The Cybertruck Arrives

[TwinIon]

4 long years since it was first announced, the Tesla Cybertruck is finally shipping. The unique shape, stainless steel body, impressive specs, and overall Tesla hype have definitely made it one of the most talked about vehicles since that 2019 reveal, but Tesla has been oddly quiet about it until yesterday. While prototypes had been rolling around for a while now, Telsa wouldn't even update their pricing or specs on their website, which is pretty strange for such a hyped product launch. Finally we have production pricing, specs, and people are getting their hands on real Cybertrucks.

 

Hagerty has a great video, and MKBHD got to play with one for a while.

 

First things first, to the surprise of no one, Tesla did not hit that sub $40k as first announced. The cheapest Cybertruck will now run $61k, and even that price is suspect given that they're still not expected to launch until 2025. If you want a truck sooner, you'll need to drop $80k for the dual motor version or $100k for the tri-motor.

 

The range ha stayed the same for the bottom two (250mi for the single motor, 340mi for the dual), but the the tri-motor has gone down from the promised 500mi down tot 320mi. You can get nearly 400mi if you spend an extra $16k for an optional giant battery that goes in the bed. The speeds have actually improved since launch, promising 4.1 and 2.9 0-60 times for the dual and tri-motor models.

 

There are some interesting design quirks in this thing that go well beyond what we've seen so far from Tesla. For example, check out the gear select in the center of the windshield (~21:51) near where the missing rear-view mirror should be. The doors (13:03) are also pretty odd, completely lacking door handles. You need to push a button on the B pillar, which will partially open the door, allowing you to grip it and pull it open. This just seems like introducing a complicated problem where simple solutions already exist, but we'll see if owners end up struggling. They continue the Tesla tradition of putting all functionality into a center touch screen, but at least the buttons on the steering wheel are physical buttons and not just touch sensitive areas. Still no stalks though.

 

There are also some genuine advancements in the Cybertruck. It's the first fully steer by wire production car ever, and early impressions are good thanks to four wheel steering. It's the first fully 48V production vehicle as well. While 800V architecture isn't new in general, it's showing up in a Tesla for the first time here. It's also the first Tesla with powersharing, allowing vehicle to load functionality and even vehicle to vehicle charging.

 

Overall first impressions seem pretty good, but we'll see if that holds up long term. We also have to wait and see if Tesla is up to the task of making these at scale, or if there will be some Model 3 like growing pains in the assembly line. Those potential issues aside, I think that if this truck had launched closer to it's announcement date at closer to the announced price, it might have been something of a hit. It would have been the only electric pickup available, and probably converted a decent portion of those 2 million reservations.

 

Now it's launching after real competitors from Rivian and Ford, at a price higher than the base Fords and comparable to the Rivians. I have a much easier time imagining people opting for the quirks of the Cybertruck when it's the only choice for an EV pickup. It might turn out to be a decent vehicle, but it's a harder sale when you have less abrasive options.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

I've seen nothing from this vehicle that even remotely convinces me of its viability as a "working person's EV pickup" relative to the F-150 Lightning.

[GeneticBlueprint]

remindme 10 years

 

This thing will be the DeLorean of our day.

[GeneticBlueprint]

Seriously have to question taste and judgement when somebody buys this thing. It's not practical as a truck. Too big and heavy for a car. Fugly as uck. Associated with Musk. Red flags everywhere.

[Air_Delivery]

That steering wheel looks annoying as fuck to use for long periods of time. 

[Dodger]

Fucking ugly as shit. My aunt has a model x and it’s overpriced garbage. You can get S class for the same price and it’s actually nice. Yea not an ev but she voted,for,Trump. I’ve been in it several times, other than sniffing your own farts as a liberal what’s the point of these fucking things?