My opinion (Rant alert)..... it's short sighted. I think he missed the ball on this one. Sure there will be some people that like it but from what I have observed it's only about 1 in 40 that seem to like it.
I think this "truck" appeals to Tesla people....not truck people. The same people that like Teslas or that type of vehicle are going to buy this.....or aren't because they already have a similar vehicle.
If Elon really wants to take over the future of renewable energy vehicles he needs to design a vehicle that will appeal to the general market of "truck guys". Take me for example....I am a "truck guy", I've had a truck as my primary vehicle for the last 15 years. I have had 7 trucks over the past 15 years. I work in the construction industry and I have a number of hobbies and recreational activities that means a truck is just a necessity in my life. I'm not an over the top truck kind of guy... of those seven trucks 6 were half tons and only one was a diesel. I drive more than most people, in the neighborhood of 40K/year so I would definitely entertain the idea of moving to an electric vehicle....but only so long as that vehicle is practical for what I need. This thing isn't even close..... it seems like they didn't consult with one single practical truck owner to design this thing. Practicality aside, it is so radical in the design that I couldn't think of showing up to a meeting or a job site in this thing... it would be so pretentious I would scare off half of my clientele.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate it but I don't think it will be what it could be. Tesla is a formidable force and I think they have a duty to create something that will apply to the general market. I will keep rooting for Rivian and Nikola to come out with something I can drive without the pretenious-ness of this thing.
How about 145,000 preorders in 24 hours??? How real is that number when the pre-order is offered at $100 refundable? How easy is it for someone to plop down $100 and say they have pre-ordered one compared to actually forking out the $40K for the real truck. I would be interested to see what percentage of those preorders mature in to an actual purchase.
Even so..... Is 145,000 a big number for pre orders? Ford alone manufactures 2112 vehicles per day on average..... Those are real vehicles on the road in one day from just one of the big manufacturers. Granted many of those are cars, suvs etc... but the point I am making here is that there is a HUGE untapped market of truck buyers that are driving conventional gas powered trucks that want....NEED....an alternative. Elon Musk has the ability to do that....but he's too short sighted to give us something we can use.