A video posted to the social media platform X has garnered nearly 25 million views after Elon Musk quote-tweeted a positive reference to Tesla’s Cybertruck and it’s full self-driving capabilities. A man named Nic Cruz Patane shared that his friend had just ditched his Range Rover and purchased the EV SUV ecause he “wanted to support Elon Musk.” With audio on, you can hear Christian music playing from the speakers.
“A friend in Texas recently picked up his Cybertruck because he wanted to support Elon/Tesla is blown away by Full Self-Driving. He is a first time EV owner. This all completely new to him. He replaced his Range Rover with Cybertruck,” the post from the blue-check X account from Patane captioned. A second tweet indicated it looked impressive with a satin black wrap.
As Elon often does on X when it comes to comments on Tesla – Elon owns both Tesla and X, so it creates a nice symbiotic relationship for positive PR – he thanked everyone for their support of his vehicles. “Heartfelt thanks to everyone supporting @Tesla, despite many attacks against our stores and offices,” he said before including a few red heart emojis.
With Elon’s retweet, the initial post then garnered far more eyeballs. One user noted that the driver was not just supporting Elon Musk, and presumably by extension Donald Trump and the America First movement, but also supportive of Christianity by way of their musical selection. “He is also playing Christian music while driving down the highway in his American-made Cybertruck! Nature has healed!” the account Red Wave Press responded.
Of course, not everyone was thrilled to see the Cybertruck. Some people will never be happy; others spoke in regard to the EV’s massive price tag. Still others responded with concerns about the famous issues that have continued to plague the electric vehicle market, notably the inability to charge with as much convenience as a gas-powered vehicle. As the Tesla SUV was also capable of fully automated driving capabilities, it also prompted comments to touch on what that exactly means.
“They may be good for people who drive long distances,” one user wrote. “But you still can’t take your eyes off the road and read a book or play a game on your phone during those hours. The car will remind you *eyes on the road*. If you can’t a charging station then what? This car only makes sense if it *refuels* itself while moving. As far as the freedom from driving yourself it kills an instinct for self preservation.”
“How affordable is it?” one user asked in reference to its cost. “And how often do I have to charge it to go from say NY to GA to TN to NY ? How long do I have to wait for it to charge and how much does it cost per mile to charge? Compared to Gasoline? What fossil fuel made The electricity at the charging station so Tesla could be electric? Wind /Solar carbon footprint ? And what effect does the manufacturing of the wind and solar have on the environment cost/ landscape/acreage needed, Wild life destroyed? How does the Solar panels wind farms get recycled? And also then what does it cost to fix? What’s the cost of a new battery? Is this like a Monthly Mortgage payment and how many years will I have to pay and how long will the Tesla last? And can someone remotely control the car and intentionally cause an accident? I have so many questions.”
Take a look at the viral clip that amassed almost 25 million views at time of writing and sparked a lively debate:
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video.