Tesla’s Electric Pickup Cybertruck Unveiled

by Noah Harris

At an event in Los Angeles on Thursday, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, presented the company’s first electric pickup truck called Cybertruck that is also described as a “cyberpunk truck.” It is the sixth vehicle created by Tesla but its first truck.

Musk has been talking about the idea of producing an electric pickup truck that could compete with the Detroit automotive industry. Some years ago, Musk mentioned in his Twitter that he wanted it to be “a Tesla supertruck with crazy torque, dynamic air suspension and corners like its on rails.”

According to Musk:

Cybertruck is designed to have the utility of a truck and the performance of a sports car. The vehicle is built to be durable, versatile and capable, with exceptional performance both on-road and off-road.

The most awkward and confusing thing throughout the whole presentation was testing of the “breakproof” glass. Elon Musk invited Tesla’s chief of design Franz von Holzhausen on stage to demonstrate the Cybertrack’s toughness. At first, he asked the design leader to hit the truck’s door with a sledgehammer to prove that it could withstand it. Then he showed a video of how the truck could resist bullet shots. After that, things went weird and wrong. Musk wanted to prove that the glass of the truck was shatterproof by throwing a solid metal ball at the windows. Surprisingly, the glass broke and cracked from edge to edge causing Musk’s comments about the hit being too hard. A minute later they attempted to do the same thing with a rear passenger window that, unfortunately, was smashed, too. Musk only joked: “Room for improvement.”

As for the truck’s design, it is pretty much inspired by cyberpunk and two movies, which are Blade Runner and The Spy Who Loved Me. The body is made of Ultra-Hard 30X stainless steel and has the shape of a large trapezoid that features an exoskeleton design.

The vehicle’s capacity is 3,500 pounds and the storage space is 100 cubic feet. Its vault length is 6.5ft. The truck also features a 17-inch touchscreen.

The Cybertruck will come in three versions:

  1. A single motor RWD with 250 miles of range per charge. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds. Its towing capacity is 7,500 pounds. ($39,900)
  2. A dual motor AWD with 300 miles of range. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. Its towing capacity is 10,000 pounds. ($49,900)
  3. A tri motor AWD with 500 miles of range. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2.9 seconds. Its towing capacity is 14,000 pounds. ($69,900)

The exact release date is unknown, but the production of the trucks is expected to begin in 2021 and 2022.

And “One More Thing.” Not only the Cybertruck was revealed on Thursday. Musk also presented an electric-terrain vehicle (ATV) that can be charged from the bed of the Cybertruck. However, there are no more details regarding the ATV’s price, release date or any other specs.

The new Cybertruck is now available for pre-order at the official Tesla website provided that you pay a $100 deposit for reservation.