- The controversial Tesla Cybertruck hits again.
- Famous tech YouTuber JerryRigEverything lost a video sponsor because of the controversy surrounding the EV.
- While the truck has many fans, it has also become a kind of lightning rod on social media platforms amid a wider backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
It’s no secret that the Tesla Cybertruck is one of the most controversial, if not the most controversial vehicles, on the road today. As our own Mack Hogan found out during his early review of the electric pickup, everybody turns their head to get a better look at the angular truck, and some of them may also extend a middle finger after they do.
That it's such an attention-grabber is both good and bad news. It’s good for people who want to promote a business because the Cybertruck is basically a billboard on wheels. But it’s also bad because not everybody is exactly keen on seeing yet another Cybertruck on the road—and some of them aren’t afraid of letting the driver know that, for better or worse. And some folks would just rather not be associated with it at all.
Take famous smartphone torturer and YouTuber JerryRigEverything. He bought a Tesla Cybertruck eight months ago and has since covered over 13,000 miles with it.
Its main purpose is to be a work truck for his wheelchair business, towing and carrying all sorts of loads, all while promoting the business. But as you’ll see in the video embedded below, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.
As Zack Nelson—the real name behind the JerryRigEverything moniker—puts it, the ownership experience has been lackluster. For starters, a screw that keeps the driver’s door hinge in place has a habit of working itself out over time–not a big deal, as it can simply be tightened at home. A bigger issue, however, is that the piece of trim on the A-pillar started dangling while driving–not ideal, especially since Tesla originally claimed the entire body of the car would be a so-called “exoskeleton,” when in fact it’s just a unibody-type construction.
Then there’s the towing situation. Nelson said he stopped towing with his Tesla Cybertruck after watching WhistlinDiesel’s video where the tow hook snapped off the back of the EV after being put through some hardcore tests–mind you, a Ford F-150 went through the same torture and the tow hitch survived.
“The risk is too big,” Nelson said, referring to the fragile nature of the whole setup adopted by Tesla. In the Cybertruck, the tow bar is bolted onto a cast aluminum piece, which Nelson says is much weaker than a traditional steel ladder frame.
There are also issues with the headlights. Because of their position just above the front bumper, snow can accumulate right in front of them, making winter driving at night quite a hassle, especially because LED lights don’t emit enough heat to melt the snow. Another lighting-related annoyance has to do with the LED light strip at the top of the front fascia, which can also get snow on it and dissipate light in all directions, making it hard to see where you’re going at night.
Gallery: 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Review
But the biggest problem is that the sponsor who was supposed to pay Nelson for the video you see above had a change of heart when it found out a Cybertruck was involved. “We would rather not be featured alongside Cybertruck content at this time,” the sponsor said after the YouTuber sent a preview of the video. That can’t be good for business, no matter how you look at it.
A big part of the reluctance can be attributed to the increasingly worrisome antics of Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk. You only have to take a gander at his X account lately to see why. In many ways, the truck has become a rolling symbol of Musk's very loud politics, which not everyone is bound to agree with, especially as he steps up his involvement in the most controversial election the U.S. has seen in modern times.
As for Nelson, he seems to get it, even if he too says he doesn't agree with what Musk has to say these days. "Buying such a polarizing vehicle is just a factor that needs to be considered," he said. "[Musk's statements] are not normal. And at the moment, with my business slapped on the side, it looks as if I support those kinds of takes. Which I most definitely do not."
In the end, he says the honeymoon has worn off a bit, and he's eyeing another Rivian or the Chevy Silverado EV. "I was never super emotionally attached to the Cybertruck in the first place," he said.
