Cybertruck's End Signals Shift to Smaller EVs
Original: The Cybertruck’s Death Is Actually Great News for EVs
Why This Matters
Smaller EVs could lower prices and ease battery supply chain strain at scale.
Tesla will end Cybertruck production at its Texas Gigafactory in 2027, marking the second major electric truck cancellation in a year after Ford killed the F-150 Lightning. Smaller, cheaper EVs are filling the gap.
Tesla's decision to end Cybertruck production follows Ford's cancellation of the F-150 Lightning late last year—two electric trucks both powered by batteries exceeding 120 kilowatt-hours and weighing over 1,200 pounds. The Cybertruck's 123 kWh battery alone accounts for roughly a quarter of the vehicle's total weight.
In their place, a wave of smaller, more affordable EVs is taking shape. Ford plans to launch the Fathom—a sub-$30,000 compact electric pickup roughly the size of its gas-powered Maverick—while startup Slate is offering a convertible electric micro-truck starting below $25,000. Rivian's R2 SUV, already on the market, packs an 88 kWh battery, noticeably leaner than its R1S flagship.
The trend has clear implications for cost. The average new EV transaction price now sits at $55,800, per Cox Automotive. Battery packs remain the single most expensive EV component, so shrinking them directly reduces sticker price. Smaller vehicles also carry pedestrian safety benefits.
Large EVs aren't gone—the Kia EV9 and Rivian R1S still rank in the US top 10 by sales—but the emerging class of announced vehicles skews compact or extended-range hybrid. Whether preorder enthusiasm for vehicles like Slate's truck translates to actual sales, as the Cybertruck's own rocky history demonstrates, remains to be seen.