Cybertruck: The vehicle of the future or is it?
Tesla did not announce when deliveries of the vehicle will start, but production is estimated to be sometime near the late of 2021
On Thursday night in Los Angeles, California, Tesla's all new Cybertruck pickup made its global debut to roaring cheers and criticisms from around the world.
Tesla CEO, Elon Musk has hinted for months that his new pickup truck will be "unlike anything we have seen before", from his brand or any other.
True to his words, the vehicle was unveiled in the form of an angular, faceted, clipped, cropped, and generally otherworldly pickup truck straight out of "Blade Runner", startled those in attendance, the media and the whole of Twitterverse.
As the $39,900 truck rolled on to the stage, many considered it to be one of the CEO's Muskian joke; alas, the show on stage was the real deal, not a movie prop or an homage to one of those popular futuristic cars for video games.
The vehicle has a polarizing design and its production process, as detailed during the unveiling by Musk, is expected to be similar to that of a traditional car than a truck.
Pickup
From different angles, it is hard to see but in reality, the Cybertruck is a pickup with a 6.5-foot long, 100-cubic-foot capacity cargo bed and a six-passenger crew-cab. The truck is 231inches long. The cargo part was not explored much, until they drove an electric ATV onboard which fit in nicely. Little is known on how the bed functions and the cool perks engineers might have inserted, but one thing is for sure, this is not one of your traditional pickup trucks. Then again, knowing Musk, that is exactly what the eccentric CEO is going for.
Features
The vehicle will be available with one, two and three electric motors, accompanied with a rear-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. As per Tesla, the truck will go 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, is able to tow up to 7,500 pounds, and carry 3,500 pounds in its base guise. The two-motor variant will reach 60 in 4.5 seconds and tow 10,000 pounds, while the three-motor model will hit 60 in 2.9 seconds and pull 14,000 pounds. Range will vary between 250 to 500 miles with all models having an adaptive air suspension for self-leveling and ride-height adjustment, up to 16 inches. The interior is roomy and features Tesla's signature central touchpad, in this case a 17-incher. Other than that, not a great deal was revealed about Cybertruck during the unveiling.
Bullet-proof glass
Ah yes! The Cybertruck's "bulletproof glasses". It is as good as it gets (pun intended). Trucks are supposed to be tough, but Tesla appears to be taking it to another level. During the unveiling, the truck's "ultra-hard 30X cold-rolled stainless steel" body held up to what Musk described as a sledgehammer, adding that it can withstand a 9 mm bullet from a handgun. To demonstrate the toughness of the glass, Tesla Chief Designer Franz Von Holzhausen threw a metal ball at two windows. They shattered, to Musk's surprise, but the metal ball did not go through the glass. That said, to bill a consumer production vehicle as "bulletproof" without actual professional certification of said claim is a bit reckless, given that plenty of other ammunition types will make it clean through the Cybertruck's hide and glass.
Now coming back to reality, the Cybertruck is neither a consumer-friendly product nor an entirely functional and capable pickup truck. The visual aesthetic will be a sticking point for many—trying to defend their purchase decision to curious onlookers.
With several all-electric pickups making their way into the US market, Tesla's Cubertruck is probably going to face serious competition.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Thursday confirmed the automaker plans to release an all-electric pickup in late 2021, the same time Ford Motor is expected to release an all-electric version of its F-150 pickup.
Start-up automakers such as Rivian and Lordstown Motors, which recently purchased a large assembly plant from GM, are also expected to release EV pickups in the coming years.
Tesla did not announce when deliveries of the vehicle will start, but production is estimated to be sometime near the late of 2021. Prices start at $39,900 and can exceed $70,000, with certain options such as a larger battery and Autopilot, but for now the only noise being emitted other than the truck is those of the skeptics.
