Answer: The owner services underground gasoline storage tanks. It’s a gasoline tank service truck.
What’s This Tesla Cybertruck Doing At The Gas Pumps?
– Posted on June 1, 2024
-
-
Curbside Classics Archives
Answer: The owner services underground gasoline storage tanks. It’s a gasoline tank service truck.
I saw my very first one of these in the wild last week. Ridiculous looking.
I did too. My wife and I were sitting on the porch, and one of these drove by. I didn’t notice it, but my wife said some odd-looking boxy car drove by that was hard to describe.
About a half hour later, it drove by again, and she confirmed that’s what she’d seen the first time.
Not my thing, but at least it’s an interesting concept… not another egg-shaped CUV!
Ready… Aim…
Great imagery!
To be honest, I think the original Delorean prototype from 1978, looks more advanced and futuristic.
There are always the people who will not be deterred by facts who fall for gimmicks. Those “look at me” fools.
The facts are, this is by far the best EV-truck you can buy.
Of course haters do not care about facts.
Nah, I’d go with the Lightning. I like the Rivian too except the Little Orphan Annie headlights….
The CT identifies attention whores with too much money in my eyes. I’d be surprised if any of the original buyers hold on to theirs more that 2-3 years if that.
My issue isn’t so much the polarizing design (particularly if it’s actually rooted in practicality) but the use of stainless steel for the body. That doesn’t make much sense, to me.
There are already half a dozen of these running around my area (bougie Atlanta ‘burbs)- one black, the rest stainless. Black one looks like the Deathmobile from Animal House.
Since several comments mention the looks, I’ll just say this: I spoke with the truck’s owner, who was very knowledgeable and articulate about his vehicle, and EV’s in general. He seems to be a successful hands-on small business owner who has had many gas and diesel trucks (and hybrid cars) and has found the size, features, utility, and running cost to be exactly what he wants. He checked out the Rivian R1T and Ford Lightning but the Cybertruck had more bed length and volume than either, as well as the security and weather protection of the retractable tonneau. He services many gas stations in a 150 mile radius from his home. It’s not a toy, and he didn’t buy it for looks or image.
I just love the fact that he uses an EV to make a likely good living servicing gasoline infrastructure. It’s so…subversive.
Reminds me of my plan to open a Christmas tree farm (I’m atheist).
Many of us already know, and appreciate, the class-leading practical advantages.
A historical design.
Thanks.
They chose an envelope that looks stark and sterile to many, for such a ground-breaking truck. Can be expected, it would polarize people, in this regard.
I was going to guess getting fuel for their lawn mowers. Then I thought, well they probably already have electric lawn tools. Or maybe they just pay someone to do their yardwork.
At least they weren’t trying to put gas in their Tesla, like the woman in the video below (there’s many others too).
From the photo alone, my guess would have been he was filling gas tanks for the generator he would tow to manage a long trip.
I was kind of going in that direction, I figured gas for a lawn mower or maybe a boat or something.
The video of trying to fill up a Tesla is stunning though.
Hertz’s difficulty renting Tesla Model 3’s makes me think the “pull up to a gas station in an electric car” scenerio may become common. If the shift to EVs takes its currently planned course, there were be several years where both electric and gasoline-powered cars are common rentals, and the clerk at the counter may not make it clear that the car you’re renting is electric, and people will drive these off the Hertz or Avis lot unaware of what fuel their rental cars run on.
I was out a few evenings ago and came across an entire row of these in the inventory of the local Tesla dealer. It struck me as a scene from a sci-fi movie. I have started seeing them out on the roads.
I’ve sort of gotten used to how ugly these things are and have become inured to the multitude of jokes about why they’re so ugly.
Nevertheless, the look of this particular one, which seems to have run through a playground and exited with the monkey bars stuck on it is just …. incredible.
Among my many other issues with this vehicle, how the heck is it “cyber”? Cyber means “of, relating to, or involving computers or computer networks”. So how does that apply here? This thing is stupid right down to the name.
Time will tell if they’re any good at work trucks .
-Nate