Tesla Cybertruck price in play ahead of November 30 delivery event

Electric trucks are really expensive. This is a grim reality. Will Tesla change this?

In August, the average price of a new electric pickup was more than $94,000, according to cars.com. That’s scary – in the spirit of Halloween – approaching $100,000.

“Three in four pickup truck shoppers surveyed say they are unlikely to buy an electric vehicle for their next truck, citing purchase price as their top concern (58%),” Cars.com said.

Cars.com says limited towing range and payload capacity don’t favor electric pickups. “Key selling points for truck owners.”

While upstart electric vehicle maker Rivian has had limited success — outselling the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup every three months this year in the U.S. — its R1T pickup starts at more than $70,000.

The Ford F-150 Lightning theoretically starts around $50,000, but models at dealerships in Los Angeles are typically priced upwards of $70,000.

Musk emphasizes affordability

Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained that the goal is to make the Cybertruck affordable.

“It’s going to take a tremendous amount of work to get to production volume and be cash flow positive at a price people can afford,” Musk said during a third-quarter earnings conference call on Oct. 18.

“We have to make it, and we have to make it at a price that people can afford,” he said.

While the Cybertruck’s original starting price of $39,900 proposed by Tesla in 2019 now seems unlikely, Kelley Blue Book expects the single-motor version to start at $50,000.

Other reports claim that the cheapest single-engined model will not be available initially.

Car And Driver estimates a starting price of $70,000 for the dual-motor version. A cheaper, single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version “will join the lineup later,” the publication said.

The Cybertruck delivery event is scheduled for November 30 at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.

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