Tesla has launched the Cybertruck, an electric pickup truck, in the USA at the Cybertruck Delivery Event that was held at the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. At the same event, Elon Musk also delivered the Cybertruck to the first batch of customers who had booked the vehicle when it was announced in 2019, hence, the name of the event. The Cybertruck has a starting price of $60,990, provides a range of up to 340 miles, and offers many exciting features including a bullproof body and an insane amount of power.
The Tesla Cybertruck is available in three variants Rear-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive, and Cyberbeast, which cost $60,990, $79,990, and $99,990 respectively. According to Tesla Cybertruck's webpage, the first model will be available from 2025, whereas, the deliveries for the second and the third variants will start in 2024.
Tesla Cybertruck Background
Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019 and said that it would start delivering the electric vehicle (EV) in 2021. However, Tesla had to delay the production of the pickup truck multiple times, which, according to many reports, was because of how difficult it is to manufacture (since it has an edgy design and a bulletproof body). As a result, the Cybertruck has hit the market two years after the original timeline.
Back then, Tesla also announced prices of the Cybertruck, which stood at $39,900 for the single motor rear-wheel drive version, $49,900 for the dual motor all-wheel drive model, and $69,900 for the triple motor all-wheel drive variant, and started accpting bookings for it. Recently, Elon Musk revealed that around one million people have reserved the electric pickup truck so far. However, Tesla has now revised the prices of the Cybertruck, and now it costs 60% more than the original price, which has come as quite a shock to many people.
Originally, Tesla said that the Cybertruck would offer a driving range upwards of 500 miles, which sound exceptional at that time. However, the company has dropped that number to 340 miles now, which is 32% less than what was originally promised. So, the baseline is that the Cybertruck has arrived two years late, costs 60% more, and offers 32% less range, which is quite disappointing, and unlike Tesla. Nonetheless, the EV is here and comes with some amazing features that no other pickup truck on the market offers. Let us take a look.
Power, range, and charing speed,
The most affordable model of the Cybertruck features a single electric motor in a rear-wheel drive setup. It offers a 6.5 seconds 0-60 MPH time and 250 miles range. The mid-variant has two electric motors in an all-wheel drive configuration. It provides 600 horsepower, 7,435 lb-ft torque, 11,000 lbs towing capacity, 4.1 seconds 0-60 MPH time, 122 MPH top speed, and 340 miles range. The top-end version gets three electric motors (two at the rear and one at the front) in an all-wheel drive setup. It offers 845 horsepower, 10,296 lb-ft torque, 11,000 lbs towing capacity, 2.6 seconds 0-60 MPH time, 130 MPH top speed, and 320 miles range.
Tesla is also offering a Range Extender for the Cybertruck, which is a battery pack that can be mounted in the cargo area and offers 140 miles of additional range to the pickup truck. However, Tesla has neither announced the price nor the availability of this optional accessory. There’s also no information about how much it weighs and how are people supposed to mount it in the EV. Going by the images, it looks quite large and will eat up a significant amount of cargo space. However, it looks quite useful for people who wish to have a longer range. The EV supports Tesla Supercharging at 250KW and offers up to 128 miles range with a 15-minute range.
Design and features
The highlight of the Cybertruck is its design with sharp lines, which makes it look unlike any other pickup truck on the market, and quite futuristic. The design, however, is polarizing. Many people will love and many will hate it. The second stand-out feature of the EV is that it has a bullterpoof “exoskeleton” made out of “ultra-hard stainless steel,” which can withstand .45 caliber at 934 feet/second from a Tommy Gun and 9mm caliber at 1,100 feet/second from a Glock, and shatterproof glasses, which can “resist the impact of a baseball at 70 MPH or Class 4 hail.” The body does not have a paint, which is another industry first and makes the EV look unique.
On the inside, the Tesla Cybertruck has an 18.5-inch Infinity infotainment system at the front and 9.4-inch entertainment unit at the rear. There are 15 speakers in the EV which includes two subwoofers, and distributed amplifiers. Tesla says that the pickup truck has a Bioweapon Defense Mode which can “provide protection from 99.97% of airborne particles” with the help of “built-in hospital grade HEPA filter”. The EV offers wireless chargers and 65W USB Type-C ports, and 120V/240W power outlets. With all these features, the Cybertruck gives a tough fight to other electric pickup trucks in the market, including the Ford F150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T.
