{"id":35137,"date":"2025-10-23T12:01:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T16:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=35137"},"modified":"2025-10-23T12:01:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T16:01:04","slug":"payne-taking-the-sci-fi-tesla-cybertruck-to-work-on-the-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/payne-taking-the-sci-fi-tesla-cybertruck-to-work-on-the-farm","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Taking the sci-fi Tesla Cybertruck to work on the farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stratford, Virginia<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 If I had pulled up to the Lee family home in 1776 in a Tesla Cybertruck, they would have thought I was a time traveler from the future.<\/p>\n

Which is not much different than the reaction I received when I pulled up in 2025.<\/p>\n

I took a Cybertruck on a weekend trip with Mrs. Payne this fall to help prepare Stratford Hall, the historic home of signers Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, for next year\u2019s 250th<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Our Turo rental was mobbed by Stratford volunteers, staffers and board members as if I had driven onto campus in a Tron Light Cycle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/div>\n
\n
The 2025 Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive features all-wheel-steer for a tight turning radius.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

If the Ford F-150 is America\u2019s best-selling pickup, then Cybertruck is its most famous. Six years after its wild Silicon Valley introduction, the electric pickup still creates a buzz.<\/p>\n

From its radical shape to its face-flattening speed to its self-driving capabilities, Cybertruck is a celebrity that looks like it rolled off a sci-fi movie set. Bladerunner, Tron, Mad Max \u2014 take your pick. When I wasn\u2019t giving thrill rides to just about everyone on the 1,800-acre Stratford farm, the truck was proving itself a useful Swiss army knife hauling cargo.<\/p>\n

It is still a rarity \u2014 particularly in places like rural Virginia, where full-size work trucks are everywhere \u2014 with its rich, $82K starting price and propensity to attract domestic terrorists who want to blow it up. I was encouraged by the truck\u2019s enthusiastic reception, a promising sign the furries have moved on to other targets. Still, the truck’s high price and sluggish sales are surely a disappointment to Tesla.<\/p>\n

With Cybertruck, CEO Elon Musk was determined to jump-start the EV revolution in the market\u2019s highest-volume segment. But the high price of batteries \u2014 and their inherent towing limitations \u2014 has kept Cybertruck (and other EV pickups) from competing in mass-volume, $40K truck business fleets.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The legendary shape of the 2025 Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive in front of the one of America’s most unique historic homes, Stratford Hall in Virginia – the home of two signers of the Declaration of Independence.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

Cybertruck competes against premium, country-club trucks like the Ford F-150 Raptor, Ram 1500 RHO, Chevy Silverado High Country, GMC Hummer EV and Ford Lightning Platinum EV.<\/p>\n

In truth Cybertruck is a class of one, the most radical vehicle of the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

Begin with its polarizing design. Everyone has an opinion. The truck\u2019s militaristic vibe skews male, but female reactions were all over the map.<\/p>\n

Very futuristic.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s ugly.<\/em><\/p>\n

Can you take a picture of me with the Tesla so I can share with my kids?<\/em><\/p>\n

Where\u2019s the machine gun turret?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The 2025 Tesla Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive features a big, fixed panoramic roof.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

I\u2019ve driven Tesla\u2019s distinctive model lineup extensively, and Cybertruck\u2019s design is the most extreme. Yet, once inside, I was reminded how similar its operation is to its siblings. iPhone simple aesthetics. Horizontal lines. Mono-screen housing most controls: mirror\/steering position, climate controls, even shifting.<\/p>\n

To a non-Tesla user, it\u2019s an alien landscape.<\/p>\n