The first example of Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck all-electric pick-up enters production at firm's Gigafactory in Texas
- Cybertruck design
- Cybertruck interior
- Tesla Cybertruck: specs and details
- Tesla Cybertruck: performance and range
- Tesla Cybertruck: chassis, platform and robustness
After nearly four years of waiting, the first example of Tesla's Cybertruck has finally entered production, with a completed model rolling off the assembly line at the firm's US Gigafactory in Texas according to an image published on the American brand's social media channels recently.
It's been widely documented that the Cybertruck has been subject to numerous setbacks since it was first announced in November 2019, not least due to its complicated design, which features a stainless steel exoskeleton and very angular styling. However, it seems like the brand's engineers have got round the problems in bringing the truck to production, with examples now starting to roll out of the Texas plant's gates.
The Cybertruck is part of a product push that will also include a facelifted Tesla Model 3 as well as a new, smaller model – which could be called the Model 2 – and an SUV variant of a similar size, diversifying the American brand's product portfolio.
Numerous iterations of the Cybertruck have appeared testing during the pick-up’s development cycle, with a recent prototype – shown at Tesla's Gigafactory during one of its Investor Day presentations – bearing a remarkable resemblance to the original concept.
Cybertruck design
Despite concerns over pedestrian safety and the requirement to pass different vehicle laws around the world, the Cybertruck’s distinctive flat-panel design has made it to production largely unchanged from a picture posted on Tesla's social media channels recently. An army of works that helped to build the vehicle crowded around the Cybertruck, but you can still make out its distinctive roofline and squared-off wheel arch extensions jutting out from the bodywork. The windscreen sits flush with the bonnet and uses a single vertical wiper to reduce drag, a key factor in boosting range for an electric vehicle.
Despite its brutal-looking design, the Cybertruck’s aerodynamics are actually fairly sophisticated when compared with more conventional, combustion-engine-powered pick-up trucks, particularly at the front. The continuous straight panel from the top of the windscreen to the ‘kamm tail’ rear end also helps the truck produces less turbulence than the boxy silhouette of rival trucks thanks to the faired-in load bay.
Where the Cybertruck does deviate from initial plans is in its structure. While most of the body serves as a steel exoskeleton as intended, the production Cybertruck adopts a cast aluminium section at the rear. This will be produced using an 8,000-ton “Giga Press” machine at the Texas factory.
Cybertruck interior
Inside, the general architecture of the Cybertruck's cabin is heavily based on the 2019 concept and features a square-set, blocky dash design, plus a large central touchscreen mounted in the centre of it, like all Tesla models. The concept’s central front seat has been replaced by a large storage console, and there’s a closed-top yoke steering wheel. As with the firm's Model S, which can now only be ordered in the UK in left-hand drive, this will no doubt be a contentious topic and divide opinion on such a big vehicle.
It's not yet known if the Cybertruck features drive-by-wire steering, which is usually better suited to a yoke-style control as the steering speed can be electronically adjusted so a driver doesn't have to take their hands off the wheel. When connected to a conventional steering rack, as in the Model S, this is not quite as simple.
Latest Cybertruck is a spectacle. Love that the rear seats fold up. Camera in front bumper will help when 4 wheeling. Charge port is in the right rear wheel well. pic.twitter.com/OsqrbP164G
— Jim French (@French_Jim) March 1, 2023
Elon Musk previously noted that he hopes Tesla will produce around 250,000 Cybertrucks per year, but even though the machine has now started rolling down the production line, achieving this will take time because the tech is yet to be improved and it is still very costly at this stage.
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“I worry more about things like how do we make the Cybertruck affordable despite having awesome technology,” Musk said previously at a conference.
Following its reveal in 2019, the Tesla Cybertruck has undergone a number of delays for a number of reasons. Since then, other rival EV pick-up manufacturers have entered the market, including Ford with its F-150 Lightning, Rivian with the R1T, GMC with the Hummer EV, and Chevrolet with the Silverado EV.
Tesla Cybertruck: specs and details
When Musk first unveiled the Cybertruck to the world the South African claimed the production-ready machine would offer a 6,000kg towing capacity, while the concept was also said to feature bullet proof glass. However, a puublicity stunt gone wrong showed this wasn't quite the case.
After ongoing delays, Tesla has now started the wheels turning on Cybertruck builds, and the firm promised that soon after cars started rolling out of its factory customers would receive their vehicles.
Immediately after it unveiling nearly four years ago, Musk announced on Twitter (before he bought the social media platform) that Tesla had received more than 250,000 deposits for the new model. It's not yet known if all of these customers have been contacted, or who will receive their trucks first, but we also haven't heard of cancelled deposits and potential owners losing interest in the unique machine.
In Tesla's typically individual way when it comes to marketing, Musk also released a video showing the Cybertruck pulling a Ford F-150, America's best-selling pick-up truck.
The Tesla boss claimed that the Cybertruck can carry a payload of up to 1,587kg and tow up to 6,350kg, while the space-age pick-up also comes with a lockable 2,832-litre load bed that can accommodate items up to 1,981mm long.
Musk promises that Tesla's first pick-up will be capable on loose surfaces too; the Cybertruck boasts 406mm of ground clearance, an approach angle of 35 degrees and a departure angle of 28 degrees – which is better than a Ford F-150, arguably the Tesla's closest rival. A range of new traction control settings designed to simulate mechanical locking differentials is also promised.
Tesla Cybertruck: performance and range
Initial claims by Tesla put the range-topping Cybertruck's price tag at around $70,000 (around £54,000 at the time) and that the machine would feature a tri-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain with 794bhp, fed by a big battery pack adapted from the Model X SUV. Tesla says it’ll have enough power for a 0-60mph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 130mph, while its maximum range will stand at 500 miles.
The entry-level Single Motor Cybertruck gets just one motor on its rear axle and initial pricing was pitched at a more affordable $39,900 (roughly £31,000 at the time of its unveiling), which undercuts the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning’s starting price of $51,974. With just one motor and only this variant of Tesla truck should accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 110mph. it'll also be fitted with a smaller battery than the flagship model, which means the car's range should slide to around 250 miles. Maximum towing capacity also drops to 3,402kg.
Sitting between the two extremes of the range is the Dual Motor all-wheel-drive model, which was initially priced from $49,900 (around £39,000). It will offer a claimed range of “more than 300 miles” and 0-60mph acceleration performance in 4.5 seconds. The maximum towing capacity stands at 4,536kg.
At a past Investor Day presentation, Tesla announced that the Cybertruck would be the first of the firm's cars to adopt a new low-voltage 48V electronic architecture, which will also be adopted on some of the brand’s future vehicles.
Tesla Cybertruck: chassis, platform and robustness
Like the Tesla Model X, the Cybertruck rides on air suspension, which means that drivers can lower the pick-up at the rear to help when loading or unloading payload. The truck is also fitted with a retractable ramp, which was highlighted by a rebadged and rebodied Yamaha all-terrain vehicle driving across the stage at the Cybertruck's unveiling and up into the load bed, also outlining just how vast this area is.
Musk claims the Cybertruck will be the toughest pick-up on the market, thanks to a body made of ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel. Tesla’s design boss, Franz von Holzhausen, demonstrated the strength of the pick-up’s body by attempting to dent one of its doors with a sledgehammer.
The Cybertruck will also be fitted with Tesla Armour Glass – an ultra-strong polymer-layered composite, which Elon Musk described as “transparent metal.” Its on-stage demonstration at the Cybertruck's unveiling didn’t quite go to plan, however. While the bodywork stood up to the sledgehammer test, when Holzhausen threw a heavy metal ball at the pick-up’s front and rear door windows, both panes cracked. Musk admitted to the crowd that there was “room for improvement.”
As mentioned, the Tesla Cybertruck is big. It measures 5,885mm long, 2,027mm wide and 1,905mm tall, which makes it around the same size as the Supercab version of North America’s current best-selling truck, the Ford F-150.
Yousuf Ashraf
Keyword: First 2023 Tesla Cybertruck electric pick-up finally rolls off production line