The Tesla Cybertruck is a battery-electric full-size pickup truck that Tesla has built since 2023. Shown as a concept in November 2019, it has an angular body of flat, unpainted stainless steel that critics compared to a low-polygon computer model. Deliveries began in November 2023, and sales have disappointed.
Tesla Cybertruck at a glance
| Maker | Tesla, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Production | since 2023, Gigafactory Texas |
| Body | full-size pickup, five seats |
| Concept unveiled | 21 November 2019, Los Angeles |
| First deliveries | 30 November 2023 event |
| Body panels | unpainted stainless steel, up to 3 mm |
| Length / width | 5.68 m / 2.413 m with mirrors |
| Kerb weight | 3,100 kg, manufacturer figure |
| Variants, 2026 | Cyberbeast 320 mi; dual-motor AWD 325 mi (EPA) |
| Markets, 2026 | US, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia |
History of the Tesla Cybertruck
A long wait
Elon Musk talked about a Tesla pickup in 2012, and by 2016 the Master Plan outlined a consumer truck. The Cybertruck was unveiled on 21 November 2019 at the Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles. During the demonstration two windows of the “Armor Glass” shattered when a metal ball was thrown at them. Tesla said it would start production in late 2021 from US$39,900, but delays pushed it back to 2023 with a new base price of US$60,990.
Reservations and delivery
Tesla took refundable US$100 reservations from November 2019 and Musk announced 250,000 preorders in the first five days. The first unit was assembled at Gigafactory Texas in July 2023, and a delivery event on 30 November 2023 announced three variants: single-motor rear-wheel drive, dual-motor all-wheel drive and the tri-motor Cyberbeast. By August 2024 the truck was readily available in the US and Tesla closed the reservation list.
Reception
The Cybertruck has been widely criticised for build quality, its unusual look and safety problems, and several publications have called it an “automotive flop”. In January 2020 Automobile Magazine had named the 2019 concept its Concept Car of the Year.
Design and features
- Stainless-steel body: flat, unpainted panels up to 3 mm thick.
- Cargo bed: about 3,400 litres, with a bed cover that rolls up.
- Powertrain: one, two or three electric motors depending on the variant; the Cyberbeast goes from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds.
- Cyberquad: an all-terrain vehicle shown at the unveiling that drove onto the bed up a built-in ramp.
- Availability: Tesla confirmed in December 2023 that it was sold only in North America at first; type approval limits road registration in many countries.
Tesla Cybertruck versions
- Rear-wheel drive: the single-motor version announced in 2023.
- Dual-motor all-wheel drive: EPA range 325 miles (525 km) in 2026.
- Cyberbeast: the tri-motor performance version, EPA range 320 miles (515 km).
- Foundation Series: a launch edition, as seen in the photo below.
The pickup was announced alongside the electric truck Tesla Semi and the second-generation Roadster. Browse the rest of the range in the Tesla collection.
Sources
- Tesla Cybertruck, English Wikipedia: history, reservations, production, variants
- Tesla Cybertruck, German Wikipedia: dimensions, weight, bed volume, performance
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