CyberTruck at Petersen
On June 25th Petersen Automotive Museum held their very first Electrified Cars and Coffee meet. The event was something of a car show, with prototypes, concepts, and rare electric vehicles all on display. Attendees got to wander around and see some of the most interesting EVs ever built, while enjoying a complimentary breakfast.
And there was a bonus - a special guest.
Once everyone was settled in, Tesla’s Chief Designer - Franz von Holzhausen - pulled into the show, driving what looked like a production candidate model of the Cybertruck - and immediately became the center of attention.
And rightfully so - no one had gotten such a close look at Tesla’s highly anticipated electric pickup truck in ages - and there have apparently been some changes.
Let’s start with the exterior.
With the extremely close photos we got from the show, we can see that this Cybertruck is almost certainly a production candidate - which means that it’s model for what Cybertrucks coming off Tesla’s assembly lines will likely be measured against. Production candidates are finished vehicles that are also used for inspections by regulatory bodies looking to categorise the vehicle - so they need to be representative of what the company thinks of as the perfect final product.
And the fit and finish of this vehicle looks very good. No defects or hastily-attached panels on this one.
Show-goers poured over the vehicle, and quickly spotted cameras in fenders, bumpers and behind the glass.
The red tinting likely means these are Hardware 4 cameras - Tesla's latest FSD hardware, unveiled for AI day back in September 2022. Tesla watchers have started seeing these cameras on newly produced Model Ys, so it makes sense that the Cybertruck would come with these cameras as a standard.
Most attention was given to the rear of the vehicle, as the charge port was spotted embedded in the driver-side rear-wheel fender - and of course the Vault, Cybertruck’s covered bed, was showing off for the crowd.
The tonneau cover retracts smoothly into the back of the truck bed, revealing the rear window as it does. The Bed finish itself looks very durable - and was already a bit dirty, so it’s likely the Tesla folks had practised hauling some things in it earlier.
The buttons on the rear lip of the bed also seem to have been redesigned to be a bit hardier than they used to be. These buttons control the tonneau cover and the tailgate, and the last time we saw them this close was in 2019 at the Cybertruck’s unveiling event.
Back then the controls looked like they were designed to be sleek above all else, but now they look way more robust. The tonneau cover likewise looks like it's had some work done - maybe some extra rubber gaskets applied to the track, so it might be able to keep out some heavy rain if required.
But while these close exterior shots are great - we’ve been analysing the Cybertruck’s body for some time now. What we haven’t had the chance to see is the interior - and with such close proximity the truly exciting thing for Tesla fans is that we got some very clear shots of what the Cybertruck’s cab now looks like.
Courtesy @Greggertruck - Twitter
Overall, the design looks good, if a little plain. The racing yoke steering wheel that was on older versions of the Cybertruck we’ve been able to see has been replaced with Tesla’s newer “rounded” yoke, which combines a round steering wheel with the squared-off proportions of the racing yoke. We’ve seen similar steering wheels used in the Model S and X earlier this year.
And that’s not the only thing Tesla changed.
The front row seats used to have a fold-down third seat in the middle to form a single bench. Many pickup trucks have this option, but it looks like Tesla eventually opted to go with a permanent console instead - maybe they just couldn’t get the center seat to look good.
The center console has had a pass as well, with some of the edges softened and what looks like a leather or fabric cover of some sort. The design showed off back in 2019 had a “marble” dash reportedly made of paper composite. Maybe it was harder to produce, but all we know is that the model shown off at Petersen was different.
Honestly, it was good to see a pretty much finished Cybertruck coming out to a car show. We’ve been saying that Tesla’s confidence in their new pickup has been so obvious from how they haven’t been hiding their production steps - but nothing shows that off more than just letting the public fawn over your pre-production truck.
And with all the excitement and suspense in the run-up to this summer’s Cybertruck manufacturing sprint - it’s good to just see the vehicle in a casual setting.