Tesla confirmed that Cybertruck sales are disastrous in the release of its quarterly results. Sales of the controversial electric pickup truck are stalling a year into the production ramp.

Considering Tesla started production just over a year ago, it’s still early in the Cybertruck program. Some say it’s too early to say if it will be a success, but there’s room to be concerned that it isn’t and won’t be.

Tesla claimed to have over 1 million reservations for the truck, but we always doubted their buying commitment because Tesla had lowered the reservation deposit to just $100 for the new program.

Furthermore, the production version of the truck was more expensive and had less range than what Tesla originally announced.

Those issues compounded into Tesla delivering an estimated ~40,000 Cybertrucks before opening orders beyond the reservation program.

It has been hard to track Tesla’s sales because the automaker is the most opaque when it comes to breaking down sales per model. Tesla bundles sales of Model 3 and Model Y together and all other vehicles (Model S, Model X, Cybertruck, and Tesla Semi) into its “other models” category.

Today, Tesla released its Q4 delivery numbers and confirmed that it delivered 23,640 units of its “other models.”

Based on how Model S and Model X sales have been tracking, we estimate that Tesla delivered between 9,000 and 12,000 Cybertrucks in Q4, which is likely less than in Q3 despite launching the cheaper non-Foundation Series models and opening orders beyond those with reservations.

It’s also fairly clear that it is not a production issue. Tesla increased discounts and incentives to buy the Cybertruck this quarter. While inventories of its other models depleted at the end of Q4, Cybertrucks are still available and can be seen on Tesla lots.

There’s some hope for Tesla. We just reported that the Cybertruck officially became eligible for the $7,500 US tax credit today, which should help demand.

However, the upcoming Trump administration, backed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, said that they aim to take it away as soon as possible. Therefore, Cybertruck will likely only have access for a few months. It should help boost sales temporarily and until Tesla brings the single motor and cheaper version of the truck.

Electrek’s Take

We have been tracking the Cybertruck program closely, and we reported several times on examples of demand issues, but I didn’t know it was this bad.

There’s a real chance that Cybertrucks deliveries were flat or even down quarter-to-quarter despite Tesla launching the cheaper version. That’s wild.

Inventories and incentives also make it clear that it’s not a production ramp problem but a demand problem.

The tax credit will help, temporarily, and the single motor version will also contribute to volumes later this year, but I think it’s starting to be clear that Tesla will have a hard time ramping up the program to 250,000 units as planned, and Elon’s goal of 500,000 units pie-in-the-sky ambitious.

As I have been saying for over a year now, the Cybertruck program was a mistake on Elon’s part. It is what created this pause in Tesla’s growth. Tesla should have focused on cheaper vehicles as originally planned.

Hyundai Motor Group electric vehicles, including Kia and Genesis models, now qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit for the first time. The Korean auto giant now has five eligible EVs as it looks to play an even bigger role in the US.

After an impressive run in 2024, Hyundai has no plans to slow down as the US shifts to electric vehicles. The US Department of Energy announced five Hyundai EVs, including Kia and Genesis models, were among the 25 electric cars that qualify for the federal tax credit.

This is the first time since the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in 2022 that the Korean automaker is eligible for tax benefits.

Hyundai just began production at its new Metaplant America (HMGMA) in October 2024, a massive new $7.6 billion EV manufacturing plant in Georgia. The company fast-tracked production, putting up the facility in two years to unlock the credit.

The first vehicle that rolled off the assembly line was Hyundai’s upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5 electric SUV. Shortly after, Hyundai launched mass production of its first three-row electric SUV, the IONIQ 9.

Hyundai, Kia, Genesis EVs qualify for the US tax credit

Hyundai’s new IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 were among the 25 EV models that qualify for the $7,500 US tax credit. Meanwhile, Kia is building its electric three-row EV9 and new 2025 EV6 at its West Point, GA plant, both of which now qualify for the benefit.

Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, also made the list. The Genesis Electrified GV70 is built at Hyundai’s manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama, which enables it to qualify.

With five EVs now eligible for the federal tax credit, Hyundai expects momentum to pick up in the US. Before, Hyundai and Kia only passed the $7,500 on through EV leases.

Through November, Hyundai and Kia sold over 112,500 EVs in 2024. However, the benefits could soon disappear with Trump’s transition team reportedly looking to “kill off” the EV tax credit.

Until then, Hyundai will enjoy a more level playing field in the US, one of its (if not the) most important sales markets.

To sweeten the deal, Hyundai is offering a free NACS adapter to unlock Tesla Superchargers for those who buy or lease a new EV right now. Current Hyundai owners (model-year 2024 and earlier IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, Kona Electric, and IONIQ hatchback models) can request their adapter through the MyHyundai owner portal.

Hyundai’s new 2025 IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and Kona Electric models are eligible for the promotion. The upgraded IONIQ 5 features more range, features, and improved style. It even includes a native Tesla NACS port.

The base 2024 IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range model starts at $42,500 with up to 245 miles range. Starting at $46,550, the Long Range model provides up to 318 miles range, up from 303 miles in the outgoing model.

Hyundai is coming off a new US sales record in November after IONIQ 5 sales more than doubled. Will the tax credit boost sales further? The company is expected to release December and 2024 US sales figures soon, so stay tuned for more.

Are you ready to take advantage of the big savings while they are still available? We can help you get started. You can use the links below to find deals on Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EV models at a dealer near you today.

California has led the nation in electric bicycle adoption, helping more people than ever before switch away from cars and toward smaller and more efficient transportation alternatives. However, the proliferation of electric bicycles has also led to a major uptick in higher-power models that have flaunted established e-bike laws, often being used on public roads and bike paths to the chagrin of many local residents.

A new law that came into effect this week has now further clarified which electric bicycles are street-legal and which fall afoul of regulations.

The legislation is meant to address the growing number of high-powered electric bikes, many of which use traditional electric bicycle components but are capable of achieving speeds and power levels that give them performance closer to mopeds and light motorcycles.

This phenomenon has led to a heavily charged debate around the colloquial term “e-bike” and the regulatory term “electric bicycle”. The main question has become whether increasing the power and speed of such bikes pushes them outside the realm of bicycles and into the class of mopeds and motorcycles. That distinction is important since the legal classification of “electric bicycle” provides for such bikes to be used in the widest possible areas, including on public roads and in bike paths, as well as negates the need to tag, title, or insure electric bicycles.

SB No. 1271 was signed into law last year and came into effect on January 1, 2015. The bill covered several new e-bike regulations, including fire safety regulations and requirements for third-party safety certifications that will come into effect over the next few years, as well as a further tightening of the three-class e-bike system to limit which electric bicycles can include hand throttles.

However, near the end of the new legislation is a three-line section that clearly outlines which vehicles are not considered to be “electric bicycles” under California law.

The following vehicles are not electric bicycles under this code and shall not be advertised, sold, offered for sale, or labeled as electric bicycles:

(1) A vehicle with two or three wheels powered by an electric motor that is intended by the manufacturer to be modifiable to attain a speed greater than 20 miles per hour on motor power alone or to attain more than 750 watts of power.

(2) A vehicle that is modified to attain a speed greater than 20 miles per hour on motor power alone or to have motor power of more than 750 watts.

(3) A vehicle that is modified to have its operable pedals removed.

The three points are used to exclude vehicles from the legal definition of an electric bicycle in California. This wouldn’t necessarily make these vehicles “illegal” per se, as they could still be sold, purchased, and ridden in California, simply not as “electric bicycles”. However, they could be illegal to use on public roads or in bike paths, where prohibited or not properly registered.

This not only impacts how such vehicles could be marketed, but also where and how they could be ridden. Powerful e-bikes that now fall outside the regulatory term “electric bicycles” could still be used off-road on private property or where allowed, and could potentially be ridden on public roads if properly registered as mopeds or motorcycles, though that would also require the e-bikes to meet the regulations for such vehicle classes.

Provision 1: E-bikes designed to be unlocked for higher power or throttle speeds

The first provision covered in the new law copied above applies to e-bikes designed by the manufacturer to be user-modifiable to go faster than 20 mph (32 km/h) on motor power alone (i.e. by use of a hand throttle that requires no pedaling input), or to provide more than 750 watts of power. To be clear: This does not make e-bikes that travel over 20 mph illegal (they can still travel up to 28 mph on pedal assist) but rather targets those that can achieve such speeds on throttle alone.

Most electric bicycles in the US, even those capable of traveling at speeds over 20 mph, ship in what is known as Class 2 mode, which includes having a software-limited top speed of 20 mph on throttle and/or pedal assist. However, it is common for many electric bicycles to be easily “unlocked” by the user, which often requires just a few seconds of changing settings in the bike’s digital display. This unlocking often allows riders to travel faster on pedal assist, usually up to 28 mph (45 km/h), and on some occasions unlocks that faster speed on throttle-only riding too.

Most of the mainstream electric bicycle brands in the US still limit throttle-only speeds to 20 mph, even when the e-bike is “unlocked” by the user, meaning they would not fall afoul of the new law based on higher speed pedal assist functionality. However, several brands do allow higher speed throttle riding above 20 mph, and these e-bikes would no longer be classified as electric bicycles in California, even when in their locked state with a 20 mph speed limiter. As the law is written, those e-bikes can not be considered electric bicycles in California because they are designed to be unlockable to higher speeds than 20 mph on throttle-only.

Additionally, any e-bike that can be unlocked to offer higher than 750W (one horsepower) will now also fall outside the confines of electric bicycles in California. This regulation, based on power instead of speed, is in effect a much wider net that will likely catch many – if not most- of the electric bicycles currently on the road. There has long been a 750W limit for e-bikes in the US, but this has traditionally been treated as a continuous power limit. The peak power of such e-bikes is usually higher, often landing in the 900-1,300W range. The new California law removes the word “continuous” from the regulation, meaning motors that are capable of briefly exceeding the 750W motor (i.e. most 750W motors), will now fall outside of electric bicycle regulations.

Provision 2: E-bikes modified for higher power or throttle speeds

While the first provision above ruled that any e-bikes intended to be unlocked for throttle-enabled speeds of over 20 mph or to provide more than 750W of power are no longer classified as electric bicycles, the second provision covers e-bikes that are modified to those parameters even without being intended for such modification.

This is a much smaller category of e-bikes and is usually indicative of custom or DIY builds. Most e-bikes capable of operating at performance levels now ruled outside of electric bicycle classification have simply been reprogrammed using the manufacturer’s own modifiable settings menu on the e-bike. But some riders use other methods to increase their e-bike’s power, such as by swapping out motors or controllers with faster and more powerful alternatives.

The second provision in the law targets these types of e-bikes, which weren’t intended to have been modified for higher speeds and power levels, but have been customized to do so anyway.

Provision 3: No pedals, no bicycle

The third provision simply clarifies the pedal rule: In order to be considered an electric bicycle, an e-bike must have functional pedals.

That doesn’t mean that if an e-bike has pedals that it is automatically considered to be an electric bicycle, but only that a lack of such pedals nullifies its status as an electric bicycle under the new regulations.

This has long been the case, but is simply further clarified in the new legislation to cover e-bikes that once had functional pedals that have since been removed.

The new legislation’s definitions of electric bicycles don’t mark a major shift for California, which has long used the three-class e-bike system. However, it does signify a clamping down on e-bikes that flaunt those regulations by more clearly codifying their out-of-class status and removing their ability to pass as electric bicycles, legally speaking.

Riders of Sur Ron-style e-bikes, including Talarias and other models that function more like light dirt bikes, have long known that their bikes were not legally classified as electric bicycles. But now, many of the more traditional-looking electric bikes, including from some fairly well-known manufacturers, are likely to find themselves on the wrong side of the law. This will be especially true in cases where the e-bikes are otherwise designed to appear and function like typical electric bicycles, yet are capable of reaching 28 mph speeds on throttle only.

What do you think of the new regulations for e-bikes in California? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

tlv