Tesla will begin deliveries of its long-awaited, often-delayed Cybertruck electric pickup Nov. 30, the company announced.
The EV maker revealed the funky, futuristic truck in 2019. At the time, CEO Elon Musk promised deliveries within two years and a starting price under $40,000. The company was then forced to delay the truck repeatedly due to immense hurdles in bringing its unusual design to production.
Tesla hasn’t announced final pricing but long ago said it would miss the $40,000 target.
Like Nothing Else on the Road
The Cybertruck looks like no other pickup. An oblong pentagon of bare stainless steel, it’s barely recognizable as a wheeled vehicle. Musk previously said its design was inspired more by the movie “Blade Runner” than by any current pickup truck.
But the company has made outlandish performance promises, including up to 500 miles of range between charges, a sub-3-second zero-to-60 time, a tow rating of up to 14,000 pounds, and the ability to “serve briefly as a boat.”
Tesla will reportedly build one-, two-, and 3-motor versions, with a 4-motor edition possible.
Like Nothing Else in a Factory
But the truck has proven enormously difficult to manufacture.
Tesla doesn’t operate a public relations department or answer reporters’ questions, so the press is often left waiting for Musk’s comments at investor-focused events to get news on the company’s products.
He didn’t hold back Thursday during the company’s third-quarter earnings call.
“We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck,” Musk said bluntly. He called the truck “just incredibly difficult to bring to market to reach volume, to be prosperous.”
He cautioned investors he was there to “temper expectations” about the production ramp-up. How many trucks Tesla will have available for the delivery event is unclear. Observers recently photographed just nine parked outside its Texas factory.
The biggest challenge in reaching volume production is the truck’s unusual stainless steel “exoskeleton.” No other major automaker (DeLorean Motor Company doesn’t count) has built a production car with stainless steel because the material is heavy and unforgiving. Large, flat stainless steel panels — the theme of the Cybertruck’s design — are hard to shape evenly and align correctly.
Tesla may perfect that process, but not easily. Musk called the truck “our best product ever” but added, “It’s insanely difficult to make it at a price people can afford.”
Faltering Competition
When Tesla announced the Cybertruck, no other automaker had public plans to develop an electric pickup.
Today, shoppers can already buy the Chevrolet Silverado EV, Ford F-150 Lightning, GMC Hummer EV pickup, and Rivian R1T. General Motors also plans a GMC Sierra EV for the 2024 model year, and Ram will follow soon after with its 1500 REV pickup.
But there are signs of flagging demand. Ford recently cut one shift from the Detroit-area factory producing the Lightning, and GM announced plans to build the Silverado EV at one factory instead of two next year.
Tesla claims to have more than 1 million reservations for the Cybertruck. Its arrival could re-ignite demand for electric trucks or show how Tesla’s dedicated fan base gives it an advantage over other automakers struggling to generate similar hype.
