Innovation or folly? The Cybertruck will test whether anyone still trusts Tesla
November 29, 2023
Tesla’s cheapest Cybertruck won’t drop until 2025
December 1, 2023
With dubstep as the soundtrack and neon lighting as the backdrop, Elon Musk handed the first Cybertrucks over to a select group of customers that included Reddit co-founder and VC fund Seven Seven Six founder Alexis Ohanian and Trousdale Ventures founder and CEO Phillip Sarofim.
The livestreamed portion of the Tesla Cybertruck delivery event was a short affair — around 30 minutes. But the event still had all the traditional trappings one has come to expect from Tesla: the pomp and pumpy music, VIP guests and, of course, Musk.
The Tesla Cybertruck deliveries come at least six years since Musk first tweeted about building a truck and four years since he debuted the futuristic-looking pickup.
Looking beyond some of the flashier features — it’s bullet proof — here’s everything we know so far. The tl;dr: the Cybertruck is a lot more expensive than the targets Musk shared in 2019. And what other details were shared, were scant.
Three versions
Image Credits: Tesla/screenshot
The Tesla Cybertruck will eventually be available in three configurations.
The cheapest of the batch, a rear-wheel version with 250 miles of range, a 6.9-second zero to 60 miles per hour acceleration rate and a $60,990 base price, won’t be available until 2025. That leaves an all-wheel version and the so-called Cyberbeast.
The all-wheel drive variant has an estimated 341-mile range, top speed of 112 mph and $79,990 starting price. The Cyberbeast comes with an estimated 320-mile range model with 845 horsepower that can travel 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.6 seconds, can hit a top speed of 130 mph, and comes with estimated $99,990 price tag. Both of these versions have a claimed towing capacity of 11,000 pounds.
The company is also going to offer a range extender that will push the all-wheel drive version to an estimated 470 miles and the Cyberbeast to more than 440 miles of range. But Tesla provides no other details about the range extender or the pricing. After the event, Musk did take to X, formerly Twitter, to give a slightly less opaque explanation. He said the range extender will be an “optional pack that fits in about 1/3 of the truck bed. Still room for plenty of cargo. It’s meant for very long trips or towing heavy things up mountains.”
Still no word on what it will cost. Either way, any EV truck or SUV priced above $80,000 won’t qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit. Which means that middle tier variant with a range extender probably won’t.
The numbers above differ from the original specs first shared by Musk at the Cybertruck debut event in 2019. The company was planning on three variants, but the prices, towing and range have since changed. In 2019, the company planned for its cheapest version to cost $39,900, and have a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds and more than 250 miles of range. The middle version was slated to be a dual-motor all-wheel drive priced at $49,900, have a towing capacity of more than 10,000 pounds and be able to travel more than 300 miles on a single charge. The third version was supposed to have three electric motors and all-wheel drive, a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds and battery range of more than 500 miles. That version, known as “tri motor,” is priced at $69,900.
Today, all of the production Cybertrucks have a drag coefficient of 0.335 (that’s good aerodynamics, fyi), 35-inch all-terrain tires, a six-foot by four-foot composite truck bed, a hidden gear locker and a front trunk. The company says that in all there is 67 cubic feet of lockable storage and it has a maximum payload of 2,500 pounds. Notably, the Cybertruck is a steer-by-wire vehicle, which should give it the ability to make tight turns and maneuvers.
The exterior includes armored glass that is supposed to resist the impact of a baseball at 70 mph or class 4 hail. Testing the glass didn’t work so well back in 2019, with it actually shattering. This time chief designer Franz von Holzhausen successfully threw a baseball at the vehicle’s window without breaking it. Although it should be noted that back in 2019, von Holzhausen threw a metal baseball-sized ball. On Thursday, it appeared to be a regular old baseball and not one thrown 70 mph.
Also of note, Tesla switched from a 12-volt to a 48-volt electrical system like other automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have done. The 48-volt system delivers more efficient power distribution and can provide enough amperage to charge things like power tools, a feature Tesla has touted.
The Cybertruck also comes equipped with electronically adaptive air suspension that allows for up to 17 inches of clearance, if needed.
Inside the Cybertruck
Now that Tesla Cybertrucks are being delivered, there’s more information on some of the interior details and features.
As Musk handed over the Cybertrucks, he pressed what looked like a button on the B pillar to open the doors. Once inside, drivers and passengers might notice an 18.5-inch infinity touchscreen in the front and a 9.4-inch touchscreen in the back. Apparently, there’s also a new interface, although Tesla doesn’t elaborate on how it differs from the current version.
The Cybertruck also comes with a 15-speaker sound system that includes two dedicated subwoofers and distributed amplifiers. A built-in HEPA air filter (also in other Tesla vehicles), a wireless charging system and 65W USB-C and 120V/240V outlets are also included.
