Cyberattack
After years of setbacks, Tesla has delivered the first production examples of its controversial Cybertruck pick-up
THE CYBERTRUCK IS DESIGNED TO BE TRULY CAPABLE OFF-ROAD
FOUR YEARS SINCE ITS REVEAL AND two since it was first set to enter production, the Tesla Cybertruck has now officially entered production, with first customer cars handed to buyers at the firm’s Texas factory. Promising “better utility than a truck, with more performance than a sports car”, its development has been far from trouble free, but the divisive model now officially joins the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning in the ever-expanding electric pickup truck market.
While its radical, angular appearance isn’t for some, the production car has remained true to the concept’s design first shown in 2019. Built on an aluminium monocoque, the Cybertruck utilises body panels made from stainless steel developed specifically for this use case, ensuring optimum corrosion and stain resistance. Its unique construction also gives it “better torsional rigidity than a McLaren P1”, according to Elon Musk, with those body panels even capable of shrugging off bullets of up to 0.45 calibre. Single-motor, all-wheel-drive and Cyberbeast variants make up the range, each using an 800V architecture (the first Tesla to do so). While the rear-drive variant won’t come for another few years, it can cover 400km on a charge and achieve a 6.5sec 0-100kmph time. Move up to the middle of the range and you get a motor mounted on each axle for allwheel-drive, sending 600bhp to the ground for a sprint from 0-100kmph in 4.1sec – estimated range in this configuration is also up to 547km on a single charge.
At the top of the range, the Cyberbeast receives an 845bhp triple-motor setup with a single motor on the front axle and a new induction-based dual-motor assembly at the rear. A byproduct of this is a 32km range reduction and a 109kg weight penalty, bringing the total to a colossal 3104kg. Performance is predictably brisk, with 0-100kmph quoted at 2.6sec (with rollout subtracted) and top speed standing 29kmph higher than the rest of the range at 209kmph. Despite its hypercar power levels, its weight gives it a power-to-weight ratio similar to the sub-400bhp Lotus Emira V6.
The Cybertruck is designed to be truly capable off-road. Ground clearance of up to 432mm is double that of a Ford F-150 pick-up, with locking differentials, rear torque vectoring, variable steer-by-wire steering and rearwheel steering all contributing to its off-road ability – Tesla even claims that the latter gives it a better turning circle than a Model S. The marque also says the low centre of gravity
– a virtue of its skateboard-style battery placement – helps traction, another significant
factor in towing, with Musk claiming “it won’t roll over” as a result.
While short of the 1600kg initially projected, its load bed is rated to carry up to 1000kg, with a sliding tonneau cover offering up to 67 cubic feet (1897 litres) of lockable storage. Both all-wheel-drive variants are rated to tow up to 5000kg, with the rear-drive rated for slightly less at 3400kg – for comparison, the allelectric F-150 Lightning can tow up to 4535kg.
As a rather unique solution to range anxiety, Tesla is also offering an optional range extender in the form of a bed-mounted battery pack, offering an additional 209 and 193 kilometres in the all-wheel-drive and Cyberbeast range-topper respectively.
Inside, the design reflects the exterior with a basic, angular aesthetic. As in the rest of the Tesla range, a large central infotainment display acts as a control hub for virtually everything on the vehicle, only now increased to 18.5 inches in size as opposed to 17 in the Model S. Rear passengers also receive a 9.4-inch touchscreen for entertainment, fast 65W USB-C charging and even 120V/240V outlets throughout. The Cybertruck can even provide up to 11.5kW of power to anything from another vehicle to a house.
Final pricing is quite some way from what Tesla initially projected, with the entry-level rear-wheel-drive now expected to cost from `50.83 lakh, the all-wheel drive from `66.67 lakh and the triple-motor Cyberbeast from `83.34 lakh – that’s an increase of over `16.67 lakh for the entry-level car and `25 lakh for the range-topper (prices exclude Indian duties and taxes).
Following the international announcement of the delivery event in October, Elon Musk took to an earnings call to ‘temper expectations’, stating that the Cybertruck would be “incredibly difficult to bring to market to reach volume”. Musk went on to say that the marque is targeting an output of 250,000 units per year but doesn’t expect to hit such a figure until 2025. ⌧