► Musk commits again to 2023 launch for Cybertruck
► All-electric pick-up truck inches closer
► Wedge design, 500 miles of range claimed
Tesla’s long-promised Cybertruck pick-up has taken what could be yet another step closer to production as the company has been showing off a version of the vehicle at its annual shareholder event. Elon Musk, Tesla co-founder and CEO, has previously said that the company is aiming to start production by the middle of 2023, and the truck on show at the event appears to be more refined and potentially closer to the finished article than other examples that have gone before.
The fully electric, apocalyptically-styled flatbed with a claimed range of more than 500 miles and a price tag verging on the unbelievable has been in a holding pattern since first being shown pre-pandemic in 2019.
Musk updated attendees at the 2023 Annual Shareholders Meeting, saying: ‘Cybertruck is a hard truck to make. You can’t just use conventional methods of manufacturing. We had to invent a whole new set of manufacturing techniques in order to build an exoskeleton car rather than an endoskeleton car so it is clearly not trivial, but we are making good progress on that.
However, he recommitted to the plan for a 2023 launch, saying: ‘Sorry for the delay. We’re finally going to start delivering production examples of the trucks later this year and the product is, if anything, better than expectations. Cybertruck is the car I will be driving on a day-to-day basis.’
The pick-up will join the Model 3, Model S and Model X in the company’s line-up.
What this means for the UK is still unclear, though. The company hasn’t taken orders for the truck outside of America for a while. This could be because in a bid to control orders, as Musk said earlier in 2022 that the company has ‘more orders of the first Cybertrucks than we could possibly fulfil for three years after the start of production.’
However, several other models are also not currently available in right-hand drive, such as the Model S and Model X.
The Cybertruck was first revealed in November 2019, at which point you could put down a £100 fully-refundable deposit. The page where you could do this is no longer accessible in the UK, although US customers can still place a deposit.
The truck has already been delayed several times, with aimed-for production dates of 2021 and 2022 both pushed back. Should we now believe the 2023 launch plan? Musk has doubled down on this being the year it will finally launch the futuristic truck, but time will tell…
So what’s the latest on the physical truck?
The exact specs of the Cybertruck remain a moveable feast, but Musk has previously said the company is working on new-generation air suspension, and one that’ll have longer travel for off-road use. The new suspension should, as Musk put it, make the Cybertruck ‘kick butt in Baja’.
Baja is a reference to the famous Baja 500 and 1000 desert races, regarded as one of the toughest off-road races on the planet.
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What’s more, Musk revealed the Cybertruck has also shrunk by around 3%, as its design is tweaked for production. A lower windowsill height and lower centre line means the rear window will be larger – and sceptics who believe the sharp, angular design won’t meet pedestrian impact regulations may yet see a gentle softening of the Cybertruck’s styling.
With any luck Tesla will soon provide a reimagined render of the pick-up for those who have already pre-ordered the controversial EV.
Tesla Cybertruck: what you need to know
The new Tesla Cybertruck is the wedgiest pick-up truck we’ve ever seen, like a break-out from the props department of Blade Runner. And it’s no concept car; US prices will reportedly start at below $40,000. That’s the equivalent of £33,000, but don’t hold your breath – UK prices will likely cost more than the dollar prices when production starts in mid-2023. Take that date with a pinch of salt; Tesla has recently confirmed the forthcoming Roadster has been delayed significantly too.
See the Tesla Cybertruck on video
The radically styled Cybertruck takes everything Tesla knows about electric cars and applies that knowledge to the booming pick-up segment. So you get mind-blowing acceleration as a given, with 0-60mph promised to take ‘less than 2.9 seconds’ in the fastest, tri-motor version. That’s presumably unladen, as the 1588kg payload will surely blunt performance (and range).
Speaking of range, founder Elon Musk claims a range in excess of 500 miles with the biggest battery. We’ll update this article once we know the Tesla Cybertruck’s battery capacity and more details.
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What is the Tesla Cybertruck?
This new Tesla is ‘designed to have the utility of a truck and the performance of a sports car,’ according to Musk. So it’ll tow a boat, horsebox or caravan up to six tonnes, and carry a greater load capacity than most leisure-oriented pick-ups sold in the UK. That payload of nearly 1.6 tonnes fits in a covered loadbed of 1.9 metres – and the steeply raked cover means your cargo will be out of sight of roaming eyes. Tesla naturally showed off an all-electric branded ATV quadbike to fit in the boot.
What these first official photographs don’t show is the sheer size of the thing; it dwarfed even tall adults at its Californian debut, and appears considerably taller than a Ford Raptor. The Cybertruck is also bristling with storage cubbies; Tesla quotes 100 cubic feet of lockable compartments, including the ‘vault, frunk, and sail pillars.’
Even the glass is armoured to resist break-ins (though it famously smashed during the world debut, to Musk’s horror).
It’ll go off-road – an important consideration in this rough ‘n’ tough marketplace – and the air suspension adapts 10cm up or down for extra ground clearance or to adjust when fully laden.
Perhaps the most startling aspect of the Cybertruck is its wedge-shaped styling and origami stainless steel construction: it’s more Italian styling house circa 1973 than California 2019. Just goes to show Musk’s endless appetite for surprising the car industry and turning automotive conventions on their head.
Musk claimed in a tweet that the pick-up was inspired by the Lotus Esprit from the James Bond franchise (not the first time he’s referenced this particular slice of Giugiaro-designed wedge). The ‘ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel’ bodywork is designed to be tough, easy to manufacture and echo the shiny cool of a DeLorean; it was also developed in conjunction with Musk’s SpaceX team to be one of the most durable materials known to mankind in 2019.
Why the long wait? When can I buy the Tesla pick-up?
The fully-refundable £100 deposits being taken from November 2019 was designed to get your name on the waiting list for the Cybertruck. Firm orders and configurations will then commence ‘as production nears in late 2021,’ according to Tesla at launch. It’s telling that, nearly four years later, we’re still waiting for the pick-up to arrive with owners.
There’s usually a long delay for right-hand drive production with Teslas; CAR magazine has asked for an update on UK timings.
Cybertruck specs and details: RWD or AWD
Three models will be available on the Tesla pick-up at launch, and it’s worth noting that the range-topper is the first production Tesla to get three motors, with one up front and an individual motor at each rear wheel for even more startling performance:
- Single Motor Rear-Wheel Drive 250-mile range, 6.5sec 0-60mph, 110mph top speed, 3400kg towing capacity
- Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive 300-mile range, 4.5sec 0-60mph, 120mph top speed, 4535kg towing capacity
- Tri Motor All-Wheel Drive 500-mile range, 2.9sec 0-60mph, 130mph top speed, 6350kg towing capacity
How much is the Tesla Cybertruck?
No official UK prices yet, but it’s clear the cheapest pick-up will be the rear-wheel drive, single motor model. Tesla has now confirmed US pricing:
- Single Motor Rear-Wheel Drive $39,900 (£33,000)
- Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive $49,900 (£41,400)
- Tri Motor All-Wheel Drive $69,900 (£58,000)
Full-autonomous, self-driving tech will be an extra at £5800 in the UK, according to the official sales website.
The interior of the Cybertruck packs space for six adults, with three-abreast seating in both rows. It’s a typically minimalist Tesla cabin, with barely any switchgear visible at all in this first cabin photograph (below). Note also the radically futuristic steering wheel that has more in common with arcade games than 2022-spec road cars.
The touchscreen is a huge 17-inches in size, as Tesla ramps up its digital touchpoints and tries to stay ahead of the likes of Ford, which now deploys suspiciously familiar 15in screen on its Mustang Mach-E electric car.
These pictures are all digitally enhanced renderings, so it will be interesting to tease out the finer details in the coming months.
As with many things to do with Elon Musk, this is a rolling news story – and we’ll be updating this article as we learn more about the Tesla Cybertruck, which will challenge pick-up EV upstarts such as the all-electric Rivian R1T.