The Tesla Cybertruck, which embarrassed Elon Musk during the launching ceremony, is back in the news. And it's quite frustrating.
Tesla's CEO, is known for his unpredictable shenanigans and work ethic, be it receiving Bitcoin as payment and suddenly canceling it later, or unexpectedly walking out of a billion-dollar Twitter contract.
The multi billionaire entrepreneur is known for surprising audiences with his daring maneuvers. He even took shots at Apple by launching a Tesla Cybertruck whistle, an overpriced accessory that basically mocked Apple's expensive cleaning cloth. Amazingly, the $50 Cyberwhistle is already sold out on the Tesla website
Elon has also drummed up controversy once again with the much-anticipated Tesla Cybertruck, managing to turn up the heat quite a bit.
So Elon, where is the Cybertruck’s AC?
According to an Insideevs article, at least one of the existing Tesla Cybertruck prototypes does not have air conditioning. The information was initially shared on Instagram by Jack Griffiths Garage, but it has now been removed.
Whole Mars Catalog had posted the video on Twitter before the original Instagram post was removed. You can tell that it’s just another one of their recent videos showing folks driving the Tesla Cybertruck at the automaker's Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.
We spotted a few similar videos posted, but we didn't investigate very closely, so some of the clips that we skimmed through may have been put up by the same people. Others in the same Cybertruck prototype may have published recordings of the drive on their different social media sites as well.
In any case, when the video begins, one of the passengers in the electric pickup truck comments that a little “air conditioning would be nice.” Another passenger quips that the temperature inside the Cybertruck is 68 degrees Fahrenheit, but someone adds that it feels more like 86 degrees.
Regardless of the temperature, the driver reaches for the Cybertruck's touch panel and announces that there is no choice for air conditioning. As he swiftly swipes across the screen and it fiddles with a bunch of buttons, it appears that he doesn't have many options to choose from.
Is the Cybertruck dead before release?
Clearly, we can’t be sure if the Tesla Cybertruck will be offered without air conditioning just by this video. It would be astonishing if this were true, and much more so if AC was not accessible in the vehicle at all.
It might just be the prototypes that do not have ACs yet, or it could just be this specific prototype. These test models have a lot of ambiguity, just look at their wipers for instance. Tesla has revealed a bunch of variants of the Cybertruck windshield wiper so far.
One prototype was spotted with a relatively large wiper, but recently, we've also seen another prototype boasting a smaller wiper. It's also possible that the driver just didn't know how to turn it on. We don't know what happened when the driver tried to switch on the air conditioning because the footage is so brief.
Having said that, it's still an interesting insight worth sharing. Hopefully, additional similar videos will emerge, and more people who had the opportunity to drive the Cybertruck will come forward with further information. Meanwhile, it's all a matter of waiting till the street-ready EV launches.
On that note, when will Tesla release the Cybertruck?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that the Cybertruck will be available in 2023. But, the final product will differ from what Tesla announced when the electric pickup truck was initially unveiled.
Musk stated at the Cyber Roundup Tesla shareholder event that because a lot has changed since then, the specifications and pricing of the EV will be altered.
He said that he despises having to deliver bad news. But neither he nor anyone else could have predicted the level of inflation we've experienced. Still, he can still assure us one thing. "It'll be like a darn fine machine." He also hinted on Twitter that there might be a smaller version for the European market in the future.
In conclusion
Tesla's Cybertruck is Musk and his team's dream project. However, external variables such as the pandemic, inflation, and the Russia-Ukraine war have had a significant impact on the supply chain and price. This resulted in a manufacturing delay and an increase in the quoted price.
There have been no formal announcements regarding the release date or pricing. And the news surrounding Cybertruck is not very encouraging either. Any prediction would be like firing arrows in the dark.
One thing is certain, Musk's promised $40,000 Tesla Cybertruck will never be realized. But it doesn't mean the Tesla Cybertruck is absolutely dead. Sooner or later, it will enter the market. But in the future, we must do our own research before blindly trusting and investing in whatever Musk claims.
