Tesla Cybertruck costs more than, doesn’t go as far as promised

It took four years, which is two years late, but the Tesla Cybertruck has finally arrived with a higher price and less range than originally promised.

On Thursday, Tesla held a delivery event where it outlined some details surrounding the Tesla Cybertruck and handed over the first trucks to customers.

Some details are now confirmed, while plenty of others still require answers. 

Tesla’s website lays out three trucks, but each claims pricing and range to be an estimate.

Deliveries of the base Rear-Wheel Drive model, presumably with a single motor, will take place in 2025 and cost an estimated $60,990, far more than the $40,000 Tesla CEO Elon Musk originally quoted, though it’s unclear if a lower-line model will be added in the future. Tesla’s website notes an estimated 250 miles of range, a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds, a top speed of 112 mph, and a tow rating of 7,500 pounds for this model.

Tesla’s website claims the All-Wheel Drive Cybertruck, which will presumably will use a dual-motor powertrain, will arrive in customer hands in 2024 for $79,990 and have an estimated 340 miles of range. The company says the All-wheel Drive model will make 600 hp and 7,435 lb-ft of torque, though the latter is likely after driveline torque multiplication. Weighing 6,603 pounds, it can go 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds, run to a top speed of 112 mph, and tow up to 11,000 pounds.

The top model, which Tesla dubs Cyberbeast, will cost $99,990 and deliveries are planned to take place in 2024. Tesla’s website states this model will have an estimated 320 miles of range, run 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds, have a top speed of 130 mph, and make 845 hp and 10,296 lb-ft of torque (again, likely multiplied).

Tesla’s website notes a Range Extender will increase range for the Cyberbeast to 440 miles and the All-Wheel Drive model to 470 miles. It’s an additional battery that’s about the size of a toolbox that will sit against the back of the cab. It’s unclear how much the range extender pack will cost, and what it negative effect it will have on towing and payload capacity. No truck has been announced with the 500 miles of range originally quoted.

CEO Elon Musk noted random facts and figures during the delivery event without qualifying or quantifying them. Those figures included a quarter mile time of less than 11 seconds and a payload rating of up to 2,500 pounds.

Tesla’s website says the Cybertruck is 95 inches wide, 223.7 inches long, and 70.5 inches tall. 

Musk said the composite bed is 6-feet long and 4-feet wide. Tesla’s website notes the bed and cab feature 120-volt and 240-volt outlets with up to 11.5-kw of power output and 65-watt UCB-C ports. It’s unclear how many outlets are in the cab, but two 120- and one 240-volt outlet can be seen in a photo. The Cybertruck can also reportedly power a house, but this was not detailed.

The truck has a 0.335 coefficient of drag and certain unspecified models ride on 35-inch all-terrain tires with 20-inch wheels. Tesla’s website says the Cybertruck has 67 cubic feet of space in the bed under the tonneau cover and 54 cubic feet of storage inside the cab with the second row of seats flipped up.

Musk said during the delivery presentation the Cybertruck has up to 17-inches of ground clearance thanks to a four-corner air suspension system paired with adaptive dampers. Tesla’s website details that the 17 inches of ground clearance is in Extract Mode, but it’s unclear if all trucks feature this system and what various drive modes provide in terms of ground clearance. 

The Cybertruck features locking differentials, according to Musk, along with torque vectoring.

According to the website, the Cybertruck can recover up to 136 miles of range in 15 minutes on a fast charger with a max charge rate of 250 kw.

The Cybertruck has a steer-by-wire system and a rear-wheel steering that enables a turning radius shorter than that of a Model X. The Model X’s turning radius is 20.4 feet. It’s unknown which Cybertruck models feature rear-wheel steering or if it’s standard. 

Musk claimed the Cybertruck has more torsional stiffness than a McLaren P1. “If you are ever in an argument with another car, you will win,” said Musk.

The glass is claimed to be rock proof, which prevents rock chips but also makes the interior quieter, according to Musk. Tesla’s website claims the glass can resist the impact of a baseball at 70 mph or class 4 hail.

Musk proudly showed a video of a Tommy Gun shooting bullets into the side of a Cybertruck with no metal penetration. It’s unclear how far away the person shooting the gun was from the truck, but Musk tweeted that the “Doors are bulletproof to .45” & 9mm.”

The Cybertruck features an 18.5-inch touchscreen on the dashboard and a 9.4-inch touchscreen for rear seat passengers. A 15-speaker audio system is shown on the website, but it’s unclear if this or the rear screen will be standard.

Tesla designed accessories to work with the Cybertruck, including a bed-mounted tent for camping and a roof-mounted light bar that can shine light up to 525 yards.

Tesla has not released battery pack sizes or specifications, nor has it noted which battery cells it’s using in the Cybertrucks rolling down the assembly line. It’s unclear how many Cybertrucks Tesla has built or delivered.

Production of the Cybertruck began at Tesla’s plant near Austin, Texas, in July. The same month final testing and certification began, according to Tesla.