AUSTIN, TEXAS - Tesla announced earlier this month that the first production-model Cybertruck has officially been built at the company’s “Giga Texas” factory. Nearly two million people have already paid to reserve their Cybertruck once Tesla begins mass production - are you one of them? Let us know in the polls throughout this story.
Tesla made the announcement on Twitter (currently rebranding as “X”) on July 15 with the caption, “First Cybertruck built at Giga Texas!”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Nearly 2 Million Reservations
Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted in 2019 that there were 250,000 Cybertruck reservations placed just one week after it was first announced. An online reservation tracker estimates the current number of reservations to be 1,943,876. Each reservation requires a $100 deposit, totaling over $194 million so far.
Tesla claims the Cybertruck will have “better utility than a truck with more performance than a sports car” on its website. They say the truck will boast more than 14,000 pounds of towing capacity and accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour “in as little as 2.9 seconds” with “up to 500 miles of range.”
You can currently place a reservation for a Cybertruck on tesla.com for $100 - which, the company notes on the website, is “fully refundable.” Vehicle configuration will be available at a later date, “as production nears,” though no exact timeline is available yet.
Have you reserved, or will you reserve, your own Cybertruck?
Production Delayed by “New Technology"
Mass production of the Cybertruck has been delayed multiple times since the vehicle was first announced in 2019. These delays were partially due to supply chain issues and the advanced manufacturing process behind the EV. Musk announced during the Tesla Q2 2023 Earnings Call on July 19 that he expects mass production to begin in 2024.
“I want to emphasize that the Cybertruck has a lot of new technology in it - like, a lot,” Musk said on the earnings call. “It doesn’t look like any other vehicle because it is not like any other vehicle … I think we’ll be making them in high volume next year, and we will be delivering the car this year.”
Two 9,000-pound “giga presses” have been spotted at the Giga Texas factory in Austin where the Cybertruck is built. The manufacturer, IDRA, states on its website that these die casting machines are the “largest machines in the world” used in auto manufacturing.
Different Design
The Cybertruck is built with an “exoskeleton” made from “Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel,” according to Tesla. The company describes the truck’s exoskeleton as “an exterior shell made for ultimate durability and passenger protection,” which they claim is effective against “dents, damage and long-term corrosion.”
Musk has said the Cybertruck’s design was inspired by the 1982 film “Blade Runner,” referring to it as the “Blade Runner truck” on multiple occasions.
Are you a fan of the Cybertruck’s design?
Critics & Competition
Some analysts believe the Cybertruck is “a niche product that won’t have broad appeal,” according to the Associated Press. The Cybertruck also faces a growing list of competing electric trucks, including the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T.
Two days after Tesla tweeted they had produced the first Cybertruck, Ford announced lower prices for several models of its F-150 Lightning, each by about $10,000. The company is also offering a $1,000 bonus for customers who “build their own XLT, Lariat or Platinum truck” online or through a dealership until July 31 as part of the “national summer sales event.”
The Rivian R1T has the highest starting price so far at $73,000. Pricing on the Tesla Cybertruck has fluctuated. While an exact figure is not currently available, Musk has taken back a previous estimate of just under $40,000, stating issues like inflation no longer make this price point possible.
“It was unveiled in 2019 ... a lot has changed since then, so the specs and the pricing will be different,” Musk said during the 2022 Tesla Annual Meeting of Stockholders. “I hate to give a little bit of bad news, but I think there's no way to have anticipated quite the inflation we have seen and various issues."
As far as performance, the Cybertruck will reportedly be available in single, dual, and triple-motor options, which will all vary in performance. While its estimated 2.9-second 0 to 60 time easily surpasses the F-150 Lightning’s four seconds, it’s neck-and-neck with the Rivian R1T’s reported time of three seconds.
The Cybertruck also claims the longest battery range amongst its competitors, with the F-150 Lightning clocking in at 240 miles on a standard-range battery and up to 320 miles on an “extended-range” battery. The R1T’s range is anywhere from 270 to 400 miles, based on the drive system and battery pack chosen.
Tesla’s claim of a 14,000 pound towing capacity would also place it ahead of the F-150 Lightning's 10,000 pound max towing capacity, as well as the R1T's 11,000 pound towing capacity.
Which electric pickup truck would you choose?
More information about the Cybertruck is available at tesla.com/cybertruck.
More like this:
