Tesla delivered the first Cybertrucks yesterday, to lukewarm reaction given revelations on its specs, pricing and availability. But Tesla’s miss might be other EV truck makers’ gain, as the big question marks on Cybertruck have been answered disappointingly.
At the original Cybertruck unveiling, Tesla said the truck would start at $39,900, be available in late 2021, have a payload of 3,500 pounds in a 6.5ft bed, and a tow rating of up to 14,000 pounds max range of 500+ miles for the top-end version (which was meant to start at $69,900).
As of yesterday, we know that none of those numbers are true. The truck starts at $79,990 today (and $60,990 in 2025), has a payload of 2,500 pounds in a 6ft bed, tow rating of up to 11,000 pounds and range of 340 miles, or 470 with an additional battery that eats up a chunk of your bed space.
It seems like the only place where Tesla exceeded its original estimation is in 0-60 times for the mid- and high-spec configurations, which are .6 and .3 seconds faster respectively. These are nice specs and it’s awesome to see a Cybertruck beat a Porsche 911 while towing a Porsche 911, but a truck is still not a sportscar no matter what the quarter-mile results suggest.
And overall, the presentation at the event was just underwhelming (you can view a recording of our live-react watch party here). Not only was the event almost half an hour late and poorly-lit, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off his standard poor presentation skills (which have been getting worse lately with his twitter distraction, prompting questions from investors). Worse, some cool Cybertruck features weren’t even mentioned – like Powershare bidirectional charging which lets you run your home, camp, or another vehicle off of the Cybertruck’s battery.
All of this has led to a lot of disappointment among order holders – and made room for competing electric trucks now that we finally know answers to questions that have loomed large over the segment for years now.
Other electric trucks compare favorably with Cybertruck’s unveiled specs, pricing
Prior to now, other electric trucks have suffered from the comparison to a potential Cybertruck, with millions of preorders and a promised $40k base price.
But now that Cybertruck specs and pricing have been officially unveiled, those comparisons become a lot better.
There is a question whether many people were actually cross-shopping the Cybertruck versus more traditional-looking pickup trucks in the first place, but a difference in base price of more than $20k can make up for a lot of questionable styling.
The comparison was made directly on reddit, in a post comparing Musk’s past statements about the Lightning’s price with the actual prices of the Cybertruck – which are now much more expensive than the base and even upgraded trims of the Lightning, both of which are available now whereas the base model Cybertruck won’t come until 2025.
So despite the Cybertruck’s unconventional look, it’s clear that a lot of people are putting it into the “truck” category, and comparing it against other offerings. Tesla did so too, themselves, by offering a comparison against the Lightning, F-350 Super Duty, and Rivian R1T in a tractor-pulling test during the presentation yesterday.
The market has noticed
This means that Tesla’s loss is the other trucks’ gain. If Tesla truly has 2 million order holders who were waiting off on buying an electric truck until they finally saw the Cybertruck specs, surely some percentage of those holders will end up deciding to go elsewhere.
And it seems like the stock market has already made this comparison, because the market isn’t looking favorably on Tesla’s unveiling, whereas other EV truck makers are up quite a bit (with Rivian leading the pack, since trucks are their whole thing). The whole market is up intraday, but Rivian is up quite a bit more than the sector as a whole.
Given the poor reaction to the Cybertruck’s unveiled specs, maybe it’s time for those production plans to ratchet up a little further, since we think there will be some customers out there looking for something else to buy.
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Tesla used car prices continue to plummet, while the average used car price is increasing. Despite being considered a premium brand, used Tesla vehicles are now cheaper than the used car sale price.
However, when the market started to recover in March 2025, Tesla’s used car prices didn’t. It continued to drop.
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In fact, it has now dropped so much that the average used Tesla vehicle costs less than the average used car on Car Gurus:
This is unprecedented. Although the brand has taken a significant hit over the last year, Tesla is still regarded as a premium brand in the industry. The fact that its average used car sale price would dip below the industry average, which includes inexpensive mass-market vehicles, is quite exceptional.
Used Tesla car prices are now down 4.59% year-over-year, compared to the market average being up 1.22%:
Make/Model
Avg Price
Last 30 days
Last 90 days
Year over Year
CarGurus Index
$28,039
+0.19%
+1.22%
+1.22%
Tesla
$27,814
-1.75%
-4.59%
-4.59%
All Tesla vehicles are down year-over-year, with the Cybertruck unsurprisingly leading the charge.
However, Cybertruck has started to recover in the last few months, along with Model 3.
The Model Y, which is by far Tesla’s most popular model by volume, is dragging the average down as it continues to fall:
Make/Model
Avg Price
Last 30 days
Last 90 days
Year over Year
Cybertruck
$83,963
+0.88%
+0.3%
-30.44%
Model 3
$23,318
+0.2%
+0.75%
-8.04%
Model S
$26,534
-5.48%
-9.53%
-22.61%
Model X
$37,747
-2.33%
-9.24%
-16.8%
Model Y
$29,216
-0.49%
-0.68%
-11.97%
Electrek’s Take
Many Tesla owners have been selling their used vehicles and switching to new brands, increasing the supply and putting pressure on prices.
I expected this, but I didn’t expect the pressure to be so great that prices would dip below the average used prices.
This is significant.
It’s proof that the Tesla brand has taken a massive reputational hit and there’s no clear recovery in sight.
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That new electric Ford pickup we’ve been waiting for is delayed once again. Ford is putting its “groundbreaking” new EV pickup on the back burner as it doubles down on more affordable models.
When is Ford delaying its new electric pickup now?
Ford was expected to begin production on its next electric pickup, codenamed “Project T3,” by the end of this year, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2026.
After pushing back the start of production last year until 2027, Ford confirmed on Thursday that the electric pickup is now delayed even further.
According to Automotive News, Ford has informed suppliers that it has delayed the production of its new electric pickup, initially scheduled for production at its BlueOval City EV assembly plant in Tennessee, until 2028. Several sources close to the matter said Ford is also delaying production of its new electric van.
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Ford now plans to begin building the next-gen E-Transit in Ohio starting in 2028, which was initially slated for 2026.
A company spokesperson confirmed the delay, saying the “F-150 Lightning, America’s best-selling electric truck, and E-Transit continue to meet today’s customer needs.”
2025 Ford F-150 Lightning (Source: Ford)
The statement added that “We remain focused on delivering our Ford+ plan and will be nimble in adjusting our product launch timing to meet market needs and customer demand while targeting improved profitability.”
The move comes as Ford shifts its focus to smaller, more affordable EVs. Earlier this week, Ford opened its new EV Design Center in Long Beach, California, where its team will develop what’s promised to be a highly efficient, low-cost EV platform.
Ford opens new EV design center in Long Beach, California (Source: Ford)
Ford’s team, led by former Tesla engineer Alan Clarke, is filled with ex-Rivian, Lucid, and Apple workers and has grown drastically from what started as a “skunkworks” group.
Like its crosstown rival GM announced this week, Ford will use LFP batteries to cut costs. The new batteries will be manufactured at its new plant in Michigan, using licensed tech from China’s CATL. GM announced this week it will source LFP batteries from CATL to power the new Chevy Bolt EV until it begins making its own.
Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum Black Edition (Source: Ford)
According to Lisa Drake, Ford’s vice president of tech platform programs and EV systems, the new midsize platform will support eight different body styles, including trucks, crossovers, SUVs, and maybe even sedans.
Ford filed a trademark for the name Ranchero on August 5, hinting that the nameplate could be revived for the new midsize EV pickup.
Drake confirmed CEO Jim Farley’s comments that Ford aims to match the costs of leading Chinese brands. We will learn more about Ford’s “plans to design and build a breakthrough electric vehicle and platform in the US” on August 11.
Ford’s electric vehicles in Europe from left to right: Puma Gen-E, Explorer, Capri, and Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
Farley said on the company’s earnings call that Ford is “moving from being the dominant player in truck hybrids in the US to offering EREVs, PHEVs, and a full range of hybrids across our lineup, especially our bigger vehicles.”
Ford’s CEO added, “We think that’s a much better move than a $60,000 to $70,000 all-electric crossover. We think that that’s really what customers are going to want long term.”
Ford says it’s “going back to its roots for another Model T moment.” Check back on Monday for more details. We’ll provide a breakdown of the event.
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Led by a team of ex-Waymo engineers, Bedrock Robotics is developing a new generation of autonomous heavy equipment equipment operators who, they hope, will be able to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without human intervention.
The company “emerged from stealth” last month with news of an $80 million raise on an undisclosed valuation for its autonomous equipment play — but they’re not building heavy equipment themselves. Instead, the company plans to offer upgrades for existing equipment assets that includes a suite of cameras, LiDAR sensors, and AI-powered software that will enable to work at all times, and in conditions that human operators wouldn’t be able to tolerate.
Bedrock’s tech package prototype was developed specifically for excavators, as the most common/versatile piece of construction equipment. And, reportedly, can be installed by technicians and ready for work in just a few hours.
Credible roster
AI prototype suite on a tracked excavator; via Bedrock Robotics.
The team is hoping the lessons they learned automating taxis and exiting tech startups will enable them to revolutionize the heavy equipment space, overcome the industry’s endemic labor shortage, and (of course) make everyone involved a buttload of money.
Before that happens, however, the company needs to prove that its tech is actually capable of doing the job as well as human operators. Sofman believes their success in the robotaxi space gives them the sort of credibility investors are looking for, and shows that, “the state of technology just being right, where we’re seeing it work on one of the hardest applications in the world,” he said to Forbes. “That’s exactly the type of building block that catalyzes change. When you tally up all the ways we use these specialized heavy machines, it’s another one of those transportation-style spaces that is due for a wave of what’s happening in transportation.”
Sofman, if nothing else, is a good hype man. When Forbes tees him up, explaining that the construction industry in a “tricky” time, highlighting the Trump Administration’s trade tariffs and aggressive, often illegal immigration crackdowns artificially boosting materials costs, driving inflation, and making an already tight supply of skilled workers even tighter, Sofman is ready to parrot it right back.
“It’s this fascinating situation where you have an astronomical macroeconomic tail and a need to re-industrialize the US,” says Sofman. “At the same time, the labor pool, even more aggressively than what we saw in trucking, is going the opposite direction.”
Bedrock hasn’t yet released revenue targets or pricing, but cite the size of the established market, along with infrastructure upgrades aided by the passage of Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law (which, again, is “tricky” these days), higher demand for new warehouses and data centers as enough to make a business case to investors.
For their parts, they’ve convinced their old boss, ex-Waymo CEO John Krafcik. “Boris has assembled an extraordinary founding team, many of whom I had the privilege of working with,” says Krafcik, who invested an undisclosed amount in the startup. “It’s an exceptional group with the technical depth, grit and vision to make autonomous construction machines real.”
NVentures, the venture capital arm of Nvidia, was also named as an investor.
Electrek’s Take
There’s no question that there are a number of factors making things a bit “tricky” for the construction industry right now, and that — at least until operator wages rise — there’s more work than workers these days, even as both the global and US populations continues to grow. That said, there’s a particular type of corpro-political technobabble hype that I have, thankfully, been able to remain immune to over my many (many) years on planet Earth, and Sofman speaks it with an effortless fluency that makes it hard to tell if he’s said anything at all.
But, crucially, he’s got $80 million and I don’t, so maybe ignore uncle Jojo. In the meantime, try to remember that market size isn’t a business plan, OK? OK.
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