Brian Lovell has only had his Tesla Cybertruck for a week and already the 48-year-old has experienced a range of unfettered reactions from passersby: Some people point and gape, others rush over to take a photo, and a few even ask if he would take them for a quick spin in the much-hyped EV.
“I might as well be driving a UFO,” says Lovell, who’s based in Murrieta, California.
It’s not exactly surprising that people are aghast to see something that looks more like something out of Tron than a motorized vehicle you might find parked outside a Denny’s. And a number of owners tell Fast Company they embrace the spectacle, pulling over to offer gawkers an inside look and to lay in the truck’s “vault” (i.e. bed). One owner said the greasy fingerprints strangers leave on its stainless steel exterior have almost become a badge of honor.
But Cybertruck adopters are also facing another reality: that their vehicles (which start at about $81,000) represent to some a political or ideological symbol. As many positive and fun interactions as they encounter every day, they’re also met with disgust and irritation. People have reportedly told owners that their vehicles amount to an endorsement of Tesla owner Elon Musk, one of the more polarizing figures in tech.
Plus, the car’s supposed shatterproof windows (which, by the way, failed their smash test at its unveiling event in late November) have made the Cybertruck community wary of potential vandalism. “By its very nature of being nearly indestructible, it will invite destruction,” a Reddit user wrote.
Wil Morrise, 53, of Orange County, says he’s been met with “a few haters” while driving his Cybertruck around town. “They say it’s ugly or stupid,” he tells Fast Company, “to which I always reply, ‘I know, right! It’s so ugly, it’s cool!’”
An Austin-based man named Ben, who identified himself by first name only but hosts an active YouTube channel about his Cybertruck, says a stranger recently flipped him off on the street.
“I have no idea why,” says Ben. “I don’t know the person, and I have no thought as to what made him decide to do that.”
Some owners theorize that the visceral hatred people feel is directly linked to Musk’s reputation. Over the past decade, EV enthusiasts have weighed their support for EVs and Musk’s visions for sustainability against his fraught personal ideologies. Musk continues to draw ire as the CTO of X (formerly Twitter) after directing mass company layoffs last year and repeatedly sparring with anyone who’s tried to hold him accountable for neglecting abuse and hate-speech problems on the platform. The billionaire has threatened to sue advocacy groups and researchers who’ve documented a rise in hate speech on X since he took over the company, and has come under fire over the years for endorsing or amplifying conspiracy theories on his platform. As Tesla and X Premium (or its paid verification system) are his only two commercially available products, they’ve become the two most obvious targets for his critics to channel any Musk-related abhorrence.
“It’s made by Elon Musk and he does have his haters,” says Morrise, a self-professed Musk fan.
The Cybertruck seems to evoke negative reactions from two groups that are traditionally at odds: progressive-leaning Americans who are against Musk and his principles and conservatives who are wholly against environmentally friendly initiatives. Dallas-based Cybertruck-owner Pete White says it’s not uncommon to get “coal rolled”—when a driver pumps excessive diesel fuel to their engine to create huge plumes of black smoke, intended to ridicule EV drivers. “The political stigma and assumptions being attached to Tesla as a brand are tedious and irrelevant,” White says.
And yet, all in all, Cybertruck owners say the overall public reception to their vehicles is one of awe. In fact, people lurch to capture and react to it so often, it can become a safety hazard.
“Some drivers have their phones out taking videos and pictures, all while driving,” says Lovell. “I’ve seen several near-miss accidents as people stop paying attention to the road.”
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