The Cybertruck is more than an EV. It represents a turning point in history. For both automobiles and design, the decisions Tesla is making might shape the reality of the automotive industry in the coming years. When you can speculate about what the rest of your life might look like, you want it to begin as soon as possible.
Tesla Founder and CEO Elon Musk's statement confirming the Tesla Cybertruck being lined up for release in 2023 has sparked a flurry of interest among automotive enthusiasts and tech enthusiasts alike. The EV’s futuristic, Blade Runner-esque form, combined with all of the utility of a truck and the performance of a sports car has made it one of the most sought-after cars since its introduction, but is it fit to be in your garage? These facts will help you decide.
1. Automated self-driving technology
We know that Tesla vehicles are outfitted with an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), making them nearly self-driving EVs. These EVs have a great sense of proximity. If they detect pedestrians ahead, they will immediately stop. Their cruise control technology maintains a safe gap between your EV and the car in front of you.
But Tesla wants to take things a step farther. Tesla now wants to provide "full self-driving" technology in addition to its semi-autonomous driving suite for an additional $12,000. Their objective from the start was to unlock full self-driving capability in their cars.
The semi-autonomy still requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel. You won't be reclining back and enjoying your EV drive you around. This suite unlocks features like:
- Traffic and Stop Sign Control
- Navigate on Autopilot
- Autopark and Summon
- Auto Lane Change
Tesla offers a solution for buyers who cannot afford to pay $12,000 extra up front. Rather than paying all at once, you can opt for a subscription service. This will range from $99 to $199 each month. FSD is still in beta testing, however, Musk has stated that these services will become accessible to your EV shortly, overlapping the release of FSD's production code.
2. The Tri-Motor powering the Cyberpunk
The Cybertruck isn't all design and no power. A feature that most people should be looking out for is its all-wheel drive Tri-Motor that's running your six-seater. That's right, this machine has three motors, unheard of in any EV before. You may be able to get a Nissan soon with two motors powering their next-generation zero-emission vehicle. Tesla still has Nissan beat at this race, given that their Model 3 only dual-motor EV that is currently available on the market.
The Cybertruck is planned to release with three configurations. And depending on how much you can spend, you can get this EV with a single, dual, or triple electric motor system. Performance reports show a clear case of "the more, the merrier." The single motor can do 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and can tow up to 7,500 pounds.
This may sound slow by Tesla standards, but we need to remember that this is a truck, not a sports car. This could even be Tesla's way of concocting a marketing strategy that makes the higher-end variants of the Cybertruck more appealing to customers. The dual motor shortens the time to 4.5 seconds and boasts the ability to pull 10,000 pounds.
Their triple motor is, of course, the most powerful. It can reach 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and tow the most, rated for up to 14,000 pounds. That is surprisingly fast for an EV, especially one that is so heavy. The Cybertruck might force other manufacturers to reevaluate their EV design philosophies.
About the elusive four motor variant, sadly we do not have a lot of details yet. But we can expect the added peripheral to only boost the Cybertruck's acceleration and towing capacity, making it the vehicle of choice for your next truck rally.
We're expecting the obvious competitor for an all-terrain Cybertruck to be Hummer's EV, and Tesla's engineers have given their truck rear-wheel steering capabilities, allowing it to hold its ground against the Hummer's "Crab Walk" feature. This makes the possibility of a quad motor Cybertruck seem much more realistic, as it can excel at this feature with each motor powering a single wheel, allowing it to squeeze out of any tight space.
3. Battery, range, and the Cybertruck’s delay
We’re no stranger to knowing that the Cybertruck is going to house Tesla’s new 4680-type battery cells. These batteries are no joke. The cells are cost-effective and will reduce production costs on the Cybertruck itself. And if what Tesla is saying is true, these cells will be six times more powerful than any of their existing batteries, promising 16% more range.
This big of an upgrade is hard to deliver, and Elon Musk has cited this as the reason behind delaying the Cybertruck. Tesla wants to ensure their savings, providing its customers with the best possible value.
Musk has also promised an upward increase in the Cybertuck’s range with each addition of a motor to the EV’s variants. The bare minimum for the single motor unit is going to be two fifty miles.
The dual and triple motor hit up to three hundred and five hundred miles of range each, which is an insane oath to take. We’re not sure of the added range a quad-motor unit could bring. Because the fourth motor uses more energy, it can potentially be less than the range of the tri-motor model.
4. The price of the Cybertruck
You won’t be able to find decisive information about the Cybertruck’s price on Tesla’s website. Tesla pulled a bunch of info on the EV not too long ago. Prior to the pull, Tesla’s last quotes on the models are still largely known. The single-motor Cybertruck, the final one scheduled to be produced, is expected to start at $39,990 — $5,000 less than the cheapest Model 3.
Meanwhile, the dual-motor variant with all-wheel drive was expected to cost $49,990. The tri-motor Cybertruck, which was previously the flagship model, will cost $69,990. The cost of the newly announced quad-motor model is still unknown, as it never appeared on the Tesla website. However, taking this information off of their website could mean that it is about to be increased since the FSD unit suffered from a similar bump in pricing.
Conclusion
Tesla has managed to secure millions in reservations so far on the Cybertruck. The number is only increasing. The very low pre-order price of $100 has led to a greater margin for entry for a lot of customers, an excellent marketing strategy to break into the truck industry.
Of course, this does not imply that Tesla has sold that many vehicles. We should expect some of those pre-orders to be canceled when the time comes to pay in full. Who knows how many Cybertrucks were pre-ordered by Elon Musk fanatics who don't actually have the money to own one?
