In recent history, a slew of electric trucks was announced by several manufacturers. The Rivian R1T, Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Hummer EV have all promised to arrive “soon” by their respective manufacturers. The lofty promise of an electric truck’s added utility and efficiency is too attractive for consumers and enthusiasts to ignore.

We are thirsty for the smallest update on production, features, and especially release date when it comes to these alleged near-future trucks. There is lots of interest, but we have to wonder who the potential buyers for these electric trucks are?

On a recent episode of the Waveform podcast host, Marques Brownlee and automotive reviewer Doug DeMuro discussed the potential customers for electric trucks and what their interests in them might be. They also had a few things to say about Cybertruck’s looks.

Is the Cybertruck ugly?

The Tesla Cybertruck has effectively owned the conversation on EV trucks since its unconventional reveal back in 2019. Its boxy “low polygon” design instantly became one of the most polarizing discussions on social media. Of course, ardent Tesla fans love Cybertruck’s dystopian, utilitarian design. Other people felt differently. Doug and Marques seem to be on opposite sides of the debate.

“Do you not feel that the Cybertruck is the ugliest truck you’ve seen in your entire life?” Asked Doug.

“Do you know what’s funny about that? It isn’t actually ugly to me.” Marques replied. “It does have a very strange look. It looks like a 2D render sometimes. I’ve only seen it in person once, and I’ve seen it in various videos. But to me, the brutish nature of it is kind of endearing. Like they don’t care about looking good, which is kind of cool to me. I don’t know why. It’s just interesting.”

To each their own!

What do Marques Brownlee and Doug DeMuro think about electric truck customers?

When the topic shifted to electric trucks during the podcast, Doug and Marques wondered who the customers would ultimately be for each of the electric trucks. When it comes to the Cybertruck and the Hummer EV, both seem to agree that the customers may not be who most would expect.

“Everyone associates pick up tucks with the middle of the country and think ‘those people are not going to buy electric,’ and that is probably true. But crazy pick-up trucks are primarily sold to wealthy people on the coasts.” Said Doug.

Marques Brownlee agrees that there are potentially two different audiences who are eyeing the Ford F-150 Lightning versus the flashier Cybertruck and Hummer EV for various reasons.

“That’s what’s funny about the Cybertruck and the Ford F-150 lightning. I feel like I’m talking to two very different groups of people. Because I’m talking about a truck [F-150] on one hand where it’s like utility matters and this thing can power your tools and it has a huge amount of covered storage and ‘look at all this great utility don’t you want this better truck?’”

“But then there’s also this premium electric vehicle enthusiast whos like, ‘I never wanted a truck, but this one is sick!’ How many millions are in the same boat?” Said Brownlee.

It seems that the consensus between the two is that the Cybertruck and Hummer EV that lean into the cool factor will see most of their popularity in urban coastal cities with customers looking for cool points; white the F-150 Lightning will appeal more to those looking for utility.

We are hardpressed to disagree.