
- Tesla wins that race with over 7,000 Supercharger spots, and 17 other automakers can use the network.
- Oddly enough, though, non-Tesla EV owners report greater satisfaction with their cars overall, which hints that an awesome charging map doesn’t fix every problem.
- The public network keeps expanding, yet many smaller towns are still blank spots on the map.
- Anyone who tows trailers or takes cross-country trips without home charging feels that gap the most, making the full switch away from gasoline seem premature.
- Plus, longer-haul routes can suddenly look daunting if the charger drop-off line on the highway is too short.
- The Cybertruck-included EVs haven’t quite lived up to the blockbuster hype that once surrounded them.
- Sales numbers ebbed after the initial wave because people realized everyday headaches, like repair availability or insurance costs, still linger.
- Enthusiasm is high at shows and expos, but when buyers click taxes, tags, and titles into an online checkout, reality usually hits first.
- So far, in 2024, Tesla has pushed out around 39,000 Cybertrucks.
- Elon Musk talked about 250,000 rides a year, but that number feels like science fiction.
- Even February 2025 was grim; sales fell by over a third that month alone.
- Elon and his crew have parked over 10,000 shiny, unused trucks on the lot, and the pile is worth nearly $800 million.
- Because of that, they’re pulling back on the assembly line.
- Across the planet, Tesla’s other models are stumbling, too.
- In the Netherlands, sales fell off a cliff, with a 75 percent shortage in just a few months.
- The UK is down 62 percent, and even usually loyal China gave the brand a 6 percent chill.
- A bunch of reasons feed into that mess.
- The truck is pricey.
- At least $74,735 after rebates for the all-wheel-drive version or $62,490 if you want the long-range rear-wheel-drive.
- Add a design most people love or hate, plus eight different recalls since early 2024, and you get a recipe for cautious buyers.
- One of those recalls covered loose trim flaps on almost every single Cybertruck that rolled out, which is not great for word of mouth.
- Musk hopping into heated political waters has also shaken public feelings toward the brand.
- Some folks have said they refuse to park a Cybertruck in their driveway, and a few vandals have acted out that anger.
- A handful of early buyers returned their trucks.
- They no longer wanted the drama or were unhappy with the ride.
- Still, the story of many electric vehicle owners jumping back to gas cars doesn’t hold up very well.
- Q1 2025 EV sales across the board climbed by 11.4 percent compared to last year’s quarter, so the sky isn’t falling everywhere.
- Tesla’s trade-in values have dropped.
- Sure, it’s basically what happens when a new model falters in its launch year.
- But that doesn’t prove the entire EV wave is washing backward.
- California is still charging ahead.
- The state recently launched its Advanced Clean Cars II plan.
- And set a lofty goal of selling 100 percent zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
- The rule sounds fierce.
- But it stops short of outlawing gasoline cars for people who already own them.
- That little loophole gives drivers some breathing room while cleaner tech tries to scale up.
- People with old gas-powered pickups or sedans can keep driving them.
- This is because the new mandates target only the cars that roll off lots tomorrow.
- That carve-out calms some drivers, yet it highlights a bigger issue.
- Charging stations still lag behind the hype.
- The folks who vent their worries at town hall meetings are often uneasy about the sticker price on anything branded electric.
- If Congress tweaks or zaps those shiny EV tax breaks, shifts in Washington would only toss another wrench into a market full of squeaky gears.
Critical Analysis
- No one argues that the Tesla Cybertruck or any other battery rig sails through every challenge, yet calling them a complete flop feels like throwing a BB at a brick wall.
- The Cybertruck was the best-selling electric pickup in America for all of 2024, even though late 2025 numbers show the Ford F-150 Lightning stealing some of that thunder early on.
- The stainless-steel chassis, 0-to-60-in-2.6-seconds smack, and polarizing vault-like look speak to a certain crowd.
- But the same sticker shock scares off people who still think a tailgate party means propane and ice.
- Advancements in lithium chemistry and on-the-road charging plug holes here and there.
- But they still trail the timelines, states like California keep waving in press releases.
- An EV can upgrade a commuter with a garage socket.
- For ranchers or contractors who burn miles chasing work, the limitations are much louder than the sales pitch.
- Yes, Musk loves to court headlines in the Capitol and on cable, and that drama sometimes creeps into public trust.
- But inside the factory, the focus has quietly shifted toward Robo-taxis and pure-code visions like the Cybercab, perhaps proving that the company’s real bet lies beyond chrome grilles and leather seats.
Even so, the Cybertruck shows scars from the price climb, a string of update-after-update recalls, and sticker shock that leaves showrooms with more demos than drivers.
- Battery range and the still-sparse network of fast chargers hold many drivers back, especially those who rely on a truck for tough jobs.
- Rumors that Shaquille O’Neal bought three Cybertrucks or that a new model tanked in value from $200,000 to $60,000 never showed solid proof.
Electric pickups take up a bigger slice of the market every year. However, sticker shock, empty charging stalls, and plain user gist skepticism mean gasoline rigs are still the safer bet in remote counties or for buyers who haul constantly.