Tesla CEO Elon Musk stands beside the Tesla Cybertruck moments after it appears onstage at … [+]
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the wraps off his long-awaited electric pickup, dubbed the Cybertruck, in a bizarre live-streamed event Thursday night that didn’t disappoint – or possibly did, depending on your point of view.
The Cybertruck – that’s the official name – will start at $39,900 for those with the courage to order the triangular, wedge-shaped, quasi-bullet-proofed machine that looks like it came directly out of a 1980s science fiction film that wasn’t directed by Lucas, Spielberg or Ridley Scott.
Slated for production in 2020, the Cybertruck is unlike any current mass-market pickup truck currently (or even eventually) for sale in terms of appearance and design, which may be the understatement of this still-young century. It’s appearance out of a cloud of smoke and laser beams after Musk stumbled through an awkward opening to the event that appeared to be largely unscripted nearly stunned the roaring crowd into silence. “I told you it would be different,” Musk said as the truck took center stage and six people in dark, sci-fi noir outfits piled out of the crew cab and walked away.
That’s not a render, that’s the Cybertruck.
Indeed he did, and looking back now at the single Tesla-issued image of the truck from earlier this year, which essentially no one could make heads or tails of (Elon eventually had to say it was a photo of the front of the truck), it’s clear now how it was truly a hint as to how far afield his latest creation was going to be.
And if the night (and the truck) couldn’t get an more bizarre, a demonstration of the truck’s supposed impact resistant windows went very awry when a co-presenter hucked a steel ball at the driver and passenger windows, shattering both – something a demonstration moments earlier of a drop-test of the balls onto glass plates seemed to indicate wouldn’t happen. But Musk pressed on regardless, with the biggest roar rising from the boisterous crowd when the price – $39,900 for the least expensive, single-motor version – flashed on the screen. High-powered trims will start at $49,900 for a dual-motor version and $69,900 for the top-trim, a three-motor design with 500 miles of range and capable of zero to 60mph in “less than” 2.9 seconds, which puts it in supercar territory.
“Oh by the way, we made an ATV,” Elon added almost as an afterthought. It was ridden up the … [+]
And to finish things up, Musk cribbed a bit from Steve Jobs’ One More Thing playbook, when another presenter rolled onstage on an electric ATV styled in the same vein as the truck, operated the retractable bed cover, unfolded a loading ramp built into the tailgate and drove the ATV into the 6.5-foot bed, which features white LED lighting, and plugged in the ATV to charge from the truck’s battery.
And that was that.
The Look
Your own personal stealth truck. Good luck evading tickets.
My initial reaction when the truck appeared was: This has to be a joke. Please let this be a joke. A quick review from my wife (a Texas girl who has driven many a pickup) confirmed my initial response: “It’s so ugly.” But my 12-year-old son wanted to know if we could put a deposit down on one immediately. “It’s SO COOL!” he crowed as the truck appeared onstage. These opinions are important, because in due time, it’s my son who will be buying trucks, not me, and my son now measures all pickups against the Cybertruck.
That said, the Cybertruck’s styling could best be described as from-the-future science fiction overkill. It makes the Rivian electric truck look positively traditional. Is it ugly? Let the debate begin. Remember, it doesn’t need to have a lot of things a traditional truck has: A radiator, a big engine, drive lines, frame rails, gas tanks and so on. It needs to be highly aerodynamic to achieve maximum range.
With no radiator or large engine, the shape of the truck can be completely rethought along the lines … [+]
Musk said the look won’t be for everyone, and he got that prediction absolutely correct. Fans of sci-fi films and military vehicles may see it as truck nirvana. Anyone married to traditional design may see it as blasphemy. But is it? Tesla is in a bit of a unique position in the pickup truck market, seeing how they don’t have any past trucks to pay homage to, thus the highly radical, clean-sheet design. It’s unlikely Ford or GM would go this route with decades of truck design (and legions of loyal buyers) who might recoil from such a bold stylistic departure after decades of incremental design changes. But these days, who knows? The future seems upon us in so many ways.
Features
We expect innovation from Tesla (no matter the form factor), and the Cybertruck doesn’t disappoint. The truck body is a sledgehammer-repelling stainless steel shell, giving the Cybertruck a bit of a DeLorean homage. The windows will be a special glass more akin to that found in a state leader’s limo than any competitor’s truck, although that appeared to be a work in progress. The bed – Tesla calls it The Vault – is 6.5 feet long and will carry 100 cubic feet of cargo under its powered retractable cover that is “strong enough to stand on.” Obviously you can haul more, if you leave the cover open. In a press image, a vault-based geometric camping system was shown as a possible option. Musk says there will be both 120-volt and 220-volt electrical outlets on the truck, which was expected, but since the truck uses air suspension, an on-board compressor for air tools is also included. Autopilot tech is included with a full future self-driving option available for $7,000 more.
A perfect camping setup for you and Mr. Spock.
That air suspension will give a huge 16 inches of ground clearance, likely without driveline or differential complications, judging by the images. At speed, it can hunker down for aero, or it can tilt when idle to assist in loading. A tailgate – which does not appear to be powered – includes a slide-out ramp for loading ATVs and other gear. Up front is a front trunk for more secure cargo hauling, and Tesla says there will be other secure storage spots in the sail pillars.
With no driveline and the exoskeleton design, seating for six adults is possible.
Inside, there’s seating for six adults, made easier by the perfectly flat floor. Images released by Tesla show a central touch screen as expected, and an almost aviation-style steering wheel, if you can call it that. The dash is essentially featureless, much like the Model 3, but more geometric.
Performance
Say what you will about the look of it, the specs are competitive. Musk likes his machines to go fast, so we expected the Cybertruck to have a (literal) ton of power. Sure, horsepower is important, but torque is what truck owners need and want more than a big HP number. Torque gets the work done, and electric motors are great at making torque. How much? Tesla’s press kit didn’t specify exact numbers, but even the base truck will haul 3,500 pounds and tow 7,500lbs, with the top-line trim hauling 14,000 pounds. Musk’s quick video of the Cybertruck dominating a Ford F150 in a tug-of-war should give some indication of the locomotive-like twist that will likely humble even big diesel pickups.
Pricing and towing capacities will vary across three trims, including a three-motor version.
Keep in mind that those capacities are preliminary numbers, and once the trucks go into production next year, advances in battery tech, motor tech, motor controllers and all else could boost all of them, as could future software updates.
Range is key of course, and Musk says that there will be three trims, giving 250, 300 and 500 miles respectively, with 150kW charging ability and beyond when it comes to market. He made sure to get in the usual dig at gas-powered trucks by reminding everyone that it’s much cheaper to charge than fuel, saving on operational costs.
The Price
Musk had said he wanted the basic truck to come in around $50,000, hopefully less, and he came through on that point as well – at least for now. With the base rig starting at $100 under $40,000, competitors may chuckle at the look of it, but the price for performance – if it holds – is a crusher. Tesla is now past the point where they have to sell a bunch of the deluxe models to fund the affordable versions, as the Model S did ahead of the Model 3, so buyers are able to put deposits down on the more affordable Cybertrucks right now – for $100. In fact, the Cybertruck rollout will be the opposite of the Model S campaign, with the top-trim, AWD three-motor version arriving in 2021. A two-motor AWD midrange model should also appear next year.
Market Impact
If you’re shocked and surprised at the Cybertruck, don’t be. This machine comes from a guy who loves and lives to design things his way, who looks far into the future, and who wants to settle humans on another planet. Design a truck? I think expecting the unexpected from Musk should be expected at pretty much every turn, and I doubt he gives any proverbial you-know-whats about what the critics say. Whether you think he’s full of it or a genius, one thing is for sure: The cars and rocket launches don’t lie: Stuff he designs works. He changes the game, heck, even whole industries, be it cars or spaceships or solar power. He has big ideas, big plans and design acumen many would give a semi-vital organ for. The Cybertruck is packed with those ideas, with performance and shock value as a bonus. Once people get over the shape of it, the ideas that are behind that shape will be what sells it. Just watch the preorders roll in.
Musk has been putting the Tesla puzzle together in terms of offerings and a truck has always been on the agenda. Will the Cybertruck light the EV fire under the big legacy truck brands like the Model S did just a few short years ago? Truck owners (full disclosure: I’m one of them) may have the public persona of die-hard petrol-heads, and to be sure, many are, but many are also pragmatic when it comes to a work vehicle. Powering electric tools at a remote jobsite is useful feature to be sure, and the performance numbers in terms of towing and range cannot be denied. Throw in never having to buy fuel – no matter the price – and the hassle of locating a Supercharger or plugging it in at home to juice up overnight may start to seem like workable problems. If your $50,000 diesel crew cab is sucking down $5,000 a year in liquid dinosaur, a faster, more useful $40,000 electric truck that charges up for a tenth of that figure (or less) is compelling, especially for fleets big and small, looks be damned.
Just like with the Tesla cars, the Cybertruck is going to force other OEMs to get to work on competing platforms. We know Ford is already working on an electric F150 and is also invested in e-truck startup Rivian, and certainly Chevy’s skunk works is running at full steam as well. For once, Musk might not get there first with the Tesla truck, but make no mistake, nothing from anyone America or Europe is going to look like this. If anything, some of the hundreds of electric vehicle startups in China will see this as inspiration and run with the idea. Count on it.
What’s Missing
It was a bit disappointed that the Cybertruck’s rolling underpinnings were fairly conventional (for an EV) while the physical appearance was so radical. As a driver of a large, long-bed pickup that is a bear to maneuver through parking lots or tight traffic, I was hoping against hope the Cybertruck would feature 4-wheel steering among its many tricks. But alas, not this time. With in-hub motors becoming a feasible option, offering a truck that could turn within its own radius would be more useful than a sci-fi exterior design. Here’s hoping Elon (or anyone) takes up the 4WS challenge in the future.
Broken windows and all, it was a night to remember for Tesla and the automotive industry.
