Watch: Tesla Cybertruck finally reaches customers after four years
Cybertruck can tow 3400kg, has a 1360kg payload and is said to cost from $39,900 (around £30,600)
First examples of electric pick-up truck handed over to customers; Musk still warns of further production challenges
The first examples of the long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck will finally be handed over to customers tonight, four years after its headline-baiting reveal event.
In a special ceremony (which you can watch below) Tesla boss Elon Musk will pass the keys over to the Cybertruck's first buyer – marking the end of a development process which has been marred with delays and controversy.
Originally, the American firm had promised first deliveries would be made in 2021. Production finally started this July – two years late – but orders are currently closed, with Tesla only taking reservation deposits at $100 (£77) apiece.
The pick-up's production-spec unveiling comes just a few weeks aftet Musk proclaimed that Tesla has “dug its own grave” with the Cybertruckm because of the EV maker’s struggles to ramp up production of the angular Ford F-150 rival.
Cybertruck Delivery Event https://t.co/rWd111HvHc
— Tesla (@Tesla) November 29, 2023
“There will be enormous challenges in reaching volume production with the Cybertruck and then in making a Cybertruck cashflow-positive,” Musk told analysts and investors in October.
Tesla is using innovative production techniques to build the uniquely styled truck, which is made from an ultra-hard stainless steel that the company said it had to invent. It's also using 9000-tonne gigapresses to mold large sections of the underbody at in its factory in Texas, as well as installing what it calls the largest hot-stamping facility in the world.
Musk said Tesla would reach its target volume production of 250,000 units per year starting in 2025, once it has solved the issues it's facing.
The Cybertruck is an outlier for a company that has focused its attention on producing high volumes of popular global models as efficiently as possible, including the Tesla Model 3 saloon and Tesla Model Y SUV.
“We dug our own grave with Cybertruck”, Musk said on the call. “Cybertruck is one of those special products that comes along only once in a long while. And special products that come along once in a long while are just incredibly difficult to bring to market, to reach volume, to be prosperous.”
Musk spoke about the problems of bringing the truck to market in way that would be both profitable for Tesla and “at a price people can afford”.
He also decried high interest rates that were pushing up prices and making cars less affordable.
Tesla claims it has a million reservations for Cybertruck but has yet to price the vehicle. It's likely to cost much more than the launch prediction of $39,900 for the entry-level model, which was said to have a range of 250 miles.
*Tesla Cybertruck specs*
The Ford F-150 Lightning rival is the same length (5.87 metres) as traditional trucks but features a vastly different look both inside and out. For starters, it sports a radical wedge-shape design, no front grille, angular window frames and almost no bodywork curvature.
Its body is said to be made of “ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel” and is claimed to be bulletproof against 9mm bullets.
Three powertrain options were planned to be offered, with one, two or three electric motors. The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version will do 0-60mph in 6.5sec and has a claimed range of 250 miles.
Official specs say it can tow 3400kg, has a 1360kg payload and is capable of the same 1MW (1000kW) charging speed as the Tesla Semi.
The mid-range dual-motor variant provides all-wheel drive, a claimed 0-60mph time of 4.5sec and the ability to tow more than 4500kg. Tesla has previously said the model will be priced from $49,900 (£38,300) before incentives.
The top-rung car will use Tesla’s latest tri-motor Plaid EV powertrain, as used on the Tesla Model S Plaid. Projected to be priced from $69,900 (£53,700), its specs include a claimed 500-mile range, 0-60mph in 2.9sec and the ability to complete the quarter mile in just over 10sec. The towing capacity is 6350kg, Musk has said.
Underneath, it gets adaptive air suspension with an adjustable ride height. Musk has claimed the maximum height will be 16in, with the ability to be adjusted up and down by 4in.
The load bay is an F-150-rivalling 6.5ft long and features a raisable cover. Tesla claims over 2800 litres of lockable storage space including the covered load bay (dubbed the ‘vault’), as well as space in the 'frunk' and sail pillars.
The Cybertruck can seat up to six adults inside. Its minimalist interior features a dashboard dominated by a 17in tablet-style touchscreen.