What We Know About Cybertruck
On July 15th, the Tesla team announced that the first Cybertruck had been produced on the GigaTexas production line - which means that it’s time to go over what we know about Tesla’s highly anticipated pickup.
While we should be careful of the specs that we currently have access to, the data from Tesla’s site should still be considered accurate until we get updated figures.
According to Tesla, the Cybertruck will come in three variants - Single motor, Dual Motor, and Tri Motor - and will have 250, 300, and 500+ miles of range respectively.
The Tri Motor variant will of course be the most overpowered of the available packages - able to kick from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. But the Single Motor package doesn’t seem to be much of a slouch either, being able to make the same climb in 6.5 seconds.
Regardless of package, all Cybertruck variants have a respectable clearance of about 16 inches, and their adjustable air suspension systems provide a 35-degree approach angle, and a 28-degree departure angle - meaning the Cybertruck will be a fairly capable off-road vehicle.
Every variant can haul 3500lbs in the 100 cubic foot bed - but each package will have a different towing capacity depending on their power. The Single Motor being capable of towing 7500lbs, and the Tri Motor being able to pull a monstrous 14,000lbs.
Charging the Cybertruck will also be convenient, as it’s made to handle a 250 kW charging cable - although Tesla has said that they are aiming for the vehicle to make use of the same Megawatt charging stations that the Tesla Semi uses.
And to go with that battery capability, the Cybertruck has onboard power outlets for tools and other peripherals in the 110v and 220v range.
We also got a bunch of confirmations from a recent visit to the Petersen Automotive Museum back in June.
For one, we got some visual confirmation that the Cybertruck is equipped with the new Hardware 4 FSD tech unveiled at the Investor Day Event in March. No surprise there - it would be odd if Tesla’s new truck DIDN’T have HW4 as a standard.
We got an up-close demonstration of the tonneau cover - originally planned to have a solar panel, but for now at least, just a roll-up weather shield.
We also got a good look at the Cybertruck’s interior - which we hadn’t heard anything about since the 2019 debut really. The finish was a little less harsh and angular than the original, and the truck now sports Tesla’s new rounded yoke steering wheel. As well, we seem to have lost the middle seat in the front row in favour of a console - but the newer seats look pretty comfortable, which must have been the trade-off the team ultimately decided to go with.
Some of the recently leaked frame photos we mentioned earlier also give us some insights about two big points. The first is that - at least for now - the rear bulkhead separating the back seats from the Vault truck bed cannot be lowered. We have more or less known this was the case for a couple of months now, but the recent images confirm that there’s no way Tesla could swap out the complicated bulkhead out.
The second bit is something we hadn’t had any clue about - but also isn’t surprising. Looking at the front section of the Cybertruck frame, we can see that it’s asymmetrical - meaning that only Left Hand Drive versions of the vehicle will be made for the time being. This could change within the next few months of course, but mirroring the front firewall would require some setup, so it seems likely Tesla would rather tune their production line using Left Hand Drive versions, and then begin producing the Right Hand ones soon afterwards.
Finally, we have a rough idea of the pricing.
Back when the Cybertruck was unveiled in 2019, Elon and the team made some estimates on price targets that they wanted to hit which haven’t really changed despite the intervening time.
The Single Motor would be coming in at $39,900. The Dual Motor would be $49,900. And the Tri Motor at $69,900.
The only problem with all of these specs is that we haven’t had much confirmation from the Tesla crew about specifics in quite some time. The site still has many of these displayed, but we know from hints and discussions at Tesla’s events that there could be some changes that they just haven’t announced yet. And of course, we’ve had to piece some of this together by analysing the various sightings and leaked pictures we’ve seen.
But of course the benefit to Cybertruck’s production starting, is that very soon we won’t have to do all this guesswork!