The initial Tesla Cybertruck delivery event just happened and…we weren’t invited.
BUT, the automaker released some details about the production versionof the long-awaited Cybertruck, and we’re sharing ’em.
You can decide for yourself about the look – but we hate it. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said it was inspired by Bladerunner (the 1982 original). We think it looks like a military vehicle designed for intimidation and would have fit well in District 9, the 2009 South African future dystopia pic.
Beyond that, here are the factiods as gleaned from Tesla’s website.
Trims ‘n Prices
The base trim will be a ingle-motor, rear wheel drive ersion, not available until available in 2025. It will start at $61,240 including Tesla’s mandatory $250 order fee, but excluding a yet-to-be-determined destination fee.
The mid-trim is the dual-motor, all-wheel drive, in production now, priced at $80,240 plus destination.
The Tri-motor “Cyberbeast” with all-wheel drive, tops the lineup at $100,240 plus destination.
General Cybertruck Stuff
As promised at the 2019 unveiling, which we did attend, the Cybertruck is made of unpainted stainless steel – but the production version uses flat panels instead of a seamless “exoskeleton” body folded, like origami, from a single sheet of stainless. The multi-panel production version won’t have the tensile strength of that long-ago prototype, and – buyers beware – Musk recently warned that producing trucks without ripples in the metal and with tight, unvarying seams is going to be a (self-inflicted) nightmare.
(Check that first photo, a screenshot from an animated clip on Tesla’s website. Pay attention to the coloring on the doors vs oher panels, and to the fit of the sheetmetal around the top of the right headlight cover.)
All Cybertruck versions will have a bed that’s 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. There’s also a front trunk – frunk – and a hidden gear locker (we didn’t see where it is hidden).
All will use an 800-volt charging architecture, which will let them take advantage of DC fast charging at up to 250 kilowatts – the same as the existing Tesla lineup. That’s quick, but the GMC Hummer EV pickup can fast-charge at up to 350 kW.
Dimensionally, the Cybertruck, at 223.7 inches long and 86.6 inches wide, is about the 10 inches shorter but a substantial 6.6 inches wider than the Ford F-150 Lightning amd 5 inches wider than the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickups. Its roof peak measures 70.5 inches from the road (when the available air adjustable suspension isn’t jacked up), which is 9.5 inches shorter than the Ford and 11.1 inches shorter than the Chevy.
Cybertruck Power and Range
Horsepower for the base single-motor wasn’t disclosed,but Tesla said it would be able to post a 6.5 second zero-to-60 mph time, so don’t expect a lot of oomph. Range is a mere 250 miles.
The dual motor trim comes in at 600 hp, with a 3.9-second zero-to-60 time and a base range of 340 miles. An optional range extender – a small extra battery mounted in the bed behind the cab much like a full-width tool box – expands range to up to 470 miles.
The Cyberbeast boasts 845 hp and a zero-to-60 time of 2.6 seconds. Base range is 320 miles, boostable to somewhere past 440 miles with the range extender option.
Towing and Payload
The base model has the lowest tow rating, of course, and it is nothing to boast about – at 7,500 max it will pull less than the Chevy Colorado midsize pickup. Load capacity wasn’t provided, but, again, don’t expect much.
Dual-motor Cybertrucks get the heftiest tow rating, 11,000 pounds max. Payload capacity wasn’t given, but it should be somewhere around the tri-motor model’s.
And the tri-motor gets the same 11,000-pound tow rating as the dual motors, with a 2,500-pound payload capacity
Powersharing and the Cybertruck
As should any electric pickup, the Cybertruck will be able to use its battery to power accessories. There are two 120-volt outlets in the cabin and two more in the bed along with a 240-volt outlet. Tesla said ti will supply up to 9.6 kW of continuous power, which is enough to run major appliances in a house during a blackout.
