The highly anticipated Tesla Cybertruck has finally been launched. First introduced as a prototype in 2019, the powerful electric pickup truck will now be seen dominating all types of terrain. Initially the vehicle will be available in the United States, Canada & Mexico.
The Cybertruck is Tesla’s first new electric car in more than three years, and company officials and shareholders are counting on it to reinvigorate the brand. The vehicle was presented with a graffiti-themed logo.
Here, EVJoints brings you 7 facts which you probably won’t know about the newly-launched Cybertruck:
1. In a recent Elon Musk biography, Musk’s son was quoted as saying: “Why doesn’t the future look like the future?”, which Musk used as an inspiration for the design. It was initially described as a “pickup truck that can carry a pickup truck”.
2. The Cybertruck is notable for its unique exoskeleton (outer body) which is made of hardened stainless steel. The metal body is bullet-proof. Tesla is using the same stainless steel alloy which group company SpaceX uses in its space rockets. It sports no paint. The windows have ‘shatter-resistant’ armored glass, which also keeps the cabin quiet. A light bar runs through the front. Features include an 18.5-inch touchscreen in the front and a 9.4-inch touchscreen in the back. The pick-up trucks will also feature all-glass roofs.
3. During the launch event, the first 10 units of the Cybertruck were delivered to buyers. Full-scale production of the battery-powered pickup truck will commence from early 2024 at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.
4. The Cybertruck weighs almost 3 tonnes and has a payload capacity of 1.25 tons. Different variants offer different towing capacities. More on this below.
5. The Tesla Cybertruck will be available in 3 variants: Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD), All-Wheel Drive (AWD) and a ‘Cyberbeast’ variant.
a. The RWD variant will be the most affordable at $60,990, but will be available in 2025. It will offer a range of 400 km. The variant will be able to accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in 6.5 seconds and attain a top speed of 180 km/hr. The towing capacity will be 3.75 tons.
b. The AWD is priced at $79,990 and will be available in 2024. It will offer a range of 550 km. The variant will accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in 4.1 seconds and offer a top speed of 180 km/hr. The towing capacity will be 5.5 tons.
Scan the barcode and download the EV joints app to find 6,000 EV charging stations across various networks.
Click & download the EVJoints app to find 6,000 charging stations.
c. The top model ‘Cyberbeast’ is priced at $99,990 and will be available in 2024. It will offer a range of 515 km. The Cyberbeast will accelerate from 0-100 km/hr in just 2.6 seconds and the claimed top speed is 210 km/hr. The towing capacity will be 5.5 tons.
6. Just 15 minutes of charging on the Tesla Supercharger can pump 220 km of driving range in the Cybertruck.
7. The EV can be ordered with a ‘range extender’, which adds an additional 50 kWh battery and increases the range by 200 km. It is intended for long trips or towing heavy things up mountains. This range extender costs $16,000.
Conclusion:
In the US, the Cybertruck will compete with other popular electric pickup trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning & the Rivian R1T. Prices of the base model of the Ford starts at roughly $50,000, while the Rivian starts at $73,000. The Cybertruck base model is priced in between these two competitors, whereas the other two models are costlier.
The Cybertruck has received mixed reviews. People are praising the specifications & features, but criticizing the truck’s shape. Elon Musk doesn’t mind taking risks and he has proved that again with this futuristic vehicle. Will this pay off? We’ll have to wait & watch.
