Is Tesla really serious about its radically different Cybertruck, revealed by CEO Elon Musk to a packed room of fans Thursday night?
It’s serious enough to already price the truck, open it up for orders, and lock in many specs.
The design, which looks like it might be labeled a concept car is indeed part steampunk, part sci-fi-influenced, part just bizarre, with flat, planar front and rear glass meeting at a point. The wheel wells themselves are shaped like portions of hex nuts, And we’d be surprised if the truck doesn’t include many “Easter eggs.”
Tesla Cybertruck prototype - Nov. 2019
Performance is sprightly for a pickup or truck of any size. Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD models nudge the acceleration up to a time of less than 4.5 seconds and a range of more than 300 miles. Top Tri Motor AWD models can sprint to 60 mph in less than 2.9 seconds and will have a range of more than 500 miles. Top speeds for the three models are listed as 110, 120, and 130 mph.
Tesla claims that the model offers “better utility than a truck with more performance than a sports car.” A demo aimed to push the points Musk had previously said—that it could outtow an F-150 or outaccelerate a Porsche 911.
The Cybertruck can carry a payload of 3,500 pounds or tow up to 14,000 pounds, and has onboard power and compressed air that could be good for camping or worksites.
The length of the “vault” (the cargo bed, essentially) is 6.5 feet. Tesla didn’t yet have specifications for basics like length and wheelbase, but it did note that the air suspension can adjust up or down 4 inches, for a maximum ground clearance of 16 inches, with approach and departure angles (important to serious off-roaders) of 35 degrees and 28 degrees, respectively.
The truck also has a “nearly impenetrable exoskeleton,” made of 30X cold-rolled stainless steel, and Musk demonstrated its toughness with a sledge-hammer to the door (and a bullet). When Musk had design chief Franz Von Holzhausen attempt to break the side-window glass—and it did—he quipped that there was “room for improvement.”
Tesla Cybertruck prototype - Nov. 2019
Inside, there’s seating for six, and a 17-inch touchscreen-based interface with “an all-new customized interface.”
The tonneau cover is tough enough to stand on, and there’s an under-bed frunk and overall more than 100 cubic feet of lockable storage outside the cabin.
Pricing for the Cybertruck will start at $41,100 (including the $1,200 destination and assuming it remains that amount). The Dual Motor AWD starts at $51,100, and the Tri Motor AWD model is $71,100. Self-driving is optional at $7,000.
Tesla is asking for fully refundable “preorder” deposits of just $100 for the Cybertruck—less than the other models it’s brought to market—and the truck is likely more than two years from first deliveries. Tesla’s order site suggests that production might start in late 2021, while the Tri Motor AWD version would follow a year later.
Has Tesla built the future of the pickup? Or has it built a sci-fi niche vehicle? We’d appreciate your comments below.