![](https://images1.caifuzhongwen.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20240730/08002780efb72812e4d903.jpg)
拉马尔终于拿到Cybertruck车钥匙的那一刻,他简直不敢相信自己的好运气。自从五年前第一眼看到这辆四吨重的不锈钢巨无霸,他就对它垂涎三尺。经过两个月坚持不懈的劝说,妻子终于同意支付订金。
33岁的拉马尔表示:“家人最开始反对我买这辆车。他们认为这辆车看起来很丑。我费了很大力气才说服他们。”
然而,拥有第一辆Cybertruck汽车的梦想,却变成了长达四个月的噩梦。
仅仅两周后,这辆价值10万美元的新车就发生了故障,在修理厂的时间超过了它在路上行驶的时间,因为特斯拉的机修工难以维持电气系统的正常运行。
拉马尔不得不多次使用代用车,他变得越来越绝望,去了五六次罗利服务中心,每次要经过近两小时车程。后来,由于找不到上报问题的途径,他只能求助于社交媒体。
特斯拉后来大发慈悲给他换了一辆汽车,但这辆车同样出现了问题,此时这件事引起了特斯拉CEO埃隆·马斯克本人的关注,他向拉马尔保证公司会妥善解决这个问题。
但伤疤依然存在,即使所有问题都得到了谅解,这段经历却令人难以忘记。
“你提心吊胆,甚至不敢长途驾驶”
拉马尔与《财富》杂志分享了这段极其痛苦的经历。它揭示了特斯拉的企业文化,即大胆创新,同时又不负责任。
拉马尔表示:“每次开车时,我们都在想它会不会又坏了。你心里始终放不下。你提心吊胆,甚至不敢长途驾驶。”
团结的忠实车主社区可能提供支持,但前提是问题得到谨慎处理,并远离公众的视线。
否则,支持就会变成骚扰——这也是为什么虽然本刊知道拉马尔的全名,但他仍希望在文中隐去自己的姓氏。
虽然拉马尔的遭遇是极端个例,但它基本反映了这款车存在的问题。它因为各种不同问题已经导致了多次召回,例如意外加速、挡风玻璃雨刮器故障和行驶中可能脱落的塑料装饰等。
其他客户抱怨“幽灵耗电”问题,即电池在未使用时耗电速度过快。
这款卡车采用了一系列新技术,包括线控转向,它取消了驾驶员方向盘与前轴之间的任何机械连接。
它独特的楔形源于金属无法在三维冲压模具中压制成型——只能弯成直线折痕和锐边。如果你想要其他颜色,必须用乙烯基或聚氨酯包裹,因为油漆无法很好地附着在不锈钢上。
拉马尔对这辆车的体验,从两周后第一次出现故障开始,可能也解释了为什么特斯拉核心汽车业务的盈利能力刚刚跌至五年来的最低点。
派杰证券(Piper Sandler)分析师亚历克斯·波特怀疑,Cybertruck汽车复杂的工程设计导致保修成本激增,是汽车毛利率在上个季度降至14.6%的原因,这是至少五年来的最低水平。
而现在,在这家汽车厂商准备发布下一款新车之际,困扰这款电动皮卡的工程设计问题存在被掩盖的风险。
“它是我梦寐以求的卡车”
去年11月,这款卡车终于在德克萨斯州投入生产,由于疫情之后的供应链短缺等问题,这已经比计划晚了几年,当时拉马尔已经放弃。当年夏天,他买了第一辆特斯拉汽车Model Y,他称之为“樱桃”。
他发现他可以将通过给特斯拉推荐客户而获得的积分用来消费,于是他立刻花掉了一半积分,只为了在Cybertruck的候选名单上排得更靠前。这种积分是一种虚拟货币,可以购买商品、免费超充里程或一个月的全自动驾驶服务。
他订购的那辆Cybertruck是第一批投产的2,000辆汽车之一,并且是今年三月运送到北卡罗来纳州当地特斯拉服务中心的第一辆Cybertruck。
他回忆说:“他们和我一样兴奋。”
作为特斯拉的忠实粉丝,拉马尔深知,拥有一辆刚刚投产不久的新型汽车可能会遇到一些问题,但他非常愿意承担这个风险。“它是我梦寐以求的卡车。”
他的全轮驱动Foundation系列是他买过的最贵的汽车。
他给它取名为“Beskar”,这是取自波巴·菲特等曼达洛人所穿的铠甲上的珍贵合金。不久后,他会发现这辆卡车完全不像星球大战中的那种无敌金属。
Cybertruck是马斯克迄今为止最大胆的豪赌
对于特斯拉CEO马斯克来说,Cybertruck具有浓重的个人色彩。 这一次,敢于与众不同的不仅仅是动力技术或软件:这款汽车的整体设计打破了全尺寸皮卡的传统。这一细分市场具有典型的美国特色,而且几乎所有全尺寸皮卡都在美国销售。
作为马斯克迄今为止最大胆的一次豪赌,正是这种风险让特斯拉与众不同,并赢得了众多的追随者。
Cybertruck甚至没有传统的徽标,可以说,它不需要徽标。无论你是否喜欢它,绝对不会把它与竞争对手混为一谈。
马斯克对风险并不抱有任何幻想。三年前他就承认这款汽车可能会失败。
他写道:“我不在乎。即使别人不喜欢,我依旧深爱着它。Cybertruck看起来像是由来自未来的外星人制造的产物。”
一方面,它是无数笑话的笑柄。人们嘲笑浣熊把它误认成垃圾车;在Reddit上有一个名为“Cyberstuck”的子板块,专门曝光这款卡车的故障,而且喜剧中心(Comedy Central)的每日秀(Daily Show)公开讥讽它为“Cybercuck”。
但它也一直是社交媒体上的热门话题,人们拍摄自己对着超坚固的防弹车身清空弹夹的视频,像疯子一样在加固的挡风玻璃和车顶上跳上跳下,或者用棒球棒对着它猛砸。
金·卡戴珊是众多被拍到驾驶这辆车的名人之一,YouTube上最大的网红MrBeast最近举办了一场比赛,10名参赛者每人可赢得一辆Cybertruck作为奖品。
上周二,特斯拉表示,Cybertruck已经超越Rivian R1T和福特(Ford)F-150 Lightning,成为美国市场上排名第一的电动皮卡。随着产量的增加,Cybertruck仍有望在年底前实现盈利。
Cybertruck因为不断出现的问题遭到重创
这并不能让拉马尔感到安慰,因为在四个月的时间里,他的车屡屡出现问题。
与自己的卡车一样,拉马尔也崩溃了,他意识到这辆车带来的麻烦超过了它的价值。他没想要求退款,但也不想再开他的Cybertruck。他只能放弃“Beskar”。
特斯拉提出从他那里回购那辆汽车并就此结束该笔交易,但新的订单意味着他必须等待一段未知的时间才能得到一辆新车。据马斯克表示,在这款卡车发布时,有一百万客户正在等待,而德克萨斯州的工厂今年的产能仅能满足八分之一的需求。
此外,他的银行贷款条件也将发生变化,因此拉马尔根据北卡罗来纳州的“柠檬法”要求换新。
经过漫长的交涉,在又去了一次最近的特斯拉服务中心后,拉马尔非常沮丧地录制了一段视频。在视频中,他说自己再也无法凭良心推荐特斯拉了。随后,他立即将视频上传到社交媒体,然后开始长途跋涉返回北卡罗来纳州的家中。
特斯拉内部有人肯定得到了消息,这可能来自在社交媒体上看到这条视频的车主,因为仅仅一个小时后,拉马尔在麦当劳(McDonald)休息的时候,接到了一通电话。电话那头是一位特斯拉经理,他被授权为拉马尔换车,不到一周,他就拿到了一辆新卡车。
![](https://images1.caifuzhongwen.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20240730/08002780efb72812e56b04.jpg)
他说:“老实说,当时我对特斯拉已经失望透顶,我已经要放弃它了。巧合的是,他们当天就给我打了电话,要解决问题。电话来得正是时候。”
如释重负的拉马尔主动删除了视频。
马斯克介入
在此期间,特斯拉有了更多的实践机会,因为它又制造了1万辆Cybertruck卡车。
拉马尔立刻发现,与他前一辆皮卡相比,这辆车的做工显然更好,他欣喜若狂,并在度假时又花了几千美元,将车涂成了蓝色。但度假归来后,这辆皮卡却无法启动——它无法充电,所有功能都无法使用。
拉马尔说:“它完全没有反应,就像我车库里的一块大砖头。如果我在荒无人烟的地方发生这种情况怎么办?”
此时已是七月,拉马尔再次在马斯克的社交媒体平台上发布了一系列推文,记录下自己的问题,向社交媒体平台上的用户证明,他并不是为了博取眼球而自导自演了这个问题。
拉马尔并不在乎这是否会惹怒任何人。他说道:“我只想让特斯拉变得更好。这就是我暴露问题的原因。”
令他又惊又喜的是,马斯克发现了这个问题,并很快与他取得了联系,告诉他会立即解决问题。
几周后,拉马尔证实他的问题得到了解决。他很开心,终于如愿以偿。但他不得不经历了严峻的考验,而且不是每个人都能有这样的耐心。
他告诉《财富》:“诅咒已经解除。”他一直坚信特斯拉最终会成功:“我不后悔。”(财富中文网)
译者:刘进龙
审校;汪皓
在持续几周把全新Cyertruck汽车送到服务中心后,特斯拉粉丝拉马尔终于崩溃,他根据北卡罗莱纳州的“柠檬法”,更换了一辆新车。但他的问题并没有结束。COURTESY OF LEMAR
拉马尔终于拿到Cybertruck车钥匙的那一刻,他简直不敢相信自己的好运气。自从五年前第一眼看到这辆四吨重的不锈钢巨无霸,他就对它垂涎三尺。经过两个月坚持不懈的劝说,妻子终于同意支付订金。
33岁的拉马尔表示:“家人最开始反对我买这辆车。他们认为这辆车看起来很丑。我费了很大力气才说服他们。”
然而,拥有第一辆Cybertruck汽车的梦想,却变成了长达四个月的噩梦。
仅仅两周后,这辆价值10万美元的新车就发生了故障,在修理厂的时间超过了它在路上行驶的时间,因为特斯拉的机修工难以维持电气系统的正常运行。
拉马尔不得不多次使用代用车,他变得越来越绝望,去了五六次罗利服务中心,每次要经过近两小时车程。后来,由于找不到上报问题的途径,他只能求助于社交媒体。
特斯拉后来大发慈悲给他换了一辆汽车,但这辆车同样出现了问题,此时这件事引起了特斯拉CEO埃隆·马斯克本人的关注,他向拉马尔保证公司会妥善解决这个问题。
但伤疤依然存在,即使所有问题都得到了谅解,这段经历却令人难以忘记。
“你提心吊胆,甚至不敢长途驾驶”
拉马尔与《财富》杂志分享了这段极其痛苦的经历。它揭示了特斯拉的企业文化,即大胆创新,同时又不负责任。
拉马尔表示:“每次开车时,我们都在想它会不会又坏了。你心里始终放不下。你提心吊胆,甚至不敢长途驾驶。”
团结的忠实车主社区可能提供支持,但前提是问题得到谨慎处理,并远离公众的视线。
否则,支持就会变成骚扰——这也是为什么虽然本刊知道拉马尔的全名,但他仍希望在文中隐去自己的姓氏。
虽然拉马尔的遭遇是极端个例,但它基本反映了这款车存在的问题。它因为各种不同问题已经导致了多次召回,例如意外加速、挡风玻璃雨刮器故障和行驶中可能脱落的塑料装饰等。
其他客户抱怨“幽灵耗电”问题,即电池在未使用时耗电速度过快。
这款卡车采用了一系列新技术,包括线控转向,它取消了驾驶员方向盘与前轴之间的任何机械连接。
它独特的楔形源于金属无法在三维冲压模具中压制成型——只能弯成直线折痕和锐边。如果你想要其他颜色,必须用乙烯基或聚氨酯包裹,因为油漆无法很好地附着在不锈钢上。
拉马尔对这辆车的体验,从两周后第一次出现故障开始,可能也解释了为什么特斯拉核心汽车业务的盈利能力刚刚跌至五年来的最低点。
派杰证券(Piper Sandler)分析师亚历克斯·波特怀疑,Cybertruck汽车复杂的工程设计导致保修成本激增,是汽车毛利率在上个季度降至14.6%的原因,这是至少五年来的最低水平。
而现在,在这家汽车厂商准备发布下一款新车之际,困扰这款电动皮卡的工程设计问题存在被掩盖的风险。
“它是我梦寐以求的卡车”
去年11月,这款卡车终于在德克萨斯州投入生产,由于疫情之后的供应链短缺等问题,这已经比计划晚了几年,当时拉马尔已经放弃。当年夏天,他买了第一辆特斯拉汽车Model Y,他称之为“樱桃”。
他发现他可以将通过给特斯拉推荐客户而获得的积分用来消费,于是他立刻花掉了一半积分,只为了在Cybertruck的候选名单上排得更靠前。这种积分是一种虚拟货币,可以购买商品、免费超充里程或一个月的全自动驾驶服务。
他订购的那辆Cybertruck是第一批投产的2,000辆汽车之一,并且是今年三月运送到北卡罗来纳州当地特斯拉服务中心的第一辆Cybertruck。
他回忆说:“他们和我一样兴奋。”
作为特斯拉的忠实粉丝,拉马尔深知,拥有一辆刚刚投产不久的新型汽车可能会遇到一些问题,但他非常愿意承担这个风险。“它是我梦寐以求的卡车。”
他的全轮驱动Foundation系列是他买过的最贵的汽车。
他给它取名为“Beskar”,这是取自波巴·菲特等曼达洛人所穿的铠甲上的珍贵合金。不久后,他会发现这辆卡车完全不像星球大战中的那种无敌金属。
Cybertruck是马斯克迄今为止最大胆的豪赌
对于特斯拉CEO马斯克来说,Cybertruck具有浓重的个人色彩。 这一次,敢于与众不同的不仅仅是动力技术或软件:这款汽车的整体设计打破了全尺寸皮卡的传统。这一细分市场具有典型的美国特色,而且几乎所有全尺寸皮卡都在美国销售。
作为马斯克迄今为止最大胆的一次豪赌,正是这种风险让特斯拉与众不同,并赢得了众多的追随者。
Cybertruck甚至没有传统的徽标,可以说,它不需要徽标。无论你是否喜欢它,绝对不会把它与竞争对手混为一谈。
马斯克对风险并不抱有任何幻想。三年前他就承认这款汽车可能会失败。
他写道:“我不在乎。即使别人不喜欢,我依旧深爱着它。Cybertruck看起来像是由来自未来的外星人制造的产物。”
一方面,它是无数笑话的笑柄。人们嘲笑浣熊把它误认成垃圾车;在Reddit上有一个名为“Cyberstuck”的子板块,专门曝光这款卡车的故障,而且喜剧中心(Comedy Central)的每日秀(Daily Show)公开讥讽它为“Cybercuck”。
但它也一直是社交媒体上的热门话题,人们拍摄自己对着超坚固的防弹车身清空弹夹的视频,像疯子一样在加固的挡风玻璃和车顶上跳上跳下,或者用棒球棒对着它猛砸。
金·卡戴珊是众多被拍到驾驶这辆车的名人之一,YouTube上最大的网红MrBeast最近举办了一场比赛,10名参赛者每人可赢得一辆Cybertruck作为奖品。
上周二,特斯拉表示,Cybertruck已经超越Rivian R1T和福特(Ford)F-150 Lightning,成为美国市场上排名第一的电动皮卡。随着产量的增加,Cybertruck仍有望在年底前实现盈利。
Cybertruck因为不断出现的问题遭到重创
这并不能让拉马尔感到安慰,因为在四个月的时间里,他的车屡屡出现问题。
与自己的卡车一样,拉马尔也崩溃了,他意识到这辆车带来的麻烦超过了它的价值。他没想要求退款,但也不想再开他的Cybertruck。他只能放弃“Beskar”。
特斯拉提出从他那里回购那辆汽车并就此结束该笔交易,但新的订单意味着他必须等待一段未知的时间才能得到一辆新车。据马斯克表示,在这款卡车发布时,有一百万客户正在等待,而德克萨斯州的工厂今年的产能仅能满足八分之一的需求。
此外,他的银行贷款条件也将发生变化,因此拉马尔根据北卡罗来纳州的“柠檬法”要求换新。
经过漫长的交涉,在又去了一次最近的特斯拉服务中心后,拉马尔非常沮丧地录制了一段视频。在视频中,他说自己再也无法凭良心推荐特斯拉了。随后,他立即将视频上传到社交媒体,然后开始长途跋涉返回北卡罗来纳州的家中。
特斯拉内部有人肯定得到了消息,这可能来自在社交媒体上看到这条视频的车主,因为仅仅一个小时后,拉马尔在麦当劳(McDonald)休息的时候,接到了一通电话。电话那头是一位特斯拉经理,他被授权为拉马尔换车,不到一周,他就拿到了一辆新卡车。
他说:“老实说,当时我对特斯拉已经失望透顶,我已经要放弃它了。巧合的是,他们当天就给我打了电话,要解决问题。电话来得正是时候。”
如释重负的拉马尔主动删除了视频。
马斯克介入
在此期间,特斯拉有了更多的实践机会,因为它又制造了1万辆Cybertruck卡车。
拉马尔立刻发现,与他前一辆皮卡相比,这辆车的做工显然更好,他欣喜若狂,并在度假时又花了几千美元,将车涂成了蓝色。但度假归来后,这辆皮卡却无法启动——它无法充电,所有功能都无法使用。
拉马尔说:“它完全没有反应,就像我车库里的一块大砖头。如果我在荒无人烟的地方发生这种情况怎么办?”
此时已是七月,拉马尔再次在马斯克的社交媒体平台上发布了一系列推文,记录下自己的问题,向社交媒体平台上的用户证明,他并不是为了博取眼球而自导自演了这个问题。
拉马尔并不在乎这是否会惹怒任何人。他说道:“我只想让特斯拉变得更好。这就是我暴露问题的原因。”
令他又惊又喜的是,马斯克发现了这个问题,并很快与他取得了联系,告诉他会立即解决问题。
几周后,拉马尔证实他的问题得到了解决。他很开心,终于如愿以偿。但他不得不经历了严峻的考验,而且不是每个人都能有这样的耐心。
他告诉《财富》:“诅咒已经解除。”他一直坚信特斯拉最终会成功:“我不后悔。”(财富中文网)
译者:刘进龙
审校;汪皓
Tesla fan Lamar endured weeks of service center visits with his brand new Cybertruck before finally breaking down and replacing it for a new one under North Carolina's Lemon Law. His problems didn't end there, however.
When Lamar finally got the keys to his Cybertruck, he couldn’t believe his luck. He had coveted the four-ton stainless steel colossus ever since he first laid eyes on it five years ago, and after two months of persistent lobbying, his wife consented to putting down a deposit.
“My family was initially against it. They thought it looked too ugly, so I had a lot of convincing to do,” the 33-year-old says.
Yet the dream of owning one of the very first Cybertrucks morphed into a four-month-long nightmare.
Just two weeks in, the spanking new $100,000 vehicle broke down and proceeded to spend more time in the shop than on the road as Tesla mechanics struggled to keep the electrical systems up and running.
After multiple loaners, mounting desperation, and a half dozen visits to a Raleigh service center nearly two hours’ drive away, he took to social media because he could find no other way to escalate the issue.
By the time Tesla relented and granted him a replacement that also ended up breaking down, the issue had reached the personal attention of CEO Elon Musk himself, who assured Lamar the company would make good.
But the scars remain, and even if all is forgiven, it is not forgotten.
“You’re on edge, scared to even go a distance in it”
The entire excruciating experience, which he shared with Fortune, reveals a culture at Tesla that, while daring and innovative, can be in equal parts unaccountable.
“Every time we drive we wonder if is it going to break again,” he says. “It’s always in your thoughts. You’re on edge, scared to even go a distance in it.”
The tight-knit community of loyal owners can be supportive, but often only if problems are handled discretely and out of the public eye.
Otherwise, support can turn into harassment—which is one reason why Lamar, whose full name is known to this publication, prefers not to see his last name in print.
While his story is an extreme case, it broadly mimics problems with the vehicle that have resulted in multiple recalls for entirely other issues, such as unintended acceleration, a faulty windshield wiper, and plastic trim that can fly off while driving.
Other customers have complained about phantom drain, the speed at which the battery charge is depleted when not in use.
The truck features a whole slew of new technology, including steer-by-wire, which removes any mechanical connection between the driver’s steering wheel and the front axle.
Its unique wedge shape stems from the metal’s inability to be pressed in three-dimensional stamping dies—it can only be bent into straight creases and sharp edges. If you want it in any color, it has to be wrapped in vinyl or urethane since paint does not adhere properly to stainless steel.
Lamar’s experience with the vehicle, which began two weeks in with the first breakdown, may also explain why profitability at Tesla’s core car business just reached a five-year low.
Piper Sandler analyst Alex Potter suspects a spike in warranty costs stemming from the complex nature of the Cybertruck’s engineering is behind auto gross margins dropping to 14.6% in the past quarter, the lowest in at least five years.
And now, engineering problems that plagued the electric pickup risk being swept under the rug just as the carmaker prepares to launch its next new vehicle.
“It was the truck of my dreams”
When production of the truck finally launched last November in Texas—years behind schedule in part due to supply chain shortages following the pandemic—Lamar had already given up. That summer he had bought his first Tesla, a Model Y he called Cherry.
As soon as he found out he could spend Tesla credits earned from referring customers to the brand—a virtual currency that can buy merch, free supercharging miles or a complementary month of Full Self-Driving—he blew half of them just to be bumped up higher on the waiting list for the Cybertruck.
His was one of the first 2,000 Cybertrucks built and the first dispatched to his local Tesla service center in North Carolina in March this year.
“They were just as excited as I was,” he recalls.
The Tesla enthusiast knew the kinks that can come with owning a model right after the start of production, but Lamar was more than willing to take that risk. “It was the truck of my dreams.”
His all-wheel drive Foundation Series was the most expensive vehicle he ever bought.
He christened it “Beskar”, after the prized alloy adorning the armor of Mandalorians like Boba Fett. Soon he would find out the truck was nothing like the invulnerable metal from Star Wars canon.
Cybertruck is Musk’s boldest gamble yet
For the Tesla CEO, the Cybertruck is deeply personal. This time, it wasn’t just the propulsion technology or the software that dared be different: the whole design shattered the convention of full-size pickups, a segment so quintessentially American that almost all are sold in the United States.
As Musk’s boldest gamble yet, it was exactly the kind of risk that differentiated Tesla from the rest of the pack and earned it such a following.
The Cybertruck doesn’t even sport a traditional badge, and arguably, it doesn’t need one. Either you hate it or love it, but there’s no chance one could possibly confuse it with a rival.
Musk harbored no illusions about the stakes. He readily conceded the vehicle could flop three years ago.
“I don’t care. I love it so much even if others don’t,” he wrote. “Cybertruck looks like it was made by aliens from the future.”
On the one hand, it is the butt of numerous jokes. People have laughed at raccoons mistaking it for a dumpster; there’s an entire subreddit called “Cyberstuck” dedicated to the truck breaking down, and it’s even been lampooned on Comedy Central’s Daily Show as the “Cybercuck.”
But it’s also been a beloved subject of social media, with people filming themselves emptying firearms at the ultrahard bullet-resistant exterior, jumping up and down on its reinforced windshield and roof like madmen, or whaling at it with baseball bats.
Kim Kardashian is just one of many celebrities spotted driving one, and YouTube’s biggest star MrBeast recently held a contest where 10 contestants could each win a Cybertruck as a prize.
On Tuesday, Tesla said it had already surpassed the Rivian R1T and the Ford F-150 Lightning to become the number one electric pickup in the U.S. market. As production ramped, the vehicle remained on track to achieve profitability by year-end.
Cybertruck struck by repeated problems
For Lamar, that is little consolation since he suffered repeated problems over the course of four months.
Much like his truck, Lamar broke down, realizing the vehicle was more trouble than it was worth. He didn’t want his money back, but he also didn’t want his Cybertruck anymore. “Beskar” had to go.
Tesla offered to buy it from him and end the transaction there, but a new order meant he would have to wait for an unknown period to get a new one—according to Musk, there were 1 million customers in line when the truck launched, and the Texas factory only has installed capacity to build an eighth of that this year.
Moreover the terms of his bank loan would also change, so Lamar asked for it replaced under North Carolina’s lemon law.
After a long back-and-forth and yet another trip to the nearest Tesla service center, he recorded a video in absolute frustration in which he said he could no longer recommend a Tesla in good conscience. He then immediately uploaded the video to social media before starting the long drive back home in North Carolina.
Someone at the company must have been alerted, probably through someone in the community who saw it, since only an hour later, during a rest stop at McDonald’s, he received a call. On the phone was a Tesla manager authorized to replace it, and within a week, he had a new truck.
“At that point I was honestly done with Tesla, that was going to be it for me. It just so happened they called me that same day and made it right,” he says. “The phone call came in the nick of time.”
Relieved, Lamar deleted the video of his own accord.
Musk’s intervention
In the meantime, Tesla had more opportunity to practice, having built another 10,000 Cybertrucks.
Instantly noticing the build quality looked pristine compared with his previous pickup, Lamar was elated and quickly wrapped it in blue for a few thousand extra dollars while he went on vacation. But after returning from vacation, the truck was dead—it wouldn’t charge, and nothing worked.
“It was completely unresponsive, just this giant brick in my garage,” Lamar said. “What if that happened when I was in the middle of nowhere?”
By that point, it was July, and Lamar uploaded a series of tweets to Musk’s social media platform once more, documenting his problems to prove to those in the community that he hadn’t created the issue himself just to gain attention.
Lamar doesn’t care whether it ruffles any feathers. “I just want Tesla to be better,” he says. “That is why I’m pointing it out.”
To his surprise and delight, Musk was alerted to it, and he soon contacted him, telling him it would be fixed immediately.
A few weeks in, Lamar confirms he’s had no further problems. He’s happy and finally has what he wants. But he had to suffer trial by fire—and not everyone will likely have the same patience.
“The curse has been lifted” he tells Fortune. He always had faith Tesla would get there in the end: “I don’t have any regrets.”