Hunter Daily says he’s been feeling a little bit like a celebrity the past several days. Everywhere he goes, people stop and take pictures.
Hunter, 23, knows that it’s not necessarily him who has captured the attention of Henderson residents (though he is a good guy).
It’s his new car. He’s driving a brand-new Tesla Foundation Series Cybertruck, a vehicle so unique people often reach for their phones for a snapshot or stop Hunter to ask a question or two about it.
“I’m late all the time now because people want to stop and talk about it,” he said.
It’s a change of pace for Hunter, who works at Brenntag in the peroxide department and before he owned his new wheels drove a 2013 Ford F-150.
Normally, getting a new car doesn’t rise to the level of newsworthiness, but the way Daily came about ownership of his Tesla is one in a million.
He said he was watching YouTube gamers, and as a promotion for Fortnite—in which the same Cybertruck with the same logo can be a part of the game—the gamers told their viewers that if they wanted a chance to win the Cybertruck, then put something in the comments below. (A quick check of the gamers on Youtube showed regular viewerships in the hundreds of thousands and even more than a million.)
Hunter asked his wife, Rachel, if he should comment, and she said, sarcastically, something to the effect of, “Of course you should because we’ll win.”
He did. His comment: “Hunter Daily Cybertruck.”
About four weeks later, last Friday, a truck hauling the Cybertruck pulled up to his residence. The truck was backed off the trailer. And, just like that, Hunter had a brand new, $100,000 machine.
There was some worry, though, before the Cybertruck was delivered. For one, he worried it was a scam. He and father, Phill, took the documents to a local attorney, who reviewed them and told the Dailys that, indeed, it was real.
Now with a $235-a-month insurance policy on the vehicle, Hunter has been driving it around, enjoying the luxury of a brand-new car with the highest level of technology.
The Cybertruck has a sleek and minimal interior with none of the controls and gadgets most drivers are used to. All systems are accessed through the dashboard computer, which can also run any of the normal desktop or laptop programs.
The engine and machinery are stored under the vehicle. The front hood opens to a trunk. It’s fast. It can take off like a jet and stop just as quickly.
The vehicle is also completely electric, and when Hunter got it, the machine only had 11% of the battery capacity charged. He drove it over to a supercharger in Evansville, hoping he’d make it there before the battery lost all its charge.
After 30 minutes at the supercharger, the Tesla was again fully charged. It gets 315 miles with a fully-charged battery, Hunter said. It has 600 miles on it as of Tuesday, he said.
But just as lucky as Hunter was for winning the Cybertruck, he’s just as pragmatic. He and Rachel are newlyweds, having married in June, and both have school loans to pay off.
They now live in an apartment but would like to own their own home, Hunter said. So, instead of keeping it and continuing to turn heads everywhere he goes, he plans to sell it and pay off his and Rachel’s loans, leaving enough hopefully for a down payment on a house. By the end of the week, Hunter said he’ll start looking for a buyer.
“I’d love to keep it, but I’d rather have the money,” he said.
He said he’ll miss his time with his Cybertruck, however short lived.
“I will miss just how nice it is,” he said.
And soon, the pointing and pictures will stop as Hunter drives down the road, back behind the wheel of his faithful Ford.
