Straight-piped: Tesla is more than hype and culture

It often seems like Tesla and Elon Musk are in the news for all the reasons other than the cars they make. But there is no denying the impact this car firm has left on this industry in the relatively short time that it's been around. The Roadster only saw light in 2008, and the Model S even more recently in 2012. It's a thought that has crossed my mind often, and I must say, I attributed a major part of this success to the culture and hype around this brand.

But having spent a few hours with the Cybertruck this past month, my opinion has shifted to an extent. This pickup truck, if you can call it that, is as good an example as you can find of the disruptive thinking that is as much a part of Tesla as its cars. A design like this would probably never be signed off by a traditional carmaker, or maybe even the Chinese brands that Tesla is now faced with. It's not practical or easy to make. The only aim seems to have been to grab attention. In that measure, the Cybertruck is a smash hit.

It's this disregard for convention that made the Model S such a success. A luxury sedan that did everything other cars of its type did, but with a drivetrain that was thought to be inviable at the time. The Model X's scissor doors were another example, and the Model 3 the most publicized in its growing pains.

As much as these felt like a shot in the dark, you now find many of the things Tesla does to be a norm in electric vehicles. Sure, other carmakers have tried to differentiate and set their own path, but the basics like great space, a good amount of storage, and strong performance are some of the things that are more or less the norm among luxury EVs.

Although, I think an even bigger impact of Tesla has been the minimizing and digitizing of the car's ambience. The large central touchscreen you find in the Cybertruck has been a regular Tesla trait, but has now been adopted wholesale across the car industry, irrespective of price point. As widespread as it may be, it's clear that Tesla has evolved this concept the most. The Cybertruck's screen is not a natural, but an easy progression from regular analogue setups. You would never think that a car without an instrument cluster and no buttons would be easy to get used to.

Needless to say, there is another edge to this devil-may-care process. Tesla is at its weakest in years. Traditional carmakers are closer than ever, and with a technology that leaves little room for differentiation, you will have someone who does it better or cheaper. Tesla already seems more measured because of this. Many of the recent wild ideas like the Robotaxi and the new Roadster are far from fruition. This should be seen as the foot in the door for tradition and disruption to converge at a point, and complete this time of flux that has been seen in the auto industry of late.