July 31, 2025 – Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard has voiced his frustration over Elon Musk’s recent decision to scrap the company’s long-anticipated $25,000 electric vehicle (EV) project, while also launching a scathing critique of the Cybertruck’s controversial design.
The shelved EV, originally envisioned as an entirely new entry-level model, was seen as a critical step toward making electric transportation accessible to a broader audience. Instead of pursuing this affordable option, Musk recently announced plans to introduce a stripped-down version of the existing Model Y as Tesla’s budget offering.
Eberhard, who played a pivotal role in Tesla’s early years, argued that the Model 3 and Model Y were always meant to serve as transitional products in the company’s original roadmap. “The real goal was to push downward into the mass market after establishing these models,” he explained in a recent interview. “Abandoning the dedicated low-cost vehicle project goes against that vision.”
The former executive expressed particular disappointment that Tesla shifted focus to developing the Cybercab autonomous taxi service and cheaper variants of current models rather than fulfilling its promise of an affordable mainstream EV. “The world needs truly accessible electric cars, not rehashed versions of existing models or that… Cybertruck,” Eberhard said, describing the angular pickup as resembling “a garbage bin on wheels.”
Beyond design criticisms, Eberhard took aim at Tesla’s approach to autonomous driving technology. He warned that society has become dangerously complacent about flaws in self-driving systems, stating, “We’re tolerating fatalities caused by these unproven technologies as if they’re inevitable. That’s unacceptable.”
The co-founder’s comments come amid growing scrutiny of Tesla’s product strategy and safety claims. While Musk maintains that prioritizing robotaxis and vehicle automation will yield greater long-term benefits, Eberhard’s critique underscores ongoing debates about the company’s direction since his departure in 2007.
