Tesla was quick to tout the Cybertruck's superiority over the F-150, but it has plenty of reason to worry.
Reason for Worry
Electric pickups are coming, and they're coming fast. Over the next couple of years, there will be at least five EV trucks on the market, many of them from eager upstart companies looking to beat big, established automakers to the punch. Ford recently revealed that the Ford F-150 EV will arrive on the market by mid-2022, and it has to be the early favorite. And even though Tesla was quick to take jabs at Ford's perennial best-seller, it should be more than a bit worried about squaring up with the electric F-150.
Photos: Ford
Reigning Champ
Ford sold a whopping 900,000 F-Series pickups in 2019 alone, which generated an incredible $42 billion in revenue. That makes the F-Series the second best-selling branded consumer product in America, behind only the Apple iPhone. The F-Series franchise is a massive success, and it has been for four-plus decades. And that's not an empire that'll be easy to top.
Photos: Ford
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming fully electric F-150 right here in the Ford-trucks forum.
Early Favorite
Not that other automakers haven't been trying for those 40+ years. And yet, no one has succeeded yet. Ford has perfected the formula of building the best trucks in the world, and they keep doing it year after year. And that automatically makes them the favorite to produce the best electric pickup on the market, thanks to their excellent platform and engineering prowess.
Photos: Ford
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming fully electric F-150 right here in the Ford-trucks forum.
Numbers Issue
Many point to the fact that the Tesla collected an astounding 600,000 pre-orders for the Cybertruck as proof that it's a legitimate contender to the F-150. Problem is, it only required a refundable $100 deposit to reserve one. Not everyone is going to turn around and actually order a Cybertruck when it arrives in 2022. The other problem is, Tesla has a pretty bad track record of meeting its own deadlines in terms of vehicle releases.
Photos: Ford
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming fully electric F-150 right here in the Ford-trucks forum.
Scaling Issue
So if we had to bet money on which truck will arrive to market first, we'd certainly put it on the F-150 EV. But at least Tesla has experience designing and building vehicles. Other upstarts like Nikola are doing things from the ground up, and haven't yet built or sold anything, while Ford moves millions of vehicles per year.
Photos: Ford
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming fully electric F-150 right here in the Ford-trucks forum.
Brand Loyalists
Another issue for Tesla and other upstart EV truck makers is brand loyalty. While Tesla enjoys a rather cult-like following, it'll be tough to convert existing F-150 owners, too. Truck owners are more brand loyal than most, and it's not going to be easy to poach buyers from the competition.
Photos: Ford
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming fully electric F-150 right here in the Ford-trucks forum.
One More Step
That said, the real key to success in the EV truck market is new buyers. The kind of folks that maybe have never owned a truck before, but are lured in by the appeal of their utility and electric power. But once again, Ford has the upper hand here, as the F-150 is already a proven vehicle. All they have to do is build a solid electric powertrain for it. And then, the automaker can enjoy what is another likely victory in the world of pickups.
Photos: Ford
>>Join the conversation about the upcoming fully electric F-150 right here in the Ford-trucks forum.
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