Tesla’s Cybertruck Will Test America’s Great Political Divide
The transition to electric vehicles has reached a tipping point for widespread adoption in the US — but only in states that voted for Biden.
Ford’s F-150 Lightning pickup trucks have failed to win over the red-state masses.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergWhen Tesla Inc. hands over the first of its Cybertrucks to customers on Nov. 30, it will embark on one of its toughest challenges yet: overcoming America’s partisan divide over electric vehicles.
EV ownership is deeply tied to voting behavior in the US, according to a report by BloombegNEF. For every 10 percentage-point increase in Joe Biden’s share of votes in the 2020 election, the concentration of EVs was roughly 50% higher. The partisan rift goes well beyond preferences linked to income, urban density or the current rate of truck ownership.