The Tesla Truck Is Coming Today. Here's What That Means for Ford and GM Stock

[MineralMan]

20. Well, the coal rollers are a very tiny subset of pickup owners.

Over my life of driving, I've owned about a dozen pickups at one time or another. I just bought one again, because we're doing a bunch of cleanup and other chores around our home. My new pickup is 23 years old and I have less than $1500 in it. You'd be surprised how many pickup owners there are out there like me.

A lot of others buy pickups to pull boats and RVs. Typically, they use the truck the rest of the time like they'd use any other vehicle. But, when they do use it as a workhorse, it's generally going to be traveling way beyond the range of an EV and probably to a place where there's no charging station.

Then, there are people who use pickups in their businesses. A lot of those pickups are base trim models, rather than ones with lots of options and big engines, etc. At an estimated starting cost of $50k, the Tesla pickup's not going to be of much interest. Besides, in many areas, a days work could easily exceed the driving range.

So, who will buy a pickup EV? I'm not sure, really. People who want an EV that can haul bags of yard waste, perhaps, and who aren't going to use it for long trips or for towing their RV or boat on a vacation, maybe. I don't know. Maybe some people who buy 4-door pickups that can seat 5, and just like the idea of a pickup EV to haul a piece of furniture or some trash. Maybe those people, if they have enough disposable income to buy a $50,000 pickup for those purposes.

Me? I have mine as a second vehicle. I use it as needed, either when the other car is gone or if I need to haul some stuff somewhere. My $1500 pickup will do that just fine. If it's typical of my pickup ownership, I'll keep it a couple of years and sell it for what I paid for it to someone else who needs a pickup for a while. I don't think the Tesla's for me.